COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader
Saved: September 26th 2012
Edit Blog Post
Regensburg We arrive in Regensburg in the early morning hours. Yet another lovely city with those colorful stucco homes, one after another, and window boxes overflowing with flowers. Regensburg has stood here in one form or another since the early Celts and Romans, the original fort that makes up the heart of this city was built in 179 A.D., and some parts of that stronghold still exist in the walls. Limestone blocks form some parts of buildings and gates within the city, they are the remnants of the Roman fort, Castra Regina "the fortress by the river Regen". What an amazing place. Our guide takes us on a walking tour first along the river to view the Stone Bridge, built in the early 10th century, that opened up trade routes to the East and Venice. She tells us a legend of a bet between the architects of the bridge and of the cathedral, who were competing to finish their projects first. She tells how the architect of the bridge, wanting his project completed, made a deal with the devil to trade the first three souls across the bridge for his assistance. When the bridge was completed, long before the cathedral,
and the plans for the opening of the bridge were made; the local bishop, the mayor and other dignitaries were supposed to be the first to cross. The architect, recalling his deal, couldn't sacrifice such pious and important people to the devil, so he devised a trick. He brought along two chickens and a dog to the opening, and just as the bishop was to set foot on the bridge, threw the chickens and loosed the dog, making those the first three souls to cross the bridge. Old Nick was not a happy camper, and tried to destroy the bridge, but he had built it himself and all he managed to do was put a bend in it . . . .
Regensburg has a very log and fascinating history, after the Romans and Celts, it was a path for the Crusaders, a center of industry, the capital city of Bavaria, and the site of many important historical events. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The tour takes us past a wedding couple having their photos taken, then up to a square where another wedding has just ended and the celebration has spilled out onto
the cobblestones. A band plays and guests loudly cheer the couple. We finish the tour at the Regensburg Cathedral, as yet another wedding wraps up nearby and the antique car draped with flowers awaits the bride and groom.
The Cathedral, as many have been on this trip, is undergoing repairs and cleaning on the exterior. Inside, it is very dark and the stained glass windows glow with color. This Cathedral has a hanging pipe organ, as they wanted to add one, but did not want to damage any of the architecture in order to install it.
After the Cathedral, we wander the city, stopping by a small market to buy cheese and bread for an afternoon snack, and poking around the shops. We wrap up our visit with an espresso and some gelato while we wait to meet up with our group and the tour directors on the Stone Bridge to walk together to the other side and meet up with the buses that will take us to Prague.
COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader_blog_bottom
Tot: 0.292s; Tpl: 0.047s; cc: 6; qc: 45; dbt: 0.2285s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb