Day 6 - Niederalteich to Passau
Wednesday May 2, 2018
Almost the last day on the Danube. Tomorrow we will have to backtrack a bit before we dip south for the final leg of our tour in Lower Bavaria.
The day starts with a visit to the abbey church at Niederalteich. This part of Bavaria has an unusual concentration of some of the best southern German baroque. It seems there is a church around every bend of the road.
The day starts with a visit to the abbey church at Niederalteich. This part of Bavaria has an unusual concentration of some of the best southern German baroque. It seems there is a church around every bend of the road.
Entry to the church
View to the historic organ gallery over the front entry
You can't take it with you - I wonder if those gems are real.
We say goodbye to Niederalteich and are on our way.
Some pictures from the ride from Niederalteich to Vilshofen, where we crossed the Danube to have a look at the town and have a bite for lunch, and then on to Passau.
A sunny day, smooth path and pleasant countryside
Those Danube cruise ships look pretty big.
We saw so many beautiful lilac bushes, but alas I only stopped once to take a picture. This wasn't even the prettiest one.
Welcome to the Beer Bike Path! Look closely and you will see that the arch is made of beer crates.
Bridge over the Danube to Vilshofen
Speedy Gonzalez - picking up speed after lunch
Taking a break
Some bright fields and gravel paths before we reach Passau
Arriving in Passau, we cross the Danube on the Kachlet Dam. The power plant Kachlet, also Kachletkraftwerk or Kachletwerk, is a dam with double lock and hydroelectric power plant.
For today we booked at a fancier hotel, the Hotel Wilder Mann. The original building dates back to the Gothic and Baroque periods, or so I read. With our panniers it seemed like a very long walk through endless corridors before we reached our room. At least there are elevators in this multi-storey complex of hotel and glass museum. Even in the hallways of the hotel you can see some exhibits of world-famous glass. Which is the reason we came to this hotel. Janos used to do flea market trading in antiques and his specialty was glass.
Our room wasn't even that expensive - but I think it might have been the smallest room they had.
Our room wasn't even that expensive - but I think it might have been the smallest room they had.
Our cute little bed that filled the room.
We got cleaned up and went out for a stroll around town. Passau is also known as the "City of Three Rivers" because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. It has a population of 50,000 of which about 12,000 are students at the local university.
Hotel Wilder Mann has a modest exterior.
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Here on the walls next to the saints are plaques showing dates when the Danube flooded to that level. The 2013 flood was the worst in 500 years. The plaque is on the left.
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St. Stephen's Cathedral
Baroque interior
Wittelsbach Fountain, Neo-baroque - Around the column three angels symbolize the three rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz.
Cooling off after our bit of sightseeing with a refreshing aperol spritz.