Regensburg

Stone Bridge

Regensburg was founded by the Romans, the castle on the Regan (and Danube), in the second century. It became a rich town since they built a stone bridge in 1100, the only bridge across the Danube for two centuries. St. Peter's Cathedral was built in slices east to west. It took 60 years to build the first 2/3rds, another 150 years to build about 2/3rds of the front façade and then work stopped for three centuries The church was finished by the Bavarian king in 1880. Nearby were several patrician houses, which today are student housing. The tall tower of one house now acts as a wifi hotspot.

Streets of Regensburg

We wandered to the Thurn & Taxi palace and encountered a festival. Then went in the castle to see St.Emmerams' Basilica and the Treasure Chamber and Carriage House (no pictures allowed). The carriage museum had one of the largest collection of carriages in Europe.

Festival outside Thurn &Taxi Palace

That evening we were entertained by the Shanty Choir Regensburg.

German versus US education

We started our day with a lecture on the German Education system by a teacher who also taught in the US. Since each of Germany's 16 states are different, this is specific to Bavaria. She captured our attention with the following differences with the US system:

·            Home schooling is illegal
· To graduate from high school (gymnasium) you must know 2 other languages
·  92% of 3 year olds are in preschool
·  Only ½ as many students have a post-secondary degree
·  Religious education is mandatory
·  All education is free of charge, including to foreign students

There elementary education is four years and then based on grades and maturity, one of four types of education is chosen. A gymnasium education is eight years and prepares you for university. The Realschule is for administrative and white color jobs. The Mittleschule is for trade jobs, six years of schooling, followed by alternating trade school and internships. One could start in gymnasium and it is easy to step down to the other schools, but difficult to go the other way. There is little adult education. The 4^th type of schooling is one school that is a combination of the three, this was the system in East Germany. There is another school system for the handicapped with a much lower student/teacher ratio. The school year is 190 days with longer holiday breaks and only 6 weeks in summer. School is 8 till 1, with 2 to 3 hours of homework daily. Each year there is a one week school trip, paid for by the school. Subjects are taught in 45 or 90 minute periods. Class size is typically 24 students. Each subject will have 1 or 2 exams per semester. Schools don't sponsor music, drama, or sports teams there are clubs for these, not associated with the school. No school buses, students arrive by public transportation or a free taxi ride if transportation is unavailable.