To and in Passau

I am always in awe of the European train systems. They are efficient, clean, and always - it seems - on time. And Amtrak is none of those things.

We travelled through the Czech, Austrian, and German countrysides to get to Passau. Sometimes when I look out onto the countryside here in Europe, I think about all of those boys and men who lost their lives in wars that were fought here. So much blood has soaked into these lands. 

Once we go to Passau, we took the advice of the hostess, who said that many people enjoy the walk from the station to the pension. I’m guessing that they weren’t lugging 35+-lb suitcases (um, 45+, along with backpack and CPAP, thank you - Dan) along the cobblestone streets. But once we made it and looked out the window, the blood, sweat, and tears (okay - no blood) of our 1.8 km (was it only that?) walk were forgotten. (definitely a matter of opinion!  - Dan)

Say hello to the Danube.

Dan had made reservations at a restaurant at the top of the hill across the river, but to be perfectly honest, I was not interested in either that journey or the heavy Bavarian food that the restaurant offered, so Dan found a middle-eastern place that was easier to get to. He was gracious in waiting one more day for this weinerschnitzel or whatever meaty meal he’s after.

We saw this on the way home from our meal. It’s the place that we would have gone to if Dan hadn’t sacrificed for me. 

Dan here - Vicki focused on the positives of European train travel, and it really is wonderful. However, there was an incident today. Our car was full, and there were more suitcases than people. There is a small rack, in which larger bags should go. Then there are racks above seats for medium and small bags. However, no one from the train line was enforcing that, and some large suitcases ended up overhead. At one point, I was returning from the dining car and heard screaming. It turns out a large bag fell out of the rack onto a woman. It could have seriously injured her. In the U.S., there would have been a request for compensation at the least or a lawsuit at worse.