We met our ship, the Monarch Queen, in Regensburg, Germany, to begin our river cruise.
Regensburg, one of Germany’s oldest and best-preserved medieval cities, is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We began our visit with a walking tour of the old city. If you saw our last blog, ‘The Historic Sausage Kitchen’, you’ll know a little bit about our first location.
The Stone Bridge
The stone bridge was built in the 12th century. It was the first and for nearly 300 years the only bridge in Regensburg crossing the Danube River.
Our docking location was just a short walk from this beautiful bridge, the Historic Sausage Kitchen, and the center of the Old City.
Old Town Hall
The Old Town Hall was built when Regensburg was elevated to the status of a Free Imperial City in 1245.
The governing body that met there predates the German Parliament and was one of the most important buildings in Europe at that time.
Don Juan d’Austria
This statue of Don Juan d’Austria, a famous Spanish military leader, sits in Regensburg near the river.
He is best known for leading the Christian fleet to victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1571 in a struggle for control of the Mediterranean.
But why Regensburg? He was the illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His mother, Barbara Blomberg, was a resident of Regensburg, where Don Juan was born.
The Golaith House
The Goliath House, built in 1260, is one of Regensburg’s best-known landmarks for its 1573 painting of David and Goliath.
Built at the base of the old Roman fort, it was home to numerous patrician families over the years.
Wandering the Old City
The architecture in Regensburg is just magical. Living in the Yucatan, it was fun to dive headfirst into an old European city decorated for Christmas with cool, crisp air and a real holiday feel.
We wandered the part of the city that now houses antique shops. The buildings along the narrow streets would have been packed during the Golden Age with Regensburg’s trade merchants.
The Hat King
Along our walk, we spied this incredible hat shop Hutkönig, or Hat King. With over 100 years of hatmaking, they claim to have created hats for everyone from Popes to Playboys.
For us, the most incredible part is that they created the spectacular hat for The Mad Hatter in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland!
Speaking of hats. This photo may be one of Mark’s favorites of the trip. This older woman, dressed in her well-worn jacket and completing her look with an impeccable hat and silk scarf, was going about her day. He really wanted to capture her walking toward him, but opted to respect her privacy, which actually made a great photo.
Random Weird Stuff:
Our tour group stopped at a random corner to hear stories of dirt paths, an emperor’s bastard child, and buckets being dumped from second-floor windows.
Chuck spied a little shop across from us selling locally made soaps. Stopping in, we spoke to the shopkeeper, who asked where we were from. Upon hearing the Yucatan, she commented that she had recently been in Cancun and spent some time in Merida.
What a small world.
St. Peter’s Cathedral
St. Peter’s Cathedral, also known as Regensburg Cathedral, is one of Bavaria’s most important examples of Gothic architecture.
The church seems to be in constant renovation. Opened in 1520, the towers were to be ‘Sky High’ only to have the construction funds run out, leaving the church with stups that were only half as high as the current towers, which weren’t completed until 1869.
It is best known for its 13th- and 14th-century stained glass windows. It is said to have the most extensive, well-preserved medieval stained glass collection in the German-speaking world.
Regensburg Christmas Market
After a long walking city tour and lunch at the Historic Sausage Kitchen, we made our way to Neupfarrplatz Square in the Old Town for the Regensburg Christmas Market.
Truthfully, it was cold, damp, and drizzling rain the entire time. We knew we’d be seeing a lot more Christmas markets, so we did one pass-through. In the background, you can see the New Parish Church built in the 16th century.
We bought a few more jars of the Wurstkuchl mustard from their stand and a hand-painted Christmas ornament before heading back to the ship.
Don’t be disappointed, we promise there will be LOTS more incredible Christmas markets to come.
Our next stop is the city of Nuremberg!
