Tuesday, November 11, 2008

We spent the afternoon cruising along a scenic stretch of the river to Linz. Peter described the tradition of tossing coins to a statue of a saint who watches over bridges, and told the legend of the mermaid of the Danube, who protects fishermen in times of flood (but occasionally lures away their sons). The jacuzzi on the sun deck was wonderfully hot, though people who stayed wrapped up in their coats, hats, and scarves against the cold breeze couldn't believe that those of us in swimsuits were as toasty warm as we said we were!

We had only a short time in Linz, but Mike and I walked a few blocks into town to see the plague column. Such monuments were built in many cities by people grateful to have survived plagues, floods, wars, and other calamities.

One of my friends once showed me a travel album containing photos he'd taken on one of his trips of interesting doors. I remembered his door collection as we traveled from town to town, seeing architecture of different historic periods and design styles, and snapped a few photos of doors that caught my eye.

Saint's shrine	Lounging in the jacuzzi as the scenery rolls by	Mermaid statue
The water was so hot, getting out in the breeze felt good!	Plague column in Linz	Door in Regensburg
Ornate wooden door, Passau	Elaborate stone carving, Passau	Plague door, Passau (note the little door within the door, useful for passing items in and out)
Entrance to dining room, Melk Abbey