Hagenham

Lots of overnight rain again, but turned very nice by 10 AM. Because of high water we could not dock in Passau. We docked about 20 minutes away and took a bus into the city. Today we did a nice walking tour since our bike tour was canceled because of rain. Because Passau is surrounded by three rivers streets have to be very small and narrow because there’s just not much room to build. Fifty-two thousand of the 12000 are students.

We saw a dedicated bike route along the Danube. You can drive the entire 600km journey from Budapest to Passau on the trail. A nice way to travel unless you are in a hurry. Our guide mentioned that she drives around 180 km/hr on the autobahn. They’ve driven as fast as 250 km/hr with no chance of a speeding ticket…. but only when they are in a hurry.

Bus drivers have a special talent here in Europe in these small towns. Narrow road, steep hills and sharp turns make it look impossible. But they pull it off. Terrifying at times.

After landing back at our boat for our sail to Vilshofen, we were informed that the river from Passau to Vilshofen was closed due to the high water and an inability to fit under the bridges… so back to Passau for a couple of hours before our Oktoberfest farewell celebration. Off to London vis Munich in the morning.Read more