Organ pipes and the mix of rivers

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Waking up to the sound of the ship slicing through the river, we get to watch them go through yet anther lock, this one outside of Passau. Here the Danube, the Ilz and the Inn Rivers all join, and the demarcation of the waters from different sources (forests vs. mountains) is clear from the colors of the waters as they mix.

It has also made for some spectacular floods over the centuries (this began as a Roman settlement almost 2,000 years ago). Those century floods that are supposed to come once every 100 years or so now seem to come every 2-3 years. I bet you won't find many people in Passau saying that climate change exists only in the imaginations of certain scientists.  As I write this, people in Serbia and nearby areas are experiencing heavy flooding.  Again.

This town reached its high point in the 16th -17th century, when the salt trade made it wealthy, the guilds controlled craftwork, and long-distance trading made everyone well off. Once the market was opened in the 19th, the town began a decline, reviving through tourism in the 20th century. Our guide noted that today there were several tour boats in town today, three of being Viking River Cruises. She said, "first there were the Romans, then the Germanic tribes, the Turks almost made it this far, and so today we have the Vikings!" During their heydey, the Bishop-Prince of Passau ran one of the wealthiest places around, and they built large homes, tall towers, and a magnificent church which has in it one of the largest organs in the world, with almost 18,000 pipes, 5 manuals, and 229 speaking stops, a truly magnificent instrument.

We gather to hear a wonderful concert at noon, as the strains of Bach, Langlais and the organist's terrific improvisations fill the church. I've never hear quite so much variety of sound from an organ.

After the concert, a bit of shopping for some small gifts, and a leisurely lunch at a sidewalk cafe with samples of the local wheat beers (one dark, and one light). We find a post office, and Barney once again successfully purchased stamps. A long walk to the waterfront, and a quick shuttle to the Veste Oberhaus, a fortress to help the rulers control trade on the rivers.  From here, the views are spectacular.

 This evening, as we cross the border into Austria, all of the food is Austrian-themed, and quite good, with Austrian beer, Austrian wine, and delicious apricot schnapps, which we enjoy with dessert on the top deck as the sun goes down and the wind comes up and we are surrounded by steep hills covered with dark green forests, interspersed with small villages.