Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Danube Reflection - Passau, Germany

WILLKOMMEN IN PASSAU, DEUTSCHLAND! Strolling up Höllgasse in Passau, Germany's Artist's Alley. Colorful cobblestones are a fun way to wander through a beautiful town.

Looking toward the Rathausturm (City Hall Tower) on Höllgasse Street

The tower was constructed in 1889-92 to replace a previous tower that was destroyed in 1811.

Mural on the exterior of the City Hall.

View of Veste Oberhaus from Rathausplatz (City Hall Square). Veste Oberhaus was built in 1219 as a fortress to show the power of the Bishop of Passau.

Gisella Temlom


View of Dom St. Stephan (St. Stephen's Cathedral) from Residenzplatz (Residence Square)

View of tower of St. Stephen's Cathedra from Zengergasse street

Interior of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Looking toward alter

Just a part of the largest cathedral organ in the world. It has 17,774 pipes and 233 registers and 6 consoles.

St. Stephen's Cathedral from Domplatz


St. Paul's Church constructed in 1678 

Interior of St. Paul's Church

Entrance to Lukas-Kern-Kinderheim aka Bürgerliches Waisenhaus (Lukas-Kern Orphanage aka City Orphanage) was founded in 1749 by the shipmaster Lukas Kern

The opposite bank of the Inn river. This pic is for Marianne because she wanted to see livestock on the hills. And that's what the little white dots at the top right are.

Schaiblingsturm (Schaibling Tower) is from the Medieval town fortification dating back to about 1250

View down Rindermarkt Street

Meerkat graffiti! These truly are my people.

This is why you measure twice and buy a van once in Europe...

In the wheelhouse with the Captain of the MS Savor.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIANNE! 

Captain's orders that you must have his drink, "The Hiroshima:" 3/4th Triple Sec, lightly topped with Bailey's, couple drops grenadine to the center compliments of our awesome bartender Rahman. 

Gala night means tuxedo napkins.

A perfect compliment to our well-worn tiny hands...

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Thursday, October 20, 2016

Danube Reflection - Grein, Austria


WELCOME TO GREIN, AUSTRIA! A small village of about 2,900 people on the Danube River. Grein roughly translates into "shriek" or "scream" in old German. The Danube use to be very treacherous here and the city was named after shipwrecked sailors yelling and their widow's cries. 




Stadttheater Grein. Notice the three dates on the building. 1468 was the year it was constructed as a granery. 1563 is when it became a rathhaus (city hall). 1791 is when it installed a theater. Emperor Josef II encouraged the construction of theaters so the proceeds could be used to fund poor houses. A cause that was really supported by citizens after a major flood. 


Inside Stadttheater Grein, the oldest theater in Austria. Lots of funny and interesting facts about this theater. The first couple of rows had an early form of season ticket holders. To guarantee your seat, you were given a key. When you weren't at the show, you'd fold your seat to the back and lock it so there was no place for a person to sit. 

Shows use to be very, very long. So, there's a small bathroom located stage right for the audience. The only barrier was a small curtain. This meant if an exciting, funny, or climatic scene was about to happen you could peek out the curtain and not miss a thing. "It didn't smell nice near the bathroom, so these seats were cheaper..."

This building also had a small jail that was located stage left. To keep the prisoners entertained, they gnawed a hole in the wall so they could watch from their cell. The audience was very kind to the prisoners bringing them food and drinks during the show. A somewhat selfish gesture though because this was to prevent them from yelling and disrupting the show.

I think this is my favorite theater.

St. Giles Church - Saint Giles was a hermit living in the woods of Septimania and Provence. He foraged for food and drank the milk from a deer. Because of this, St. Giles is the patron saint of lactating mothers.

Looking toward the Danube from Böhmergasse

View of the Wachau Valley from the Grein cemetery.

View of the Danube from the grounds of Schloss Greinburg

View of old town with mist rising of the mountains in the background.

DANCE PARTY ON THE CRUISE!

And yes, Marianne is to the far left dancing with her tiny hands... YEAH!!!

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Saturday, October 15, 2016

Danube Reflection - Bratislava, Slovakia


WELCOME TO BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA! The capital of Slovakia on the Danube River.




Slovenská filharmónia (Slovakia Philharmonic) Building. The European Union (EU) just wrapped up a summit here right before we arrived. That's why there's all the barriers.




Slovenské národné divadlo (Slovak National Theatre) - Constructed in 1885-86 for the opera and ballet.




Morový stĺp (Holy Trinity Column) - You guessed it, the Plague came here too and a lot of people died. So, this is a "thank you" from those that survived.

Pavol Hviezdoslavovo overlooking Hviezdoslavovo námestie (Square) - He was a poet and a member of the Czechoslovakian Parliament.

Katedrála svätého Martina (St. Martin's Cathedral) - This was the coronation church for Hungary from the 1500s-1800s.

View down Panská Street



Lekáreň u Salvátora (Pharmacy Salvator) - Constructed in 1904 and a great example of Neo-Renaissance architecture.

View of Michalska brana (Michael's Gate) looking down Michalska Street. Built sometime around 1300 and it's the last surviving gate from that fortification.


Romantic little street leading up to the castle

Hlavné námestie (Main Square) looking toward Old Town Hall

Inside the courtyard of Stará radnica (Old Town Hall)

Marianne with the Pig Knighty of Bratislava

View overlooking the Danube from the Castle. To the left, you'll see the Nový most (New Bridge) that appears to have a UFO on it. Appropriately enough, it house's a restaurant called UFO.

View of the Danube River from Bratislava Castle's fortification wall.

Megan and I

Dick, Megan, and I

Old Town Bratislava from Bratislava Castle

"Oh, Bratislava is so beautiful!"

Wandering the lanes of Bratislava

Large section of the old city walls that was built in the 1200s

Glass flower sculpture in pediment of building on Gorkého street.

The most famous man in Bratislava: Cumil the Sewer Worker.

Megan finally found a bagel to fulfill her hunger at Bagel and Coffee Story

Kostol trinitárov (Trinity Church) - We peeked in just long enough to take this shot. The original church on this site was destroy in the Ottoman War in 1529. This church was it's replacement starting in 1717-27. Everything above the round windows is flat and painted (trompe-l'œil fresco)

Disko cookies and Erdinger Dunkel Beer for people watching in the main square. When we travel, Megan and I like to get some snacks and hang out in a public gathering place. It's pretty entertaining and we meet some interesting people.

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