Empress : Kaiserin: Regensburg | Passau

Dienstag, Juli 03, 2007

Regensburg | Passau | Regensburg

Woke up real early this time at 6.45 Uhr. We planned to catch the 9am train to Passau today, but a shocking event happened while we were still in bed sleeping at 2am. The train workers in the whole of Germany went on strike! I was still so stunned - the announcement at the display board was in German, so in disbelief I thought that I must have read wrongly or something. It was only when I read the papers did I realise that it was all for real.

Never thought we would be caught in this situation.

The first train listed on the display board at the station was supposed headed for Munich at 7am - but it had been delayed for more that 90 minutes. The same goes for the trains down the list, with the words "wegen Streik" beside every listing. Of course, our train was not spared as well.

Our train to Plattling (our transfer point) only set off at 10.25 Uhr, and when it reached there the train delays became worse and worse. We were at the platform waiting for the train to Passau and the announcements came now and again - "the train at Platform One (our platform) will be delayed for 5 minutes", then "...will be delayed for 30 minutes".

The train came 37 minutes later.

Platform Nr. 9 - that's our train. But the neighbour Nr. 8 got a worse situation; the train to Munich was scheduled to leave at 9.44 Uhr, but there will be a 45 mins delay. Ya, the train just sat put there. Poor passengers...

So the WHOLE morning was spent on waiting for trains. We reached Passau only at 13.10 Uhr. And since we expected the strike to go on for the rest of the day (it was really quite a serious matter; many trains did get cancelled - we were just lucky we ain't that unlucky) we decided not to spend too much time in the city just in case we get stranded here without trains back to Regensburg (back to our hotel and luggages).

I hope you do recall the River Donau at Regensburg? Well, it reaches Passau just before entering Austrian territories.

The Donau

The castle up there is the Veste Oberhaus

"To the Blue Danube", it reads. But... the river was behind me, not up ahead... Were those words made to only look pretty?

"Flood water levels". Floods are inevitable in cities lying next to rivers, so there are a lot of these signs in these cities like Passau, and also Regensburg.

It was all in good timing that we passed by the Rathaus at 14 Uhr sharp when its glockenspiel (Bavaria's largest) started playing. It wasn't very interesting but I thought at least it's more in tune that the one at Munich's Rathaus. Lol.

We continued our walk to the tip (also the end) of Passau, a sceneic spot called Dreifluesseeck (lit trans: "three-rivers-corner") where the rivers Inn, Donau and Ilz converge.

Pretty, deshou? Also note the colours in the waters differentiating the two rivers - something I find so cool and intriguing :D

I suggest clicking on this picture if you haven't been doing so to the pics I've posted. I think this should explain the unique location of Passau. :)

The coast of Austria. I'm not joking. Just a swim away.

Climb to the Veste Oberhaus

To catch an even better view of the convergence I suggested making a steep trip up to the Veste Oberhaus. Very tiring climb. The best view is located halfway up the climb to the top, where the steep path suddenly opens into a rather spacious area surrounded by the Oberhaus' wall. Climb up the parapet and a gorgeous view awaits you. Here's mine:

And at the top of the Veste Oberhaus...

Passau sandwiched by the two rivers you're seeing

Back down from the hill - the Donau again

We returned to the city and proceeded to Dom St. Stephan, where it holds the world's largest Domorgel.

Only a third of the organ

Passau is a really small place; we were done with our city tour before the train arrived after 17.11 Uhr, bringing us directly back to Regensburg. It already started raining there - to pass the time I went to their shopping arcade to shop for gifts and a cylindrical container for the Liszt posters I'd bought from Weimar.

21 Uhr and I was standing before the Steinerne Bruecke waiting for nightfall. I really wanted to see Regensburg in all its splendour at night, but the cold from the rain and the winds was so unbearable! I could barely feel my hold on my umbrella anymore so I gave up waiting for complete darkness to set in. Even my face was getting numb... I think it was still rather beautiful at half-light, though of course if I were to wait there for another 20 minutes (I had already stood there for an hour) perhaps I would have experienced it. Sigh... Wasted effort ne?