Europe Day 6 - Regensburg

This morning we woke up to more snow in the morning and you could really tell the weather was turning colder. The snow didn't last long and soon the sun came out. We decided to be kind of lazy in the morning, so just took our time and laid around a bit after breakfast. Stayed on board thru lunch and then there was an organized walking tour into town right after lunch.

On the walking tours, we break up into our groups, ours being the red group, and we each have our own headset so we can hear the guide talking. It's great if you walk ahead or way behind, because you can still hear what is being said. On this stop we had a local person as our guide and she was very knowledgeable. It's amazing the history in all of these little towns! This was a great stop because we were docked right in the middle of town so it was an easy walk to anywhere we wanted to go.

Regensburg had about 3 separate Christmas Markets that we could easily walk to. One of them was at a castle that is still being lived in today. They allow this market to be held every year and it's the only one I've ever been to that we had to pay to get in. All of the money is then sent to a charity the family is a part of, so that was okay. And the grounds were just beautiful! It was fun to walk around there. We got some good stuff there too.

The next largest market was in the town square, pretty much where most markets are held. By the time we hit this market it was about 5pm and the locals were showing up in droves after work. Ron really loved that and he totally got into the spirit of things. Regensburg is also the Sister City for Tempe and they have a large student exchange program together. I did see some signs for that and just wish I had taken some pictures of them.

After being out in the cold all afternoon and walking forever, we were getting tired and hungry. On part of our tour, we had stopped at a little restuarant that was famous for their sausages, similar to the ones in Nuremburg. Apparently, there is a huge rivalry between the two cities on who has the better sausages. Anyway, we decided to stay and have dinner in this place instead of going back to the ship. Again, you just sit down wherever there is room and this place only had maybe a dozen seats to begin with. We go in, get undressed and then realize we don't have enough cash and they don't take credit cards. So, back the coats go on and we walk back to the ship, dump our purchases in the room, get more euro's and walk all the way back.

I think they were surprised to see us walk in again! But I am so glad we went back. Again, this was a highlight of our trip. Eating dinner with all these Germans who were so friendly and just wanted to talk. They were as interested in us as we were of them! And the food. Oh my goodness was it good! Best saurekraut that I think I have ever had and I don't usually even like it. I think I might give the edge on the sausages to Nuremburg though.