June 5 Passau and Linz

After a short night with not a lot of sleep we were up at 6 am and ready for breakfast at 7 before boarding the bus for a trip back to Passau that we had passed through yesterday on our way to the boat.
Passau is a lovely old town with roots dating back to Roman times. It is the confluence of 3 rivers and was important as a trading centre. We had an excellent local guide show us around. The old town and the new town are both 350 years old as they were burnt down back then. The cathedral is stunning inside with beautiful frescoes and the largest organ in Europe. In Germany 8 percent of their taxes are paid to the Catholic church. After the tour we wandered around and checked out the flooding which had receded by 2 metres or so and then made our way back to the bus for the return journey to the boat and lunch.
After lunch it was back on to the bus and a short ride into Linz for the afternoon walking tour. We had free time after the walk so sat outside at a bar and enjoyed a beer and then an Aperol Spritz before returning to the boat and a quick shower before Happy Hour and the briefing for tomorrow. To our surprise Happy Hour is free so squeezed in a couple of rums. It was then dinner time. The food on the boat is outstanding. After dinner we took our wines up to the top deck for a while and then went back to the lounge where they had an Aussie guy playing music and singing. He was quite entertaining so we ended up staying until he finished and had a couple of scotches. So much for an early night. But it was a great day.Read more