On May 9th, we awoke in our state room as we continued sailing towards Passau, our first destination in Germany.  Looking out from our veranda, the countryside looked much like Connecticut.  Then to see two large water lines coming down a hill into a power generation plant… it was CL&P! (If you were from New Millford, you will understand.)We arrive in Passau and begin our walking tour through the old town.  Amazingly, the old building were color coded to allow the 13th century folks to find business even if they could not read.  Breweries are yellow, apothecaries are green, churches white, pastry shops are pink, butchers are red, tax and customs offices are gray!

There are many breweries attached to the churches.

We were shown a fortress which began construction in the 13th century and is still under construction. Notice how the building’s low windows are fake… just painted.  Otherwise those windows could become doors to an attacking force.

We also learned of a pilgrimage which ends in Passau as Pilgrims climb 321 stair through a long covered passage from a building near the river up to the church at the top of the hill. With each step, a prayer is said. This last part of the pilgrimage takes about five hours.

The Donau often rises and floods Passau. Our guide pointed out the markings on a church in old part of Passau.  These mark the largest flood levels in the town’s recorded history. The town’s “Greatest Flood of 1501” will always be the greatest flood ever. When the mark was exceeded in 2013, the locals moved the 1501 mark up to maintain its “greatest” status.

We ended our guided walking tour with an organ concert in Passau’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The organ has 17,774 pipes and 233 registers! Pipes were not only in the loft, but all over the church. Amazing!

After the tour, we walked around the city for about three hours before returning to the ship.