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Day Eleven - Passau, Germany

We had arrived in Passau early this morning just before breakfast.

View from cabin on ship of old wall where Danube and Ilk Rivers merge

At 9:00 a.m. we had to attend a talk on disembarkation procedures since we would be leaving the ship tomorrow morning. We then left the ship at 9:30 a.m. for a walking tour of Passau. Once again our local guide was superb.

Ihn River which flows into the Danube here at Passau

Old fortress wall

Street scene in Passau, Germany

Street scene in Passau
Old town hall in Passau

Side of old town hall in Passau

Bells in bell tower of old town hall

Side of old town hall showing height of historic floods

Signs pointing to various tourist sights

These cobblestones are painted to indicate it is the art district of Passau

Former Bishop's residence in Passa

The tour ended at 11:00 a.m. in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral where we were given our tickets for the noon organ recital.

Front of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Passau (top half)

One of the spires of St. Stephen's Cathedral

The other spire of St. Stephen's Cathedral

I walked around some more of the town since we wouldn’t be able to enter for the recital until 11:30 a.m.

Street in Passau
Street scene in Passau

Another church in Passau, Germany

Another street scene in Passau

Once we were inside we were able to get great seats for listening to the organ recital which lasted a half hour and was marvelous. Organist was Brigitte Frucht. Following the concert we were given a tour of the inside of the church.

Chancel of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau

Altar in St. Stephen's Cathedral depicting the stoning of Stephen
Ceiling above center aisle in St. Stephen's

Top of a pillar in St. Stephen's Cathedral

Pulpit in St. Stephen's Cathedral

Most of the main organ in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau

Choir organ on side of chancel in St. Stephen's Cathedral

The tour of St. Stephen's Cathedral ended with us being taken up to the organ loft and see the main organ up close. After all the hoping, wishing and praying I had done to have a chance to play this organ (the largest in Europe) I received much more than I had ever anticipated. The assistant organist who was giving us a demonstration of the organ had been tipped off and a the end of his presentation he played an improvisation of “Happy Birthday” for me and then invited me to play the organ. In anticipation of hopefully having such an opportunity I had come prepared with some music and my organ shoes. I was able to play two pieces on this magnificent organ. What a great thrill! The highlight of the trip for me. {Waiting for someone to send me pictures they took of me playing the organ.}

Following all of this, Darwin and I found a nice outdoor café where we each had a glass of wine before heading back to the ship.

Cafe where we had a glass of wine along the Danube

Flower garden next to the cafe

We arrived back on board just in time for me to go the rehearsal of the choir followed by a presentation by the “maestros.” It was a lecture recital on music from Schubert to Schoenberg.

Our final evening on the Savor began with the Captain’s Farewell Reception followed by the Chef’s Signature Dinner. It was the one meal where everyone had to be seated at the same time as the wait staff presented each course of the set menu accompanied by a lot of wine.

After dinner there were a few songs bung by some of the staff followed by a talent show by some of the guests. When folks were asking me if I was participating in the talent show my reply was that my participation was playing the organ earlier in the afternoon.

Before going to bed we had to pack our luggage as it needed to be put out in the corridor by 7:30 a.m. the next morning – sort of a sad way to end another marvelous day.

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