Having become used to early waking we were up at 6.30 and headed for the Laundromat. €8 or $nz16 later our clothes were clean and dry. There is always a full set of cycling clothes used every day to be laundered as well as our day clothes. Then it was back to the hotel for breakfast as this was included in the room rate. It was a real feast of cereals, fruit, meats, cheeses, boiled eggs (very German) and a variety of buns and breads- as well as tea and coffee. After breakfast we wandered around the town. The hotel was right in the centre of the old town. The day was cloudy and threatened rain every so often.
At 11am we joined a large group of fellow tour cyclists for a guided tour of the city which Jos organized. Regensburg is the best preserved Medieval city in Europe. The old town was not damaged at all in the war, and there are the remains of a Roman garrison fort, the oldest bridge over the Danube - a stone one from the twelth century, and a Gothic cathedral started in the eighth century. A highlight was going into the stone masons workshop - there are 30 stone masons permanently employed to restore the church. We saw examples of the damage caused by pollution to the church, and the work being done to replace the eroded blocks and statues. It is all done by hand, and recarving a full sized statue can take one person almost a year.
We heard fascinating tales of the towers built by the Italian Patrician merchants who developed the city as a vital trading port city. These stone towers were built to show ones wealth, the higher the better, though most had only the first few floors actually in use - the rest above was just a hollow shell. For many centuries it was a very wealthy city but fell into a decline which lasted until the mid 19th century. In 1975 the city began to be restored and is now a major tourist attraction and listed with the United Nations as a World Heritage site. It is also a university town with 25,000 students, and big employment provided by BMW and Seimens.
Lunch was at a bier garten with Jos, Garris and Jurg. We had traditional foods, Liz's small portion size was a full plate of noodles, fried ham and eggs, and a salad. We walked around town again and across the river to a cycle store. We always meet fellow cyclists at such places. Back in town bought a new pair of sandals for John, and returned to the hotel for a rest. At 5pm we went walking around the shops again. There are a number of antique shops and beautiful clothing shops. All tiny little shops with beautiful displays. Saw a pair of shoes for €485 (nearly $1000) - didn't like them anyway.
For dinner we went with a large group to a very pretty bier garten. We sat inside as it was cool, the building was very ornately decorated. The young waitress was dressed on traditional Bavarian style with a very low cut bodice! A delicious meal, all local specialities. After we wandered around toen eith Janice and Stuart watching all the places where people were watching tv screens to see Germany playing Austria in the soccer. There were groups gathered in all the cafes and bars around town. We returned to the hotel around 10pm and headed for bed. There was a bit of celebration at the end of the game as Germany won 1-0 but not for too long. Mostly just fans walking home through the small alleyway past our hotel. Our room was on the first floor overlooking the alleyway. Again we slept all night with earplugs in due to the loud, consistent snoring from the neighbour's room. Incredible, he kept it up all night.
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