Still raining, but a tour anyway. Beautiful city.
Tour of Passau this morning. Beautiful old cobblestone streets with tiny walkways and buildings painted in the 15th century. A demonstration (and taste-testing!) of gingerbread making from a family-owned confectioner that has been in business for 100 years! It was yummy!
St. Stephan’s Cathedral was just incredible! It was founded in the 8th century, then rebuilt in Italian Baroque by Italian architect Carlo Lurago to replace the original Gothic structure that was mostly destroyed by fires in 1662 and 1680. The organ here is one of the world’s largest with 17,300 pipes! We were treated to a short concert that was just magical. Closing my eyes I could almost feel like I’d gone back in time.
Captain's Welcome Reception and Dinner tonight with a local band playing for after-dinner entertainment. There are three others from last year's cruise also on this one. Sheila (89) is British and lives in New York's Greenwich Village, and Laura and her son, Daniel, from Philadelphia.
From the UniWorld site:
PASSAU WALKING TOUR WITH CHRISTMAS MARKET
Join your local expert for a walk through picturesque lanes in the heart of Passau, stopping at the Town Hall to see its magnificent atrium, which boasts several massive works by the famous German painter Ferdinand Wagner, and pausing to admire the beautiful rococo stairway of the bishop’s New Residence. After much of the town burned to the ground in 1662 and again in 1680, the reconstruction involved many Italian artists, who gave Passau the baroque and rococo touches you see everywhere. Monumental St. Stephan’s Cathedral, built in glorious baroque style, forms the backdrop for the Passau Christmas Market. You’ll find a lot to enjoy here—from miniature Bavarian houses and blown-glass ornaments to spun-sugar confections—in more than 70 stalls. At times, the Passau Christmas Market also features demonstrations by local craftspeople, such as glassblowers, candle makers, woodcarvers, and confectioners, so you can buy your gifts directly from the people who made them.
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