We set off early and our plan for the day was to cycle to Regensburg, to see some of the city in the evening before continuing on towards Passau tomorrow, Monday. 

We set off a little later than planned owing to early morning rain. It cleared and we were underway by 8.30am. We cycled 88km, most of it was flat with the exception of a serious climb through a forest in the middle of the day. 

In the early part of our cycle we passed the Roman remains at Neustadt an der Donau. The narrative at the site told us –

The German Limes [frontier fortifications]  formed the Roman Empire’s frontier from AD 100 – 260. It was part of more than 5,000 km of Roman frontier that stretched from Britain acrioss Europe, cutting through the Middle East and back to the Atlantic Ocean via North Africa. (These remains are now part of a UNESCO ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire’ World Heritage site.)

Cycling on from there – this was the forest on that hill in the elevation graphic above. The forest is innocent enough looking in this photograph but that innocence didn’t last!

We passed a classic car rally in progress.

At one point we made a mistake and had to get the bikes up over a pedestrian bridge

Afternoon ice cream against a very threatening sky

An interesting tepee, note the sky again – we were lucky it didn’t rain

We had booked a hotel right in the middle of Regensburg old town and arrived at 4ish leaving plenty of time to sight see. Regensburg is a beautiful city, it felt more like a small town. According to Wikipedia it has a population of 145,000 and includes the largest medieval old town north of the Alps with nearly 1,500 listed buildings.

1,500 listed buildings – that’s a listed building for every 100 inhabitants!

First up was the Stone bridge – I found it hard to get a decent picture.  

The stone bridge built 1135–1146, is a highlight of medieval bridge building. The knights of the 2nd and 3rd crusade used it to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land. The bridge was originally built with 16 supporting arches giving it a total length of 330 metres.

The yellow building to the left of the bridge was called the Salzstadel. Regensburg was an important town in the salt trading. (Salt was often so valuable that many soldiers had their wages paid out in salt rather than money.)

Then it was straight to the Cathedral. Quoting my guide book Regensburg’s St Peter’s Cathedral is a unique example of French Gothic in Southern Germany. Its construction began in around 1274 and is one of the most significant churches both in Bavaria and beyond.

I’ve restrained myself including photographs here! How these buildings were so beautifully constructed, such elegant proportions, built almost 1,000 years ago with none of the modern building design tools. One can’t but be overwhelmed sitting there taking in their beauty.

There was an awful band singing just outside the Cathedral, their playing almost spoiled the ambience of the whole place. They were actually playing Country Roads, take me home … How I wished they actually would!

More of the German Limes, (remains of Roman frontier fortifications) preserved in Regensburg.

Some random beautiful buildings in the town

Bismarckplatz with its beautiful fountains

I walked over to the former abbey and Benedictine monastery at St Emmeram which has been owned by the Thurn and Taxis royal family since 1812. Unfortunately I was running out of time. This is some of what I quickly saw in the area accessible to the public – again such magnificence!

I was so sorry not to have more time to spend here in Regensburg (and in other places we have visited). Six weeks on the bike is not long enough!

And no one told me that Bavaria was so beautiful.