a good thing about Bavaria and other Regensburg, Germany General Tips

Favorite Thing: Regensburg has a great vareity of architecture and fantastic cobblestone streets to wander about but for me, I enjoy the truly authentic Bavarian people that frequent the timeless beer halls. They are a friendly lot and of course, the beer ain't half bad either.

Fondest Memory: Rain and Regensburg were once synonymous for me. My first visit was marred by not only dreadfully wet weather but also an unwilling travel partner who had grown weary of my infatuation with attempting to try every native beer in forebodingly equipped Germany. After an obligatory tour of the castle, which was surprisingly good, I found myself sloshing around solo in search of a beer nirvana that never came. It was a mercifully short afternoon that I was happy to escape from.

Needless to say any mention of returning to the city of rain drew little in the way of serious consideration from me. I had fallen in love with a fine German girl who extolled the great virtues of the Bavarian city but I could never muster any real desire to make the trek back until we moved to Munich, a mere two hours away by train. Though seeing the city under sunny blue skies was enticing, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t returning in part to quench my thirst of beers I had missed previously. We were ravenous from the dawn train trip but one good thing about Bavaria is you can always find something savory to eat and a beer to wash it down with no matter the hour. We stopped in an ancient looking eatery and ordered a plate of Regensburger (a local sausage) with a Thurn & Taxis Pils to tide us over until lunch. (continued below in FONDEST MEMORY)

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Fondest Memory: Pleasantly replenished we wandered the cobblestone streets, admiring wood-timbered architecture along with the Gothic cathedral. In no time we found ourselves crossing the river to a small island on which the Spital Brewery sits. Spital is a very old German word and refers to a hospital for poor people. It’s nice to see that the poor had such a grand view as the brewery’s scenic beer garden overlooks the river with the cathedral in the background. To top things off, the beer and food was excellent as well. We had the special of the day which consisted of pork in a creamy sauce over bread dumplings. It included a frothy mug of beer and soon we found ourselves harkening back to an earlier time while enjoying the enchanting city skyline.

There was still some exploring to do so we set off again on foot and found ourselves on charming winding streets that opened into vast and empty squares lined with a myriad of store facades from another era. Much as the rain drove me indoors on my first visit, the intense summer sun drove us to seek refuge in another beer garden. It would have been easy enough to return to Spital but we ventured across town and up hill from the train station to the Kneitinger Brewery. It was a big leafy area with lots of locals enjoying the products of their fine city to the fullest. It was unfortunate that we found it nearly impossible to be served but eventually got a couple liters of the dunkles beer I so coveted. We decided to grab some food as we’d have a long trip back to Munich soon enough and ordered up a couple plates of cold roast beef. When the massive plates arrived, we remembered that outside of Munich, these meals are quite a bargain and that one would have easily sufficed. Regardless we dug in with gusto. Between the lax service and our huge snack, we had to nearly run back to the train station. We just made our train, with the train literally pulling out of the station the second we stepped on board. (continued below in FONDEST MEMORY)

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Fondest Memory: A few months later while planning another excursion in Bavaria I remembered having seen a banner at the Kneitinger beer garden proudly advertising a bock beer festival that was coming up. After some research I sorted when it would be and we planned a trip to a Monastery very near Regensburg. It would be a bit of a logistical nightmare but an adventure just the same. We hoped an early train from Munich for Regensburg easy enough. From there, we had to jump on a bus to Kelheim where we caught a boat to the riverside religious enclave. It was quite scenic and a beautiful autumn day. The monastery itself was well situated on a bend in the river and over the top in the typical Bavarian Baroque style but the real attraction here was also a shady beer garden and the monk’s tasty dark bock beer and homemade white cheese. It was a divine combination that was cut too short by the necessity to catch the boat back. (concluded below in FONDEST MEMORY)

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Fondest Memory: The final leg on the bus was tedious in reverse and we were happy to find ourselves on the familiar trek uphill to Kneitinger on landing in Regensburg. The beer garden was closed for the season but the bustling from inside was easily heard on our approach. We entered to find a packed house. After a vain attempt to unearth a seat, we backed into a corner stand-up table, hoping to be served a beer. We were told shortly that you had to be seated to be served for this special tapping. We explained there were no seats and that we’d come a long way for the event. He took us around to look for a seat and a couple locals offered to squeeze us in at their table. They were a friendly lot and one of them spoke some English so I got to wax philosophical about my beery adventures, of which he was impressed. We waited quite some time before they tapped the special bock beer to signal in the autumn season. It soon arrived, a dark beauty with a dense tan head. It was a heavenly mix of malt and hops that puts the Oktoberfest beers of Munich to shame. We were in need of some food if we were to consume much of this liquid wonder and were happy when our prayers were answered in the form of a smoky ham with boiled potatoes. It was a simple meal but well suited to the dark marvel of a beer it accompanied. After a few more beers and laughs with our comrades, it was time to catch the train back to Munich. We motioned for the waiter to pay up and were astonished to find the food was free for this special occasion, and that the beer was not only superb but surprisingly cheap. We bided adieu to our new friends and found ourselves rushing to the train once again. I guess a lot has changed for me when it comes to Regensburg. My first trip, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Every time since, I’ve not had enough time. And I can’t wait to go back.

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