Day 1-2, Of Sightseeing and Bad Weather

It’s cold here. 40 degrees F, rainy, and a little windy too. Yesterday, everything was closed because it was Sunday, so the streets were wet, dark, and empty. It was really odd to see so few places open and so few people out.

When I first got here, my professor showed me and another girl to the train station and a few restaurants close to the hotel. Then I took a nap and then went out with the other students to a few bars that were open. I tried a beer and had one cocktail while the rest of them proceeded to get super drunk, and I left a little before eleven to find my way back to the hotel without them. That was a little bit of an adventure since I don’t really know my way around, but I got back alright.

Today the professors gave us a quick tour of important places in Regensburg. We saw several grocery stores, the Cathedral, old Roman ruins, and the high school where we will be having class, which starts tomorrow. My roomate also finally arrived, and we seem to have enough in common that we’ll get along.

Regensburg was originall a Roman settlement all the way back in 179 AD. There are still a few structures from around that time, like the remains of the wall that went around the city and a gate. There are also three main bridges across the Danube that flows through the town. Many of the streets are very narrow and cobblestoned (is that a word?) and pedestrians, bicyclists, buses, and cars often compete for space in the same street. It doesn’t seem like there’s too much traffic though, which is good. The buildings are old and close together, with connecting walls.

Below are a few pictures I took near the Danube (Donau), including one of what is apparently the oldest Würst restaurant. Most of them were taken on the stone bridge that is the oldest stone bridge that is still being used in the world. (There’s an interesting story I learned about the bridge that I will write about in another post).