The Danube gets bigger

Passau is a city of 50,000 where the Big D is joined by the Inn  river coming in from the South, the Swiss alps.  And by the Ilz a smaller river from the North - the combined effect doubles the volume of the Danube.  It's the last city before Austria, has the biggest organ in the world (I think they cheat, it's actually 5 organs but they can all be played from one console).  As in every city (and town) we've been to, the church is the biggest thing around,

This church is remarkable for the baroque interior - more sculpture, painting, and assorted curlicues jammed in to the space than any than we've seen.  It's just so, so, well, so baroque.

6 weeks ago the town was flooded - the downtown area had water well up into the second stories.  Rather remarkable how much has been cleaned up since then (including fresh gravel on the unpaved parts PDF the bike paths).  Although, some locals that we talked with - still trying out my 40 year old German - told us that the non- tourist areas are still pretty messy.  Lots of work still being done repairing levees.  Mud extends up 15 feet into the trees above our tent this evening.

The morning was spent riding In a broad flat valley, a few kilometers wide, but then it narrowed so that the hills came right down to the rivers edge.  Real pretty.

Finally a bit cooler today and a thunderstorm followed by light rain this evening.

This morning, riding out of town, there was a temporary pedestrian bridge while the permanent one was repaired.  Bike riders required to dismount, and a couple very nice - but very firm - police officers giving traffic tickets to those who didn't dismount.

On to Austria tomorrow.