Germany 05: Regensburg

Saturday, February 1, 2025

My last day in Germany was far more relaxing and laid-back than the previous few days. I was finally able to sleep in and have a lazy morning at the hotel. I was taking an overnight bus this evening, so I had to get all of my bags packed before setting out this morning. I left my bags at reception when I checked out and now I was finally going to explore Regensburg itself. I had spent several nights in the city, but had not done a bit of sightseeing yet.

I had one final breakfast of butter pretzels and coffee after leaving the hotel – I would miss the pretzels so much once I left Germany! As I walked around Regensburg, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. It’s a nice enough city, but, like Ingolstadt, there is not much to do in the city itself.

The city center is quite pretty, with St Peter Cathedral dominating the central area. I was able to go inside, where I found more Christmas trees still on display, nestled against the pillars. The stained glass windows were the best part of the cathedral because they had such bright, vibrant colors. I then walked over to the Steinerne Brücke (old stone bridge), which spans the Danube River. The views of the city from the bridge were very nice. One end of the bridge had a charming gate with a clock tower.

I wanted to have one final German meal before leaving, so I walked through the town center a bit more in search of a good bier hall. Along the way, I found several pretty buildings and statues here and there. I eventually settled on eating at the Hofbräuhaus, a staple of Bavarian dining. I was quickly seated and ordered a half portion of the pork knuckle with Knödel. It was delicious and the perfect last meal in Germany. The waitress, however, was very rude, especially when she wanted me to pay. I had not yet finished eating, but she came over and put the check down on the table for me to pay since her shift was ending, which was understandable. I told her I wanted to pay via credit card and she was exasperated that I didn’t have cash to pay for the meal (signs on the door clearly indicated they accepted card payment). She rolled her eyes and gruffly told me to follow her over to the till. Once there, she pulled out the card machine and I was able to easily pay for the meal. Her attitude about the entire thing came from nowhere.

As it was getting late in the day, I decided to walk back to the hotel so I could collect my bags. I then walked back to the train station, where my FlixBus would be departing this evening. I got to the bus stop early and began to wonder if I was at the wrong location when it failed to arrive on time. The bus finally showed up about ten minutes later, thankfully. I had pre-booked my seats, paying slightly more to have two seats next together so I wouldn’t have to sit next to anyone else. When I got to my seats at the front of the top level of the bus, a man was sitting in my seats, but he politely moved once I arrived.

The bus set off for the overnight journey to Amsterdam. I settled into my seats, put on some relaxing music and drifted off to sleep as much as possible for the duration of the journey.