Thursday, Nov 3rd. After a quick bus drive to Regensburg, we received a tour of Regensburg from a local resident whose native country was Nigeria. Very knowledgable. Our tour was focused primarily on the local Jewish history, of which there is a lot. A purge in the 16th century caused the removal of the Jewish cemetery. The headstones were thereafter used for building material, which are today highlighted. (The reason for the purge was due to the cities bankruptcy, which they blamed on the Jewish money leaders. Earlier in the trip a city blamed the Jewish community for the plague.)
Continuing the saga, amends for the Holocaust are being attempted by building a synagogue, mostly from Christian donations. The exhibit set up to tell the story of the construction is in a Protestant church. It’ll be opened next year. We were fortunate to see the building, as they just recently took down the construction tent. There are also numerous brass plates in the cobblestones with names of Jews (and friends of Jews) who died. The guide called them stumbling blocks.
The cathedral was, as usual, big and busily adorned. Extremely intricate windows. Across from it was a hat shop with a duplicate of the hat worn by Johnny Depp in Alice. Perhaps the best hat shop I’ve ever visited.
Drank hot tea with rum. Excellent potato wedges. Chocolate shops, cuckoo clock shops. Lots of shops. Being a Saturday, crowded but relaxed. Cars drive around with no apparent lanes. It’s all cobblestones. Bikes, previously required to be walked, are few.
Least I forget, the key historic artifact of Regensburg is the bridge across the Danube. For centuries the primary trade route from Europe to the orient. The aforesaid bankruptcy was in fact due to the discovery of alternative trade routes. The bridge, for good or bad, was recently renovated, so it looks new on the surface.
Back on the ship, we were treated to a wonderful performance of classical opera singing, with some modern songs thrown in. Lots of humor too. Captivating.
Colorful homes. 
It took six hundred years to complete. 
The cathedral. Beautiful. 
They obviously just recently cleaned the Danube. Perhaps because of the low water levels. 
Jewish headstones used as building materials. They deliberately exposed several of these to remember. 
Oscar Schindler lived here for several years. This commemorates his house. 
I little political insert. This sign was right next to the Schindler plaque. Commentary from Germany. 
The building of a successful merchant. The rat shown on the left represents the tax collector. 
The new Synagogue. 
The Regensburg Bridge. Several more famous bridges in Europe were modeled after this one, including the London Bridge. 
Train engine in front. Restrooms in back.