On a river cruise you just never know what the day will bring. When you're travelling with friends it gets even more interesting.  
Our Tuesday morning looked a little bleak as we sat down to breakfast. The falling rain didn't bode well for the bike ride we had all been looking forward to. That's when Larry decided to lighten the mood and share with us a strange thing that had been happening to him frequently in the last few days. He often took a walk before breakfast through the town where we happened to be anchored. It seemed to him that he was being mistaken for a local. ownspeople would smile at him, nod their heads and call him Morgen often including his first name, Guten (Good Morning in German).  
Maybe it was the weather or perhaps we were all tired but it took us a few minutes to realize that he was just kidding us. From then on Shane kept calling him by his new name ..... at times getting a better response than when he called him Larry.
Anyway....this long rambling really does have something to do with our experience in Passau. 
After humming and hawing we all decided we weren't made of sugar and we should just go on the ride come rain or shine. Good choice as the rain stopped just before the 9:15 tour was about to take off. A delightful couple (husband and wife about our age) were our tour leaders and were very excited about the day's program. Pretty much the first thing she said was "Morgan, today you will see Passau's Cathedral Organ, the largest organ outside of the USA." I swear she was looking right at Larry! That set the tone and off we went. The first stop was across from the ship where our guides pointed out the height of the water during the flood last June, the worst flood in 500 years. Three rivers converge in Passau, the Ilz River, the Inn River and the Danube which is why this area suffered so much. Now the only reminder of the high water that we can see are water marks on the buildings. Again I am left wondering just how a city can recover so quickly from all that mud and debris left behind!
As we set off on wet roads we began to realize how dangerous it can be biking up (and down!) steep narrow passageways on cobblestones, not to mention hard on the body. On our way to the Cathedral we maneuvered our way through the old part of town after stopping to view some of the lovely Baroque buildings. St. Stephen's Cathedral is one of 52 churches in this city of only 50,000 inhabitants but is in a class of it's own. No darkness within this beautiful Church. The interior is white and gold with beautiful arches and lots of light..... and of course the famous organ with 17,974 pipes the smallest is only 6mm and the largest is 11 meters long weighing in at 306 kilos. Whew!
The bike / walking path along the Inn River takes you past the University which is, we are told, one of the best in Germany. It really is a lovely campus and what a location. Farther along our route we cross over a dam and find ourselves back in Austria. No passports needed! Such a lovely day to bike along the river eventually finding ourselves across from the city of Neuburg before heading back. Past the rolling farmland we come to the village of Ingling (with an interesting old farmhouse) then on to Innstadt before crossing a bridge in to Passau. Biking along the riverside we come to the place where the three rivers converge before finding the ship and giving our backsides a rest. All in all it was a wonderful ride on a beautiful day.
Back on the ship we make our way north to Vilshofen, our final destination on the cruise part of our journey. This funky little riverside town is known for it's beer and some pretty interesting statues. With no organized tours we were free to just wander and enjoy. I managed (finally) to find a nice cozy sweater, after two months I just felt like it was time for something different to wear. 
This is our last night on the ship and we celebrated by enjoying what they called Vilshofen Fest. Throughout the day tents had been erected, tables and chairs placed and a sound system installed dockside. After dinner we made a quick dash through the rain to find men in lederhosen playing oom pah pah music in this newly erected beer hall. The beer was good, the music was good and the company at our table was great. Fun way to end the day. Even after our long bike ride Ruth and Larry got up there to dance up a storm.  
So now it is our turn to say goodbye to the ship staff that we have appreciated so much. I must say that they were all very good on the AmaPrima. It's such a very difficult job working long hours all the while trying to make each guest's stay as perfect as they can. Tomorrow, as we work our way towards Prague, another group is coming to the ship to begin their journey south.