The secret to real estate success is what empires are built on. Just ask Donald Trump. Empires have certainly built on this philosophy be it modern day or medieval. Where would Egypt be without its Nile, or Europe without the Danube? Europe would undoubtedly be minus a few abbeys, cathedrals and castles.
It’s Europe’s second longest river, playing second fiddle to the river Volga. The Danube basin was the site for some of the earliest human cultures. Thank you Charlemagne, Napoleon and the first King of Bavaria, Ludwig, for the canal we call the Danube River today. Atta boys!
It was the Danube River that would carry Jimmy and me into four (Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia) of the 10 countries this river intersects. We did sneak into the Czech Republic
also, just not via the Danube River.
You want to know what the other six countries are, huh? I’m so glad you asked. I’m just a font of wisdom now when it comes to Europe. NOT! But I digress. I do that quite frequently.
The other six countries the Danube traverses are Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine, and Moldova. You know Moldova, right; as in watches. Oh wait, that’s Movado. Oops!
Never heard of Moldova? Of course, when I was in school there was a Czechoslovakia too. Countries are just popping up and disappearing at the speed of WiFi! And thanks to that lovely twenty-first century invention, you can discover all there is to know about Moldova via this link.
Jim and I began ourWaltz of the Blue Danube Tour in Regensburg. We discovered quite quickly why Regensburg has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of only 962 sites listed worldwide for their cultural or natural properties. A large portion of the city called Old Town, one of Germany’s best preserved medieval towns, remains as it stood thousands of years ago.
I fell in love with the historic old quarter; found its narrow, cobblestone streets that often open up into large squares colorful, charming and very clean. The quaint buildings, the historical churches, and the abbeys had all managed to come through the World War II bombings mostly unscathed.
But enough of my love story with this Bavarian capital city. I’ll let my top 10 photos speak for
themselves.
1. Steinerne Brucke
With the bridge currently under construction and open to pedestrians and bicyclists only, when
construction is completed in 2014, the bridge will remain closed altogether to vehicular traffic.
2. Porta Praetoria & Castra Regina
Praetoria. The tower seen here is one of 30 towers believed to encompass a 450 x 550 meter area used as a military camp for 6000 men. The tower serves as a reminder of the Roman settlement, Castra Regina.
3. Candlergaffe
4. Goliathhaus
5. Haidplat
Many of Germany’s towns are dotted with similar type squares, places where town meetings, social gatherings and even tournaments would be held in during the Middle Ages. Today during good weather the square is used for casual dining or that cup of cappuccino, even occasional concerts.
6. Schloss St. Emmeram, Thurn & Taxis
7. Regensburger Dom
8. Rathas, Reichstag & Folterkammer
In the basement of the Town Hall are prison cells dating to ancient times and a torture chamber used to force the confessions needed for an official conviction. According to records, only three people survived the typical 14-day torture period and were confined to the prison below rather than hanged.
9. Salzstadel
10. Kuckucksuhr