Regensburg Cathedral, Old Stone Bridge, and The Danube River: Regensburg

This weekend we made a trip to historic Regensburg, Germany, which is the oldest city on the Danube River.

Well first, we stopped for coffee.  Evan always drinks "baby coffee" (hot chocolate) so that he can be just like mom and dad.

We originally set off for Regensburg to check out IKEA.  Apparently, we are trying to go to every IKEA in Europe.  Once we were there, though, we remembered that we had to do some exploring because Andy had researched Regensburg and it's very famous.  One reason it is so famous is this huge and gorgeous church, Regensburg Cathedral, which is dedicated to St. Peter. 

The church was built in the year 700 and the details of the structure are truly amazing.

The carvings outside are amazing, filled with angels and saints.  We have seen a few beautiful churches in Germany now, but hadn't yet had the opportunity to go inside of one.  We tried in Nurnberg, and although we couldn't understand that German words being spoken to us, it was very clear that we could not come in with the children's helium balloons.  I'm not taking 2 little boys' balloons away, so we opted out.  In Regensburg, we were balloon-free, so we went inside.

The inside was breath-taking.  We have never been in a cathedral like this before and I was amazed.  There were huge stained glass windows.  There were beautiful altars, and there were even people inside praying.

The part that most amazed me inside the cathedral were these giant organ pipes!  The picture does not do justice to the size of them.  The organ pipes were so massive, Andy and I were convinced that should music come out of them, it could probably be heard throughout the whole city, if not all of Germany!

Evan most enjoyed the statue with the sword inside the cathedral; he loves weapons.

After exploring inside the cathedral, we headed back outside to look for the Old Stone Bridge.  We weren't really sure which way to go because the church was in the center of a big marktplatz (market place).  We kept turning down little alleys because Andy said, "These roads are heading down, and the water is going to be down the hill."

He was right.  We found the Danube River and the Old Stone Bridge!  I was very surprised that you could walk right to the edge and fall in if you weren't paying attention.  I didn't get as close as my boys did; I'm such a baby! 

Seeing the Old Stone Bridge was really amazing because it was built in medieval times and it is still in perfect condition!  It really perpetuates the cliche, "They don't make things like they used to!"

The view from the bridge was really beautiful, too.  You could see the cathedral and all the multi-colored German buildings, which I just love.  It is literally like stepping back in time in most of these cities.

We walked over the bridge and down by the water.  There were a lot of people, but it was still very peaceful.

I was brave enough here to sit on the edge by the water for a picture with Evan, but only because the water was really shallow!

After sitting by the water for a few minutes, we decided to head back.  Andy was sure we would never be able to find our car because we walked through a labyrinth of shops and alleys. 

Walking back through the alleys, I looked up and saw a huge David and Goliath painted on a building.  I find it interesting that there are so many paintings right on buildings, even on houses.  Sometimes they are of people, but sometimes they are just design elements.  It's not something you really see in the states.

While heading back, we made our usual stop for gelato.  I think it's already the start of a tradition for us.  Evan had smurf gelato.  I think it was supposed to be cotton candy flavored, but I have to say it does not compare to UDF!  It's so cheap though, and we love our gelato!

Also on the way back to the car, I saw this amazing door!  I knew we were headed in the right direction, because I had actually taken the picture on the way towards the cathedral.  If you have been reading my blog, you already know that I am becoming obsessed with the doors of Germany.  The craftsmanship is real art!  Some of these doors should be in galleries.  We quickly found the car after seeing this door (I like to think I have a great sense of direction!) and headed home.  We thought we would stop at a market on the way home and pick up something for dinner.  However, we found a McDonald's with a slide, so we went there.  Perhaps that is becoming a tradition for us as well.  German towns, Italian ice cream, and American fast food!