A Day in Freising

After departing the boat at Passau, we took the train to Freising, a small university town just 30 minutes from the Munich airport. An old medieval market town, the Catholic Church was established in the 8th century. We were able to drop our bags at the hotel and explore the town.

It was Saturday, and the market square was full of vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables, cheeses and meat, and hand made crafts. Because we arrived just after noon, the vendors along the Marienplatz were closing up and clearing the square. It seems that this town of  47,000 closes for business on Saturday afternoon. We were able to grab a bite to eat at the Hofbrauhaus, established in 1160.

For dinner, we walked up the hill to the Weihenstephan Brewery. Established in 1040, it is the oldest operating Brewery in the world. Now part of the local university, the Brewery still brews and distributes beer. Students help while learning the Brewing arts. Many of the students go on to enter the profession, either in Brewing or producing products and innovations for the industry. The Brewery operates a restaurant outside the production brewery adjacent to the university. We sat in the beer garden and watched the sun set in the valley below.

The oldest mention of breweries in the area dates back to 825. At one time there were 18 breweries, with only 3000 in habitants. Part of the early trade in the area was in locally grown Hallertau hops. This is a very good beer town.

Tomorrow is a quick taxi ride to the airport and a fond farewell to Germany, Austria, and the Danube. Photos are posted on Flickr, https://flickr.com/photos/22583315@N08/sets/72157682901999470