Bolger Family Travels: Getting All Medieval With It

Regensburg is a UNESCO World Heritage city usually a ninety minute drive from Munich. Because it was of no strategic importance in World War II, it was not bombed back to the Stone Age. Thus, the center city is considered a remarkable example of a medieval German city.

Shout out to Hitler for starting a world war, killing millions of people, including six million Jews, and getting most of his country’s historic buildings bombed. The third observation is yet another reason to hate him. And I didn’t even mention burning books.

Please note, snowflakes, the above paragraph is sarcasm. “Shout outs” aren’t always a good thing.

I say it is usually a ninety minute drive from Munich, because usually there isn’t a snow storm whilst traveling there. The Skoda handled well in the snow, and I think the snow kept some folks off the road, as once we got off the main road, still some 30 miles from Regensburg, there was little traffic. Doing 70 mph in a storm is only possible if your wife is sleeping.

Once Carol woke up during a particularly strong part of the storm (we weren’t going 70mph then!) and recommended turning back. Knowing that the weather would warm, I pressed on. Oddly, the further north we got, the less snow there was on the roads – even though it came down heavily. I suppose the snow had started later there.

It was neat seeing the many solar panels covered in snow. It was a very cool look. That was pretty much the highlight on the drive. I had hoped for bucolic scenery of Bavaria, but often couldn’t see further than fifty feet from the side of the road.

By the way, before you think I’m a monster for pressing on in the snow, I also knew the temperature was warming and that the snow would be gone by the time we headed back. And, as usual, I was right.

(Editor’s Note: Blind squirrel finds acorn. It happens, don’t get cocky. Blogger: Gotta pat myself on the back the few times I can.)

After driving around a bit, we found a park garage near center city. Primarily because we were hungry at 2pm, we immediately set out to get lunch. The snow stopped on our short walk t to food. Carol found a highly rated restaurant, Weltenburger am Dom nearby using her iPhone. Because of the name, we figured it was a burger place.

Narrator: It was not a burger place.

It was better than a burger place. It was a beer hall. We walked in, and the place was a cacophony of people talking, beer steins clinking, forks forking full of food, and other noises. We were led to a seat, and shortly afterwards, the place nearly cleared out. It must have been a tour group, we surmised?

(Editor’s Note: “Forks forking full of food?” Blogger: Alliteration is ALWAYS appreciated!)

We each had a tasty German dish – I think I won the order, as my suckling pig was delicious. And when you eat meals like that, you understand why the Germans drink beer with lunch – it just feels right!

Our next stop was St. Peter’s Cathedral, a massive church that was started in 1275, and finished in 1634, with the exception of the towers, which were finished in 1869.

From there, we wandered around town, going to an old stone gate dating back to the Romans, Porta Praetoria. There's not a lot of second century stuff in the States. Apparently the Romans made it at least to Regensburg before the Teutonic tribes kicked their Roman butts.

When Torie saw it and was underwhelmed, she asked “why did we come looking for this?” I noted that anything dating back to the Romans was worth seeing. She nodded her head sagely, but I’m not sure she bought it.

From there we walked across the twelve arch bridge that was built from 1135-1146 across the Danube, and that accelerated the city's growth. It has twelve arches, and is reminiscent of the bridge in Cordoba, Spain. The bridge was used by Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land in the 2nd and 3rd Crusades (those two Crusades came after the 1st Crusade, believe it or not.)

Our next stop was Haidplatz Square, with a Christmas market and numerous superb examples of medieval buildings. The streets were festooned with Christmas lights. It’s a very cool square, not just because it was the site of many jousting tournaments in the Middle Ages (although automatically makes it a cool spot).

We stopped in a café on the square to warm-up with some coffee (and water for me). And we may have had a bit of a snack. German cafes have incredibly tasty treats in them!

After snack, we wandered around some more, finally ending up at the massive St. Emmeram's Basilica. On the outside, it has a beautiful courtyard. Inside, it was relatively dark because only a few lights were on.

The Crazy Tourist's website describes it thusly:

"The plan of the 11th-century Romanesque church is based on a far older building dating back to the 700s. The north portal was sculpted in 1052 has a relief depicting Christ, Saint Emmeram and Saint Denis.

"Inside there’s an intoxicating blend of Romanesque architecture from the 1000s and later Renaissance and Baroque updates. One of the prettiest pieces of decoration is the painted wooden ceiling in the western transept, telling the story of Benedict of Nursia."

Whilst we looked around the building, a whole bunch of kids came in with their parents to practice for a Christmas pageant. That was cool to see.

After that, we headed back in the general direction of the parking lot, enjoying the cobbled narrow streets, the shops decorated for Christmas, and the people going to and fro in a festive atmosphere. We came upon another Christmas market, and Carol bought a few more goodies.

We wanted to hit the road back to Munich before dinner, so initially we talked about finding a restaurant open near the apartment. The next option was to hit a small town and find a restaurant on the drive back. Carol noticed a supermarket that was still open, so we stopped in there, got some salad, pasta, sause, and meat. And beer. And wine.

After a faster drive back (all the snow was gone), we had a relaxing dinner in the apartment and called it a day.