Friday, April 25th – In Germany, stuck on the Danube…

Regensburg, Germany – Old stone bridge (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

The original itinerary for our river trip was to cruise from Passau to Regensburg on Thursday night.  Then have a full day in Regensburg on Friday and that evening sail on toward Nuremberg.  Saturday was to be spent cruising through the Main-Danube canal and just after lunch on-board arrive for our guided tour of the Palace of Justice and Market Square.

Well, things did not pan out quite as planned.

The first snafu was environmental.  Due to climate changes and little to no rain or snow this year, there is not enough water in the river.  We made it as far up the river as we could safely travel and docked in the village of Vilshofen.  And there our ship sits, docked.

I now understand why Captain Peter made the remark to someone earlier in the cruise that if there was an emergency we probably would not need the life vests as we would be able to walk to shore.

Strangely last year at this same time and place they were experiencing flooding.

Gate 1 did a wonderful job of working out an alternate program which involved busses, and we did still get to see much of what was planned.  So instead of cruising, we bussed an hour and a half from Vilshofen to Regensburg for our walking tour and another 1.5 hours back to the boat.

By now Tim had managed to “share” his cold with me and I am either blowing my nose, coughing or sneezing.  I chose to rest in the afternoon and not do a walking tour through the local town but Tim did get out and met an interesting local family that he spent some time visiting with.

The good part of all of this is our new location has MUCH better Internet service so while lounging, sniffling and taking cold meds, I am able to do some of my photo sorting, cropping and blog entries.

Another good thing that came out of the change in schedule is that Gate 1 is providing us with transportation all the way to Munich.  Originally Tim and I were going to have to find our own way from Nuremberg to Munich for one overnight and then our flight to Albania.

I know that there were some disappointed passengers on board, but they are also a group of very experienced travelers that have had things come up on previous trips.  They know this is just one of those times and have rolled with it.

I salute Gate 1 Travel for the professional way they have handled a situation that was beyond their control.  I hope that if you are planning any travels in the future, you will at least take a look at them and compare what they offer for the money. Are there higher end, more luxurious packages available – YES.  I have said it before, but if “value for the money” is key for you, I think you will be impressed and very pleased by what they offer.

Here is another link where you can see the different ways to save money with them.  Click here.

This was our 5th booking with them and we have two more already set up for next month. And NO, I am not getting any unique discounts or special deals from them.  Just the same great deals that anyone can receive by subscribing to receive an email every Monday with their weekly specials.  They also have a sweet referral program.

Here is how the referral program works:

Dear friends and family ~ if you do book and give them my name (Joanne Morton Joseph) and my account number (599442) as referring you, both you and I will get a $100 travel discount.

OK, back to TRAVELING

REGENSBURG

At least in the morning I felt up to hopping on the bus to Regensburg for a locally guided tour.

I doubt this will come as any surprise to anyone, but the old part of town is another UNESCO site. I will have to stop at some point and count up how many UNESCO sites we have visited in the past.

The old stone bridge that leads into town was covered up as it is undergoing some refurbishment.  That is a shame, because that is one of the best known views of this city, and yes the bridge is (drum roll please) yet another UNESCO Site.  The picture above that shows the bridge is from Wikipedia and not one of my shots.

With my cold getting in the way, I did not take many pictures.  You know I am sick, when that happens?!?!  In no particular order, here is what I did take:

One of many churches in Regensburg

Carved door

Pastel buildings line the river banks and cobblestoned streets

Street sign, address on the side of a building

Solitary thinker (probably wondering where all the river boats are)

GRATITUDE MOMENT:  Today I am grateful for having wonderful traveling companions that have taken our changes in stride, have not complained, and have maintained a smile on their faces.