The tourists in the high castle

Castle chapel

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It had been a few hours since our last church visit so the castle kindly offered us their chapel.

Looking down on the Dreiflüsseck

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The cruise boats were coming in while we toured the castle.

Exploring the lower end of the castle.

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This part of the fortress on the hill was at the southern tip of the bluff overlooking the Danube river. Here we were closest to the confluence of the Inn and Danube.

The Batterie Linde Turm

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Just below this tower was where the castle cannon were directed toward the river approaches.

Another strategic point of the fortress

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The opposite corner of the parapet featured this destroyed tower that stood over one of the castle's wells.

It looks so much smaller from up here

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What this angle doesn't show is the steep hills in the middle of town. That fact combined with the cobblestone streets made my feet sore by the end of the day. Because the riverside was prone to frequent flooding the churches on the higher ground were a welcome refuge.

Cheap window frames

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At this point we were looking up at the main building of the complex. This is where the main section of the museum is housed. Check out the faux lintels and frames. It's all painted on the wall.

The inner baily

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Like all medieval castles there were more than just one set of walls around the central area of the stronghold.

Weisswürst for two

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I'm sorry our culinary tastes are so simple and boring but when we find something we enjoy we stick with it. I hate to think about what's inside these sausages but with that sweet mustard on it I could swallow sawdust and be happy. And fresh salty pretzels make it even tastier.

While Gail is inside shopping I explored the surroundings

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This building is the new Bishop's Residence. "New" means built in 1730. This was where the town bishop moved when the Veste Oberhaus became more of a military base than a place to live.

My perch for the nest 15 minutes

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I don't know what she was looking at in that shop but it seemed like she was in there forever. Maybe I had one too many beers or it really was getting brutally hot but I was certainly quite uncomfortable waiting out in the sun. I was tempted to dip a toe or two in the stone fountain in the Residenzplatz.

Upwards, ever onwrds through the narrow old streets of Passau

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Once Gail got out of the souvenir shops without buying a single item we headed farther uphill to St. Stephen's cathedral.

King Maximilian Joseph I

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Just another in a long line of eccentric Bavarian rulers. He grew up loving France and even joining their army for a time. He sided with Napoleon until he came marching through Germany. Max changed sides. When the war ended he had to cede part of his lands to Austria while annexing territory to his west into Bavaria. He was considered eccentric because he loved hanging out with the common folk. He even helped to rescue a teenage apprentice trapped in a collapsed building.

Home to the world's biggest pipe organ

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It seems all the church's of Europe seem to have their own claim to fame. "First flying buttress". "Highest Steeple". "Oldest Rococo church". "Biggest astrological clock". St. Stephen's brags about their giant organ. I would too.

Italian inspired bell tower

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Each of the two towers house humongous 5 ton or larger bells in their belfries. The cathedral sits on the site occupied by numerous smaller churches over the centuries. The current building was designed, built and decorated by Italian artists in the late 17th Century.

Things are looking up

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I got a great view of the ceiling as I sat in a pew resting while Gail gallivanted around the interior of the cathedral. It was hard to tell what was truly three dimensional and what was just clever Trompe-l'œil.

My wife the photo journalist

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While I rested Gail did her artistic study of church traditions with this photo of one of the many side chapels in the cathedral.

One church where the sermon won't bore me to death

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I could spend a lot of time just interpreting the story taking place above me.

A golden pulpit

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You certainly don't see this kind of stuff in a Protestant church. Another prefect example of the over-the-top Rococo style.