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.

British Stuff

Photo Bombing Random Idiots
Abbey Road, London, England

Before trekking to the next Waterstones, we headed out to St. John’s Wood. This is where Abbey Road Studios is located, and here you can recreate the eponymous Beatles album cover. What most people were ignoring is the most obvious; Abbey Road is a busy, working intersection. Morons were walking in front of buses and cars, and holding up traffic while they posed like bizarre Barbie dolls. I looked at the album cover, and all 4 Beatles were in the act of walking; not stopping, posing, and smiling for the camera. We crossed when it was safe, and without holding up traffic. We also casually ignored the camera in true Beatles fashion. I even (mostly) accidentally wrecked some other idiots’ photo. We were all going to cross and then they just stopped moving like Andy’s toys seeing a kid; I almost crashed into them. No apologies from me.

Our Island of Safety
Abbey Road, London, England

We left Abbey Road and headed for the British Museum, thinking we had left the madness behind. Our goal was to see the Egypt rooms and the Rosetta Stone, as described in the Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. The British Museum is free, actually all state owned museums in the UK are free, and the place was packed, mostly with Asian tour groups.

There were people everywhere, and lots of them were really pushy. Tired of being bumped and jostled, we eventually abandoned the museum after a 30 minute wait for the bathroom. It was just too crowded, and the experience really wasn’t enjoyable.

The Rosetta Stone behind Glass
The British Museum, London, England

Leaving behind the throngs of people, we walked to the Waterstones on Euston Road. This bookstore is spread over 5 floors and is in an historic building. They also sell second hand books, and I was amazed to see them organized like new books; they weren’t stacked in milk crates. There were scores of books about British history, books by British authors, and books about British localities. It was tough to limit my purchases, but I only bought 3 books (from that particular store anyway).

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The British Museum
Abbey Road Studios Website
Live Video Feed of Abbey Road Crossing
Waterstones Bookstore

Last Day in the UK! It Rhymes!

The globe from the outside
London, England

Our last day in the UK was pretty relaxed; just wandering. The first stop of the day was the reconstructed Globe Theater. The Globe is on the banks of the Thames, and is pretty true to the original 17th century specifications. The only major changes are in regard to fire regulations; fewer people can enjoy a show at once, and they now have electricity.

We were the first tour group of the day and when we entered the theater it was empty. We managed to take a few good pictures before 100 French high school students joined us. It must have been tour group day because we ran into them everywhere. I would love to see a play here, but in early April, they aren’t showing any yet.

Ice Mice on the Millennium Bridge
London, England

We left the Globe and walked toward St. Paul’s Cathedral over the Millennium Bridge. This is the bridge attacked by Death Eaters in the cinematic version of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We were going to pretend to witness the attacks when something else drove all other thoughts from our minds: ice mice. Someone had placed about a dozen mice on the bridge; they were made of ice. I only wish a sign had warned us ahead of time; watch for ice on bridge.

Twinings Tea Shop on the Strand
London, England

We next looped around St. Paul’s, a lovely church designed by the famous architect Christopher Wren. We admired it from the outside and continued along The Strand, stopping eventually at Twinings. Twinings is a tea company and we visited their original shop in London; it opened in 1706. Inside the Strand Shop are few displays of antique teas and memorabilia—oh, and tea!

The shop smelled amazing, and there were many ways to customize your tea purchase. I bought a few tins; they’re beautiful and I may even repurpose them into a craft once they’re empty. The shop was well lit and a pleasure to explore; the front door is still original.

Lincoln's Inn Fields aka #12 Grimmauld Place
London, England

When we left, we wandered over to Lincoln’s Inns Fields. This area was a little less genteel; there was a van distributing food for the homeless. How fitting then that this area provided the exteriors for #12 Grimmauld Place, Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. We snapped our pictures and returned to the more populated streets.

Leadenhall Market
London, England

Grimmauld Place was quite different from the other HP exteriors set we visited: Leadenhall Market. This is a covered market with a lot of specialty shops. The area is very quaint; each address is made of mosaicked tile. One particular sore in the market held our interest: The Glass House. Though it has since changed hands, The Glass House was used to film the muggle side of The Leaky Cauldron. It’s blue now, but the exterior is otherwise the same.

The Glass House in Leadenhall Market
London, England

We also visited a Waterstone’s Bookshop while in Leadenhall market. The internet can help you find any number of books on a particular subject, but I still maintain the best place to find information about the city you’re in is the local bookshop. Here you will find books you didn’t even know existed, sometimes as translations from other languages. It’s also more fun to buy a book in a store than it is online. You can hold it, feel the weight of it in your hand, and peer through its pages before purchasing.

I was on a hunt for a particular Jack the Ripper book, authored by the London Walks guide, Donald Rumbelow. Here on the blog I’ve directed you to Amazon, but that is because you are (probably) not in London. The first store didn’t have the book, but they directed me to another stores in the city; the hunt continued.


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Shakespeare's Globe
St. Paul's Cathedral
Twinings Tea
Waterstones Bookstore
Jack the Ripper Book by Donald Rumbelow

You Were Seen by No Less than Seven Muggles!

The train ride between Edinburgh and London is beautiful and very picturesque. I googled the route and determined we needed to sit on the eastern side of the train. We saw cliffs on the coast, sheep and cows in the fields, and large towns, like Newcastle. It was a great way to travel and it only took about 4 hours. There was even a little kitchen on board for buying snacks and drinks. If you have an opportunity to train across the countryside in the UK; take it.

When we left for Scotland, we didn’t really have time to visit Platform 9¾, so when we returned to King’s Cross Station, we headed there first. Platform 9¾ is not actually between platforms 9 and 10 like in the book, but they are within sight.

This is not an attraction you can just wander up to and expect it to fit in your schedule. The muggles have noticed something, and the line is long. There is a conductor who outfits you with a scarf in your house colors, and a professional photographer who takes a picture of you while you are jumping. When holding the cart and jumping, you look like you’re running into the wall—especially when the conductor holds your scarf out in an act of movie magic.

After posing for your mildly embarrassing “magic” photo, and after your friends have taken personal photos of you being ridiculous, you can visit the Platform 9¾ Harry Potter Shop. In the shop you view the professional photos and decide if you want to purchase any souvenirs similar to those available at Leavesden. Most importantly, you can purchase a replica ticket for the Hogwarts Express.

Yes, this was a really cheesy place to visit. Yes, the line is long. But it was really fun, and as of this moment, still free.

My ticket to Hogwarts

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My Name is Zack Bagans . . . and these are Our Ghost Adventures

When Joe and I first started dating, we would stay up late and watch Ghost Adventures, a show that used to scare the bejeezus out of us. In one episode, the team went to investigate the Edinburgh South Bridge Vaults, and it was a very active episode. Loving a good, terrifying thrill, I booked tickets for my sister and me to tour the underground chambers.

Tours are run by Mercat Tours, and there are 2 tour options for visiting the vaults, historic or ghost; we chose ghost. The historic tour is during the day and utilizes electric lighting. The ghost tours are at night and the vaults are lit only with candlelight. This was a simple way to set the mood without the use of costumes; when the vaults were in use, the only light source would have been candles. Candlelight is pretty inadequate; living or working in the cave-like vaults would have been depressing.

When Edinburgh’s population became far too large for the city limits, the city built a bridge to extend outward, the South Bridge. The area under the bridge was built into useable space by constructing various chambers underneath. These were connected by passageways, and for a while, they were used by respectable business owners. When the bridge was built though, the builders cut a corner and didn’t waterproof the vaults. Water and other nastiness seeped in from the streets above, and the legitimate businesses fled. In their wake, dozens of illegal uses for the vaults sprang up.

The vaults were filled in the 1860s and then rediscovered in the 1980s. When people began revisiting the vaults, they noticed spiritual activity. Most of the spirits in the vaults seem to stem from its nefarious past. There are rumors that the Hellfire Club met in the vaults; that some pagans accidentally opened a portal to hell; that body-snatchers used vaults to store corpses. Some of the rumors are true, but fact or fiction, spirits remain in the vaults.

We visited a room where a child named Jack frequents, and my sister said, after visiting that room she just didn’t feel right, and begged to leave as soon as possible. We stayed long enough for me purchase some books (mmmmmmmmm books). We also talked briefly with our guide to see if we were in the evil, haunted hotel. While its exact location is a mystery, we at least weren’t staying in the same neighborhood.

I didn’t feel much, just temperature changes, but it was hard to focus on any errant sounds or smells in a large group. Furthermore, there were other tours taking place, so distant sounds could be attributed to them. I would love a more private tour of the vaults, one in which I might notice more of the supernatural.

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Mercat Tours

Edinburgh South Bridge Vaults

Ghost Adventures

Rumors of Spiritual Activity in the Vaults

Hellfire Club on Wikipedia

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Forth Rail Bridge, built in the 1880s.
Edinburgh, Scotland

The Firth of Forth is a curiously named waterway just North of Edinburgh. Forth is the name of the river, and firth means estuary, so the Firth of Forth is the mouth of the river Forth. Boat tours leave the port town of Queensferry, and this town can be reached from Edinburgh by bus. We arranged to take a bus/boat tour with Forth Boat Tours aboard the Forth Belle, and we left Edinburgh at about 10:30am. We had a beautiful, albeit crisp, day for our tour. The boat took us out the Firth to Inchcolm Island, where for an additional £5, you could disembark and spend an hour and a half wandering around the island.

Seals basking in the spring sun.
Firth of Forth, Edinburgh, Scotland

Incholm Island has the ruined remains of Inchcolm Abbey, among them, the best preserved medieval cloisters in Scotland. Like many ancient buildings in Europe, the abbey reached its current size through many generations of builders adding to it. The earliest buildings of the abbey date from the 1100s and the most recent ruins are the battlements from WWII. There is a paved path from the dock to the abbey, but to reach the battlements and the southern tip of the island, you must be prepared to do a bit of hiking. You have permission to roam all over the island during your visit; time and physical ability are your only limits, though they recommend you don’t approach the wildlife.

Inchcolm Island and Inchcolm Abbey
Edinburgh, Scotland

When we arrived, we bypassed the crowds at the abbey (the 1^st sight) and headed uphill toward the southern coast of the island; we were on a puffin hunt. The captain of our boat announced that the first puffin had been spotted the previous day; apparently they are like robins. The vegetation has been allowed to grow wild, and the ground is very uneven, punctuated with rocks and tufts of over grown grass. The area acts somewhat as a wildlife preserve, with seals and gulls sharing the space with puffins in the summer. Hundreds of gulls were on the southern hillside, and the noise was deafening. The island was beautiful, but the ground was covered in poop—look but don’t touch anything.

Inchcolm Abbey
Edinburgh, Scotland

We hiked downhill toward the water, and on our return hike up we encountered Maude and her friend. The girls, about 6, were exploring the island with their dads. Maude was very precocious and invited us to hike back down to the water with them in search of the seagull nest factory; she assured us it was located there. We declined, as we had just been there, and parted ways with the promise of a progress report later.

Seagulls on Inchcolm Island
Edinburgh, Scotland

We returned to the abbey and climbed the tightest and steepest spiral steps I have ever encountered (so far) to the roof. We visited the chapter house where my sister sentenced me to jail time, and pondered the ruins of the choir; somehow the choir retains half an arched vault without succumbing to gravity.

Our final stop was the north end of the island to visit the old war ruins. The entire firth was heavily fortified during both world wars as it was an important port. Other islands in the firth were fortified as well. Inchgarvie Island was fortified in a specific pattern, and against the horizon it presents the silhouette of a battleship.

Ruins of the Choir
Inchcolm Island, Edinburgh, Scotland

We reached the ruins by marching blindly into a dark, scary tunnel. We were emboldened by the arrival of another visitor who assured us that the tunnel did indeed go through to the other side, and that it was perfectly safe. We walked in, and it was scary, and then it was over. The tunnel was actually short, but it was curved, so it looked endless. Once through, we saw the mouth of the Forth and looked toward the North Sea, but there were not puffins to be found. It must have been too early in the season still.

The "battleship" island
Inchgarvie Island, Edinburgh, Scotland

As we were walking back to the boat, my sister slipped on the pavement (Scots for sidewalk) and cut her knee. The boat only had gauze, so when we returned to the mainland I went into a small store and asked if they had band-aids.

The clerk said “No, but the bikers might”

“Bikers . . . .?”

“Next door.”

The bikers next door were Harley Davidson riders, and they looked like a tough bunch. But, as anyone but your mother will tell you; never judge a book by its cover. They were very kind and concerned, and they got us set up using supplies from their aid kit—free of charge. The place where they hang out is called Biker's Cove, and everyone reports them to be a friendly bunch. It was a very interesting afternoon.

The creepy, dark WWII tunnel
Inchcolm Island, Edinburgh, Scotland

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Forth Boat Tours

Inchcolm Abbey

Incholm Island
Biker's Cove

I’m Seeing Hogwarts!

This trail was ridiculous.
Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland

Our 2^nd day in Scotland was easily my favorite. We started out with a hike in Holyrood Park, the very large nature park adjacent to Holyrood House, the Queen’s residence in Scotland. We rose early and spent some time climbing a ridiculously steep path shortly after sunrise. We walked for about an hour before returning to our hotel for a shower. This park is one of the many reasons I want to return to Edinburgh; the views were great from midway up, but I want to reach the summit.

The view from the midway point.
Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland

Our next stop was the Elephant House, an unassuming coffee shop with views of Edinburgh Castle. The castle sits high on a rocky crag and has various towers and turrets rising from the rocks. Below the castle is Prince’s Street Gardens, a park on the site of a former lake. The Nor’ Loch was drained when the residents realized the health hazards associated with using the lake as a sewage dump.

I ordered a jasmine tea and a shortbread cookie in the shape of an elephant. Snack in hand; I wandered into the back rooms of Elephant House to see the castle. Looking out the windows at the castle, and imagining a clean lake below it, I saw Hogwarts Castle appear in my mind’s eye. And perhaps I was looking at the inspiration for Hogwarts; before the mania, JK Rowling used to sit in this café and write.

The Elephant House Coffee Shop
Edinburgh, Scotland

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Holyrood Park

Holyrood House

Elephant House