Regensberg: Prizewinning Sausages, The Grinning Angel, Oskar and Donald

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Because our cruise ship was having an electrical fault with its thrusters, which aided fine tuning of steering needed for entering the locks, it had to stay in Nuremburg for repairs. Our cruise director was excellent and made sure nothing stopped us from experiencing our full itinerary, so we were sent by buses to spend the day in the 14th century medieval town of Regensburg, known for its sausages, among other things.

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Photos

Checking out the quality at the Sausage Kitchen
This sausage BBQ restaurant has been going for 900 years! It was started when the Stone Bridge opened in the 12th century.

The Regebsburg sausages have been ranked #1 in Germany, against some heavy competition.
The sausages are cooked over an open flame--see the smoke? They're petite--you get 6 to an order. Dine here in the open air or take away.

The Stone Bridge, built in the 12th century
Under renovation, like nearly every historic structure we saw. This bridge across the Danube was key to opening trade between Venice and northern Europe.

Pointed piercing footings
The unusual footings at the base of the bridge were designed to break up ice floes coming down the river.

The entrance into Regensburg town
Regensburg's Old Town has many structures dating back to medieval times and is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Gargantuan timbers in the medieval warehouse
Now this building houses an exhibition on Regenburg's history and its status as a World Heritage Site.

Remnants of the city wall, dating back to Roman times
Official dating of Regensburg is 179 AD when it was established as a Roman fort during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Why is the angel grinning?
Perhaps because he has an announcement for Mary. "I know something you don't know." Or "Have I got a surprise for you!"
This sculpture is very unusual for its time because most statues had faces without any emotional expression.

Good day. Do I know you?
Got time for a cuppa?

The patricians, the wealthy traders, held a lot of power in Regensburg
One-upsmanship was rife as the wealthy strove to build bigger and bigger homes. In this case they wanted their home to be clearly identified.

Ostentatious homes of the patricians
With fascinating exterior decoration.

Oskar Schindler and his wife Emily lived here right after WWII
Between 1945 and 1949 Regensberg had the largest displaced persons camp in Germany. At one stage it held 5000 from Ukraine and 1000 non-Ukrainians.

Two metres from the Oskar Schindler plaque,
someone else we know is thumbing his nose.

Very narrow cobblestone streets
Certainly not functional for cars