Around 8:00 am this morning, I captured the sun rising above the Danube. It was mostly cloudy today, for a change. The afternoon saw some sunshine, but overall it was a cool day.
Due to our ship transfer, we had a "brunch" at 9:00 am this morning and passed through the final lock (Jochenstein) before entering Austria around 10:00 am.
Immediately upon leaving the lock (elevation change of 33 feet), we passed into Austria. A crewman was on the bow hauling down the German flag and hoisting the Austrian flag.
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| Austrian Flag |
I am embarrassed to admit that I never knew what the Austrian flag looked like until today. I've learned something!!!
At the end of the lock exit was a rock.
Almost immediately after leaving the lock that we docked in the tiny village of Englehartzell, Austria. Not much more than a church, a small restaurant, a small grocery and a few house.
Passau is a picturesque city of 50,000 at the confluence of three rivers: Danube, Inn and Ils. There is a fortress on the hill above the city where, supposedly, the Prince-Bishop hid from the local population when he made unpopular rulings.
Immediately upon arrival in the city, we were led to the mother church of the Diocese of Passau, the cathedral of St. Stephen. Here we were given a 30 minute organ recital on Europe's largest organ (17,974 pipes and 233 registers). There are actually five independent organs, but they can be played concurrently from a main keyboard. Three organs are located in the gallery at the back of the central nave and side naves. A fourth is on the left side of the chancel and the fifth is above the central nave. Undoubtedly, this was the most opulent cathedral we have yet to see on the trip.
After the recital, we were provided with a 1.5 hour walking tour of the small city with a local guide (Peter Prince of Amsterdam).
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| Peter |
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| The backside of the cathedral, Gothic style |
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| Prince-Bishop residence (Napoleon slept here) |
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| Beer fountain. Peter said he knew where the key was but.... |
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| Flood levels, last one in 2013 (toward the top) |
Then we had some free time.
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| A billboard I saw |
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| Tried to get David interested in some leather shorts |
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| A tow-away-zone sign I bought (need to get it translated) |
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| A cup I bought, pre-cracked |
We were due back at the bus at 3:15 pm to go back to the ship to continue our sail to Melk, Austria. This section of the Danube is beautiful with trees turning color and a very picturesque surroundings.
In our room, we found yet another token of appreciation from Tauck, a Passau tote bag.
We were told at dinner tonight that the Danube from Vienna to Budapest has been closed due to low water. We don't know exactly what will happen to the tour, but we know they are doing all they can to ensure we get our money's worth. Tomorrow we visit Melk, Austria. It will be short visit, departing the ship at 8:30 am and a return at 12:30 pm. The ship will sail to Tulln, Austria where we will disembark to have dinner at the Palace Pallavicini. While dining at the palace, the ship will continue on to Vienna where we will spend the night.
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| Lots of swans on the river |
In our room, we found yet another token of appreciation from Tauck, a Passau tote bag.
We were told at dinner tonight that the Danube from Vienna to Budapest has been closed due to low water. We don't know exactly what will happen to the tour, but we know they are doing all they can to ensure we get our money's worth. Tomorrow we visit Melk, Austria. It will be short visit, departing the ship at 8:30 am and a return at 12:30 pm. The ship will sail to Tulln, Austria where we will disembark to have dinner at the Palace Pallavicini. While dining at the palace, the ship will continue on to Vienna where we will spend the night.
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