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The Blue Danube

 

Servus! The temperatures have moderated and the partly cloudy sky keeps the sun from being too intense. Some of the trees have taken on an orange hue, and I am anticipating seeing some gorgeous fall colors. 

Covid is mostly behind us and we are beginning to venture out into the world again. After lunch we walked to the Danube River, pictured behind me. Regensburg lies on the northernmost point of the Danube as it courses its way across Europe. Just blocks from our apartment is a trail that leads to a park and this famous river. In the same park is a lake, the name of which I have yet to discover. It has a trail all around it, which we weren't prepared to walk on today. In fact, the park is laced with trails. Tantalizingly out of reach of a clear view in my binoculars were some water fowl that I'm certain I've never seen before. 

I did a very European thing this morning and walked up the bakery before breakfast to get some bread for the day. I got some hearty dinkelbrot (spelt bread) and a cheese-filled croissant still warm from the oven. The bread here is fantastic and does a great job holding you from one meal to the next. I've heard Germany has the best bread in the world, and so far, it's the best bread I've ever had. And as for cheese, you don't find the blocks of cheddar you do in the US. I've decided Emmenthaler is my favorite, so far. A piece of bread and a slice of cheese, and you're on your way! And I'm still amazed at all the bakeries there are, and every grocery store has a bakery as well.

Octoberfest has begun, and people can be seen wearing Tracht, that is traditional Bavarian (vs. German as a whole) dirndls and lederhosen. Several got on the bus the other day. There are several shops you can buy those in. Most of the action happens down in Munich, although they have beer gardens in Regensburg, as well. As someone who doesn't like beer, this isn't something that interests me. However, for 2-3 Euros (same as $2-$3) you can get a decent bottle of wine.  

Watching TV in German is improving our German. We saw Death in Paradise the other day, and they did a good job with the dubbed voice actors. They sounded a lot like the originals. What's annoying is when the subtitles don't match what the actors are saying. If you can find a good dubbed show with matching subtitles, that's the best. Trying to follow shows made in German in the first place is harder, especially if they are speaking a dialect.  

Tonight is Vespers at our chapel. I missed being there this weekend. I heard there was an American inquirer who drove all the way from Stuttgart to attend. 






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