After leaving Nuremberg, our cruise on the Viking Egil continued overnight to Regensburg, a small German town on the Danube. The picture at the top of this page was our view of the opposite bank of the Danube from our cabin upon arrival. Views like this are a regular, pleasant surprise on river cruises.
Most of the Viking passengers spent the day in Regensburg with a walking tour and a visit to the local Christmas Market. We chose an optional tour for a whirlwind visit to (relatively) nearby Munich. We had never been there before. On the way the snow-covered countryside was dominated by scenes like this:
This makes total sense. Bavaria is such a beer-brewing center, it’s no wonder that hop growing is so prominent.
Just before arriving in Munich we took a quick break at the BMW factory showroom, where they have on display some of their fancier models along with Rolls-Royce and Cooper minis. Here are a few highlights from the showroom:
Munich was a beautiful city. Our tour guide zipped us around the highlights of the central city, visiting churches, the Christmas markets (including one at their main fruit/vegetable market – the Victuals Market), past the oom-pah-pah band in the Hofbrau Haus, and to the Town Hall (Rathaus) with its Glockenspiel (a clock with dancing barrel makers and jousting princes) and famous Ratskeller restaurant in the basement where we had a nice, warming lunch.
Here is a slideshow of some of the highlights of Munich:
After the day-long tour to Munich, our tour guide (Rupert from Regensburg) gave us a quick mini-tour of Regensburg, walking us by the famous Old Sausage Kitchen (Wurstkuchl – nearly 900 years old) and orienting us to the three Christmas Markets in the town. They were quaint and crowded with locals. Here are some fun shots from the markets and the shop windows:
After a two-tour day, we weren’t done for the night. This was the evening for Viking’s regular “German Night” where they brought out the wurst, sauerkraut, potato salad, etc., along with appetizers like these:
After all that, they opened up the ship’s galley for a tour. It’s a surprisingly small space, considering the number of meals they pump out in such quick order. Here it is from one angle:
This was a long, intense day. Perhaps not as over-scheduled as the mad scramble I had lined us up for in our time in Paris, but it was tiring. The next day in Passau would be mellow by comparison!
Halfway There Travelers 
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