Passau and Schardig

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While NZ has been freezing, Germany has been roasting. It is extremely hot again at 38 degrees and the taxi driver told us it had been the hottest July in 200 years. We have spent the day totally sweaty and uncomfortable and anything I’ve experienced with Asian heat, this would equal it.

We decided that our day would be to visit the market, go for a river boat trip, listen to an organ recital at the Dom and visit Scharding.

The taxi to the market was a great idea as we didn’t have any walking to do in the heat. It is also cheap shared with 4 people and sure beats waiting for a bus. The market was not as big as we expected and was mostly produce of breads, meats, cheeses and fruit and vege. But, still worth a visit in the lovely area in front of the cathedral.

I was keen on going to the organ recital at Dom St Stephan’s and we had time until 12 to do a river boat trip. This took us on the Donau (Danube) and Inn Rivers' around the town. It gave a different perspective of the town seen from a distance with an interesting skyline of old buildings, ancient walls, spires and domes. A nice way to see the town without heating up too much.

We headed back up the hill to the Dom only to find all the recital tickets were sold out. I was cheeky enough to ask a tour guide if she had any spare tickets and she did. We were virtually last in and there wasn’t a chair to be seen amongst the hundreds of people. We went down the back and sat down on the cold stone floor and leaned back on the cold stone wall. Lovely. Cool. The organ recital was four pieces – one by Wagner, a trumpet celebration, a fuge and an improvisation of an old hymn. When all the stops were pulled out the building literally reverberated with the huge sound. It was a really wonderful and powerful experience - for me, anyway.

We then headed off to the station (another hot walk) and a hot train ride (no air con) to Scharding. Little did we know that it was a 2km walk to the town centre. Yes, we baked our way there but what a feast for the eyes when we arrived. The town is known for it’s baroque building but we did not realise the extent of these. The whole town centre has wonderful pastal coloured buildings that are all similar in style. It is a really pretty sight and worth much more than an hour or two of time. Time we didn’t have so back to the station we went in a COOL taxi and eventually back to Passau. You will have noticed that there is a theme coming through here. It's damned hot. We are constantly seeking ways and means to cool down but there is no wind and what there is is warm. It's really important to keep water handy as it's too easy to get dehydrated.

The next mission was to find the bike pick up place. Yes, another hot ride on a bus. People by this stage of the day were looking weary and limp. We eventually found the place (another walk) and did not get a great welcome. Okay, but not what we would have expected after our last bike tour with Hooked On Cycling. There was no group talk. It was a matter of picking up your bike, getting it set up and biking back to the hotel. There are no drink bottles or a puncture repair kit. Not ideal. However, the documentation does seem okay but there isn’t the personal touch. On the way back to the hotel I managed to get the front pack blown off the bike and a car ran over it. A great start.

Back at the hotel we had a cold shower, a cold beer and dinner. Tomorrow it’s “on yer bikes!” so heres hoping for a few less degrees.

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Photos

Want a bike anyone?
There are dozens of bikes on this boat for passengers of the cruise and bike tours

Passau near the Rathaus
St Stephan's is the large cathedral on the skyline

Scharding
A lovely town on the Inn River known for it's baroque style buildings.