Regensburg Volksfest

Regensburg Volksfest
Dultplatz, Regensburg, Germany

While driving home recently, we noticed a new silhouette on the skyline. It was round and brightly colored; the carnival was in town!

Spring and summer apparently join together into a “fest” season for Germany. It seems there is a bier or wein or volks (people’s) fest every weekend, and now it was Regensburg’s turn. I think the Volksfest here is a summer kickoff party, and then they end the summer with another one in August. Unfortunately it’s been cold and persistently rainy here so it feels more like fall than late spring.

Regensburg Volksfest
Dultplatz, Regensburg, Germany

The day we went was overcast, but we were excited to check out the rides and food booths. Joe and I had walked through it on a nice day earlier in the week, and we had returned on Friday with his parents and one of his coworkers.

Roy said you couldn’t pay him to get on a German carnival ride, and after we witnessed a group get stuck on an upside-down, spinning ride, I almost agreed with him. However, there were several tame looking rides and I was pretty sure we could handle the (copyright violation) Mario-themed house of mirrors unscathed. Unfortunately, while we were in the tent, the skies opened up and it began to pour. The downpour put an end to our riding rides plan.

Regensburg Volksfest
Dultplatz, Regensburg, Germany

Did you catch that reference? In the tent? Volksfest was like a mini-Oktoberfest. There were girls in dirndls and guys in lederhosen, and several bier tents. We didn’t hear an oompah band though, just a German rapper. I’m hoping the weather is better in August and we’ll be able to fully appreciate the Regensburg Volksfest.


Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
August Regensburg Volksfest

Regensburg Flooding 2013

Following days of heavy rain, rivers all over Germany rose to record breaking levels and cities were flooded. These pictures are from the 2013 flooding of the Danube River in Regensburg, Germany and were taken on June 3rd.

To the right of these trees there used to be a path we walked on quite frequently.The orange thing in the water is height marker. We recorded where we took this picture so we can return in a few days/weeks and compare the water levels.

This street and alley were closed due to flooding. The stone bridge is on the left, and normally appears much taller.

This is a flood gate, quite literally holding the waters back. The sign says high water.

Fun fact: the gate was leaking. This was the most nerve-wracking photo I took that day. I was worried that the gate would suddenly break and I'd be swept out into the raging waters of the Danube.

This is the view of the flood gate from the bridge; from the river side. We later witnessed two idiot boys climb on that small roof to the left. We ultimately left the bridge because we didn't want to be there if/when they fell in, because let's face it, there would be nothing we could do.

Zoomed out picture of the buildings on the river side, and the flood gate.

This is what the city and water levels look like when they aren't flooded. This picture is from November 2011.

The stone bridge barely has room for water to pass below it, and supposedly the waters rose even higher that night.

The stone bridge from October 2012. Near the island you can walk on one of the abutments. Now it's all underwater.

This is across the river from old town Regensburg. It's normally an island in the middle of the Danube, and we've walked on it in the past. Now each building is it's own island.

The island below the flood waters on a passive day, also from November 2011.

We can only assume that spray is from a fire hose pumping water out from behind flood gates.

On the right hand side of the photo are some large cruise ships or barges. Normally they are able to pass under that metal bridge from the previous photo (and just discernible in the background here). Due to the high water, the large ships have become stranded as they can no longer fit under the bridge.

The area to the right is normally crowded with people enjoying sausages from the Wurstkuche or historic sausage kitchen. Near the trees are metal flood fences holding back the water.

Unfortunately, the first row of flood fences in front of the Wurstkuche were unable to stem the tide. This photo was taken from behind a second set of flood fences, and the people living in the buildings behind them were already sandbagging, preparing for these fences to break.

This is the area in front of the sausage kitchen that is now underwater.

UPDATE!!!!!!
The sausage kitchen is once again open for business, and has repaired the damage to the walls. They even have prepared a section of wall for a new high water lines. 2013 will join the ranks of flood from the last few centuries.

Drunk People are the Best!

I’m taking a slight break from our Roman adventures so I can tell you what happened to us just last night. We were out at a local brewery (there are at least 7 in town) with another couple having dinner. Just after our food arrived, 3 guys came up and squatted down to our eye level. One of them was wearing a black and white striped jump suit, a long, blonde wig, and had a log chained to his ankle. They just start getting into what they wanted when our waitress chased them away. She apologized and said she hoped they hadn’t bothered us too much. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t get to find out what they wanted, but we definitely weren’t bothered.

We weren’t disappointed for long though! When we finished our meals they came back for another visit and we got the whole story. The man dressed as a blonde prisoner was having his bachelor party, and the log chained to his leg had his fiancé’s name carved into it: Iris. He is getting married in 2 weeks. In Bavaria, there are certain tasks that the groom must complete, and our groom was in competition with his bride. Each was trying to collect the most underwear tags to win. In case you missed that, these two were wandering around, asking strangers to cut the tags out of their underwear, the bride asking guys, and the groom asking men. The female half of our group readily agreed to donate our underwear tags, but we weren’t going to let the very drunk bachelor use the very large, sharp knife to cut them out. Our husbands cut the tags, and we donated them to the cause. The waitress came by again, apologizing. We said we were happy to play along, but asked her if this underwear tag thievery a real tradition. She confirmed that it was a real tradition. Hooray for participating!

Winter Walks

 

Ducks and the Danube swelling it's banks

I’ve been advising all our upcoming visitors to be prepared to walk a lot. Since they’ll be prepared, we’re walking more too. It’s getting easier since it’s warming up. We’ve been walking along the river and into town lately. I don’t have much to tell about the walks, but I do have much to show (pictures!).

Frozen lake.

Swan Lake, err River

Swan panorama-count 'em!

Getting on Tracht for Authenticity

Enjoying the Paulaner Tent at Oktoberfest

Part of the fun of Oktoberfest is wearing the traditional Bavarian dress, collectively referred to as Tracht. The men wear breeches called Lederhosen and the women wear dresses called Dirndl. Fun fact, authentic Bavarian tracht (not the slutty, cheap versions) are actually quite expensive. This is because the breeches are embroidered goat leather, and men generally only buy 1 pair of lederhosen in their adult lives. I’ve seen a lot fo folks on base sporting the costume, and it’s a fun way to celebrate holidays. This begs the question, why have I seen so many children wearing lederhosen? Those aren’t going to fit next year. Why did you buy that for Jr? Not my business, but I will not be buying traditional dress for any children ever. Waste of money. My dress, in my opinion, was not terribly expensive–no more expensive than a dress to wear to a formal occasion (like prom), which is the primary purpose of dirndls. They are worn to weddings, dances, and other holiday celebrations. We managed to match our lederhosen and dirndl.

Me and My Bike

Joe and His Bike

To further our attempts at achieving German authenticity, this past weekend, we bought bicycles. Everyone here seems to be riding them–including senior citizens and toddlers. I often wonder if children learn to ride before they can walk. We spent several hours on the 29^th in the bike store, trying out different bikes. The store actually had a test track for the bicycles. Stadler was the biggest bike store I have I seen, almost like a Costco, but completely full of different kinds of bikes, and with a small section devoted to Vespas. http://www.zweirad-stadler.com/ The website doesn’t even do the store justice.

It’s very overwhelming, especially when you don’t speak German and can’t read the subtle differences between the style of bicycles. We selected “hybrid” bikes, a mix between road bikes and mountain bikes. They have wider tires but angled handlebars. As per German bike law, our bikes have front and rear lights, and a bell, which we ring when passing others. Most interesting, there are no laws regarding helmet use. However, owing to our preference for personal safety, we have purchased helmets. 

New (Semi) Permanent German Adventures

We safely arrived in Germany on September 8^th. All of our planes were delayed so we ended up traveling for 24 hours. The upside was that because every plane was late we didn’t actually miss any. We were afraid that we might be stranded in London though, because of the Lufthansa airport workers’ strike. Luckily, they agreed to a cease strike on Friday and our flight continued as scheduled. We arrived to a lovely new apartment. It’s a bit smaller than our old apartment, but there are 2 balconies, one of which is giant and forms a bridge to the other building. We also have a view of the duck pond behind the building. I’ve noticed that a lot of the apartment buildings here in Germany incorporate some kind of water feature into their common areas, and I must say, it’s very soothing. 

Regensburger Dom St. Peter

This cathedral has such a cool name!

Western Facade of the Regensburger Dom

It can be called either Regensburger Dom or Dom St. Peter. Lately I have just been mashing the two names together so I do not forget either aspect of the place. This cathedral, in contrast to St. Jakob down the street, is built in the Gothic architectural style. Its towers rise above the town and dominate the skyline from almost any angle.

Regensburger Dom was built and rebuilt over the centuries, a small church was built around 700, and the towers were erected in the 1860s so it is difficult to pin down a specific date of construction. Despite this range of dates, it is considered one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Bavaria. The high ceilings with the ribbed vaulting are particular to this period, as well as the cruciform (cross-shaped) floor plan. At the foot of the cross in the entrance to the building (usually in the west), and in the cross-sections are other entrances, more seating, and occasionally other smaller chapels venerating a particular saint. At the head of the cross, usually the eastern end of the church, are the altar and possibly smaller altars. However, Regensburg does not have the characteristic rose window on the western façade, though it makes up for this with many other stained glass windows.

Interior of Regensburger Dom showing ribbed vaulting and high columns. 

Like St. Jakob, the inside was dark, so dark in fact, that I could not immediately read the pamphlet; I had to let my eyes adjust. The English pamphlet was not what I would call useful. It provided a label for the most iconic statuary and some of the artwork, but did not explain any further. Not being intimately related to the scores of Catholic saints, I found myself wondering what these people did to obtain sainthood. I also wondered whom they had buried in the floor under the bronze plates, and why those people were significant. It was not easy to wander around a near dark Cathedral without stepping on (and thereby desecrating) in ground tombs. Not to worry though, Joe and I managed to leave the church without invoking the vengeance of long dead saints and dignitaries.

Apse of Regensburger Dom

A particular feature I found most interesting was the high altar in the eastern nave. The altar appeared silver and was the most brightly lit object inside. Furthermore, it was framed by the stained glass windows of the apse, naturally drawing the eyes toward it.

Back outside, I decided to take some pictures of the western façade against the (lately rare) blue sky. When glancing up at the northern tower I noticed all the statuary was missing. It is probably out for cleaning or repairs, but it was very unusual to see gaps in the architecture where things were missing.

Missing Statuary On the Northern Tower of the Western Facade

From this realization, we studied the southern tower to make a comparison, trying to see what we were missing, but we came to realize that the south tower did not have as many intricate carvings as the north. The statues were not missing; they were never there to begin with! It is very interesting to look at a non-symmetrical church, and for that streak of OCD inside me, it is slightly infuriating.

Schottenkirche St. Jakob

On Thanksgiving, my cousin (Hi Kate) asked me about a Benedictine monastery she thought was in Regensburg. She called in St. James, and I said well there is a place called St. Jakob: turns out they are the same place. I knew it as the building we walk by to get into town with the interesting door. From the (very) little I had read about the place, I knew that historians have not managed to interpret the symbolism around the door and that it was founded by Iro-Scottish monks.

As it turns out, you can go through the intricately carved door and explore the inside. The carvings around the door have been encased in glass to protect them from pollution. The damage already done has caused the stones to blacken. Beyond the 8 inch-thick wooden door was a modest cathedral.

The current structure was built between 1175 and 1180. The architectural style is Romanesque, so it is less intricate and detailed like gothic architecture. The church was originally in the hands of Irish monks, but then it passed onto Scottish monks in 1577. In German, Schottenkirche refers to Ireland and Scotland together, even though it looks as it only means Scottish. In 1862 the monks left and the Schottenkirche became a seminary school.

Even though we visited during the day, inside was very dark. The windows were small and there were no lights, but I imagined that during services, the place would be lit up with candles and it would be very beautiful inside. Along the walls were paintings and carvings venerating Saints. The pillars supporting the high, ribbed ceiling came down amongst the weathered, wooden pews in some places.

Around the altar were intricately carved wooden benches and chairs of a very dark wood, maybe mahogany. Beyond this area was the apse featuring stained glass a golden painted domed roof. I can only imagine the beauty that candlelight would add to this place.


P.S. Read the comments attached to this article for further insight on the Irish involved in this Benedictine monastery. 

Kelheim & Weltenburg

A couple weeks ago, we were in the Bischofshof brewery, drinking Bischofshof beer of course, and we noticed the bartender routinely serving a different beer that was not Bischofshof. We asked him about it, and he told us it came from Kloster Weltenburg, and he gave us a rather large free sample. It was a dark beer so I was hesitant, usually they are too bitter for me, but this beer was amazing. It had complex flavor and a hint of something sweet, possibly honey. We learned that the Kloster was about 20 minutes away, just outside Kelheim, so we decided to visit.

One of the main attractions in Kelheim is the Hall of Liberation, Befreiungshalle in German. The building was commissioned by Ludwig I (grandfather of the Ludwig II who built Neuschwanstein) to celebrate the victories over Napoleon in the Wars of Liberation. Like many monuments in the area, the outside is free to explore, but if you want to go inside, you need to buy a ticket. We decided to walk to the monument and decide if we needed a ticket before actually buying one. At Valhalla, we could see the inside (peeking through the door) and felt since we did not know any of the people honored there, we would not gain anything by going inside. The door of the Hall of Liberation was closed, so no peeking, but there was a sign that promised dozens of giant angels inside. That sounded sufficiently interesting, so we went back to purchase a ticket and we met with all kinds of awesome crazy inside.

The building was huge and empty. Like a ballroom with no furniture. The walls rose up past my head, but then leveled out, shelf-like. On these levels, there stood giant angels holding hands with each other over shields. These angels were probably twice the height of a normal person, and they were all identical. Behind each set of two angels and a shield (on the higher level) were tiny rooms, which were also empty. Then if you were interested, you could climb up very tight spiral stairs to a 3^rd empty level, and gaze out over all the angels. It seemed like a cool place to hold a prom or a wedding reception, but without any people or furniture inside, it was quite strange.

From Kelheim we drove across the Danube, Donau in German, to find Kloster Weltenburg. Kloster Weltenburg is a Benedictine abbey founded in 620, the oldest in Germany. The beer they make is slightly younger: it has only been brewed since 1050. To reach the abbey, we parked the car and walked a kilometer down a paved path along the river. Right around a bend the buildings of the abbey appeared. We planned to have some beers inside the brewery, but we quickly found that Kloster Weltenburg was having a Weihnachtsmarkt, another word for Christmas market, and we would not be drinking our beer inside.

Almost immediately, we followed our noses to the fried dough stand and got a rose shaped pile of deliciousness. I say almost immediately, because the first thing I did was get some Gluhwein to warm up and celebrate Christmas. We next went to the beer stall so we could try the famous beer. We found many varieties from which to choose. Joe opted for the Winter-Traum, the seasonal beer. I decided on another seasonal beverage, the Gluhbier, which was hot and awesome. As with the gluhwein stalls, we could keep our cups or return them for a refund, but since our plan was to buy some anyway, we kept them. Many of the stalls in the market were run by the monks, in their robes no less, and I felt we should buy something to support the abbey. We found a very cool nativity scene carved out of a log, and it now lives with us.

Christkindlmarkt

Black Friday was much nicer here than it is in the States. Instead of people trampling others to death to get a 50% off Barbie or Game Boy, the Christmas markets open. Christkindlmarkts crop up in squares around (most) towns and sell all sorts of interesting items. I cannot go into too much detail here, lest I give away presents, but I can mention that there are many handicrafts and delicious foods. The gem of every Christkindlmarkt is the Gluhwein. Each stall serving this mulled wine has a different, no doubt jealously guarded, recipe, so each has a different taste. It is served piping hot and helps cut through the cold, warming with every sip. The Gluhwein is served in a collectible cup that is unique to the stall and changes every year. You can keep the cup, or return it to the stand and get a refund. So far, we have kept all the cups, though I suppose that if we start getting doubles, we will return the cups.

And Circle Gets the Square

My Achilles heel has always been geography. I am not certain, if handed a blank map of the US, that I could correctly label all the states. However, I've always been able to find my way around without getting too lost, eventually making my way toward my end destination. This is not the case here.

I don't go out too much by myself, because I'm not sure where everything is, but last week I decided to go for it, and walked into downtown by myself. Regensburg is shaped like a triangle, with the longest, flat side near the river in the north. We live on the northwestern side, and usually walk into the center of town from that western side. On this particular day, I opted to head toward the southern point of the triangle before making my way back to our apartment the usual way.

I walked to my destination easily enough, it was actually a lot closer when not walking through town, and only skirting the edges. I found the yarn store (my actual destination) and browsed around before trying to make my way home. I set out looking for the landmarks I had come to recognize on my journeys with Joe. I felt I was heading in the right direction, until I walked by the yarn store again.

Frustrated and determined, I walked defiantly past the store, and walked different paths than I had the first time I left the yarn store. I knew I walking further than in my first foray, and I felt like I was making progress and would see my street again soon. Then I walked by the yarn store again.

Now I was feeling hopeless. It was cold and misty out, and my legs felt like popsicles. I was also getting hungry, and as I was literally no closer to getting home, I started feeling like a small child who loses her mom in the department store. I headed toward a backerei I had also walked by 3 times, and on this occasion, I stopped to refuel.

After a nice spinach pastry, I ventured out again, only this time, I decided to just go back the way I had come. I was never able to reconcile the part of town where I walked in circles with the part of town Joe and I usually frequent. In my head they are still two sovereign places, with no discernible connection.

Last night, Joe and I were walking around town, and he was trying to help me figure out where we were, but to no avail. I would say, "Oh I know where we are, this store is over there", and then he would say, "No. That's somewhere else". I may never know where everything is in the town.

Get Thee to Valhalla!

Joe has a video game with a bunch of super heroes in it, and Thor's action phrase was, "Get thee to Valhalla!" For hours on end I used to hear that phrase, and finally we took Thor's advice, and went to Walhalla, which is German is pronounced Valhalla.

A lot of things in Germany are closed on Sunday, and they recently passed a law calling for more things to be closed on Sunday. We also did not want to travel any great distance, as we had just done so the day before. We opted to use our Sunday afternoon to visit Walhalla.

Walhalla is a short drive out of town (Regensburg), and like almost all the places we seem to visit, on top of a giant hill/mountain.

Walhalla's hill would probably be called a mountain in VA, but here it is only a foothill of the Alps.

This building was commissioned by Ludwig I, the grandfather of Ludwig II who built the castle in the previous post. He named the building using a term from Norse mythology, but designed it as a Parthenon.

Inside the building are various busts, plaques, and portraits of famous Germans, but we opted not to pay the 6 euro each to look at busts of people we didn't know in a dark, cold building. Instead we contented ourselves with the marvelous views of the Danube and it's river valley below.

A Leisurely Drive

Regensburg IKEA
Regensburg, Germany

On Friday, Joe came home from work early, maybe 1:30 local time. As we needed some new pillows, we went to the local (local!) IKEA. Man I love this store, in all languages. It is so awesome. We wandered around and found some furniture from our old apartment, priced out some futons for when guests come to visit, and got a few things we felt we needed. Joe picked up a bigger cereal bowl, I got a bigger teacup, and we got a bigger casserole dish. I cannot make Thanksgiving dinner in a dish that will not hold even a leg of turkey. We also grabbed some hangars and some actual useful pillows.

Kurnberg, Germany

After we left IKEA, we drove around the outskirts of Regensburg. We learned that 5 houses can comprise a village. In Kurnberg, one of the locals waved at me as we passed. We were in lots of farmland and forests. The leaves here are changing and it is quite beautiful.

We later ended up in Burglengenfeld. We were taking some pictures of the town, when an old man approached, and started telling us about the history of the town. He was very well spoken and very knowledgeable of the area. He told us that the castle on the hill was made of fire-stone which is not mined in the area, but there is a quarry in Tel-Aviv. He thinks the Romans had Jewish slaves cart the stones here to Burglengenfeld. I did enjoy listening to him tell us stories, and considering I thought he was going to ask for money, I was pleasantly surprised when he just wanted to chat, and mad at myself for making assumptions about him. 

Burglengenfeld, Germany

These Boots Were Made for Walking

A portion of the Roman Fort
Regensburg, Germany

And that’s just what they’ll do. I am so glad that before we left, I bought some shoes that were designed to be walked around in Fitflops. I bought the blogs version and the boots version. Like the fitflops flip flops they help to align your spine and give you a workout while you walk, etc. Whether that is true or not, I have not yet determined. I can tell you that they are very comfortable to walk around in and do not make your feet hurt. This is great when you are walking into town daily.

The cities are really designed for walking, not for cars. My dad says it is because people were walking long before driving, and then asked how old my town was, we both got a little chuckle when I told him it was in the year 90 that the Romans built a fort here. The town is seriously old, even ancient. Definitely caters to pedestrians.

On Thursday night after dinner, we walked around old town Regensburg. We saw architecture from 179, 1236, and the 1800s. It is amazing to see so much history from literally centuries ago. It is hard to believe that we, as a race, created something that has lasted for so long.

Regensburg Cathedral
Regensburg, Germany