When it came down to it, I was totally fascinated by the town of Saal an der Donau, located right on the banks of the Danube River — as its name suggests.
There’s something to be said for walking the same ground as not just the Celts, Romans, and even Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — but Neanderthal Man as well.
Ok, ok, ok, that was a wee bit out of order in terms of who was here when, but they obviously knew a good thing when they saw it.
Too bad there isn’t anything from as far back as Neanderthal Man, the Celts, and Romans — but there’s stuff here back when Goethe was here. Just think, this famous German writer could have been standing in the very same spot staring at the Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque architecture of the St. Sebastian Church as you.
As there are some fifteen villages to Saal an der Donau, you’ll find just about that many churches to see. Why churches? Because where else will you see late Gothic architecture, like the Pfarrkirche (Parish Church) in places like Obersaal?
However, not being one to spend anymore time indoors than necessary in Lower Bavaria, I gotta tell you about biking along the Danube Bike Path (Donauradweg) — a wonderful way of experiencing both the town and river. And both the Abensradweg and Esperbachtalradweg are two other routes to see the wonders that await.
You should consider yourself exceptionally lucky if you’re in town for the annual Palm Sunday Procession. Townsfolk and clergy perform the Passion of Christ carrying flags, crosses, and even statues through town as people line the streets to see it all. It’s a totally different vibe from its World War II days when a sub-camp of the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp was located here.
Luckily today’s Saal (Danube) is a much brighter place to be. Come visit, I’ll meet you here. ;-)
