Guten tag!

At 8 o'clock this morning we were in Croatia. By noon we were on a train travelling to Passau in Germany. Our flight from Split was very good and we had no problems finding the bus from the airport to Freising where we boarded the train. But first we had to figure out how to buy a Bayern Ticket - which we found at the airport. This ticket allows unlimited travel for 24 hours on any bus or regional train in Bavaria. Cost for two people is 26 euros which is a super deal. We will buy another ticket tomorrow when we take the train to Regensburg. Wow - the contrast between the two countries is phenomenal. There is such a huge difference between the have and have-not countries. Here in Passau it is very obvious what a booming economy is in Germany. It seems a very consumer driven society from a quick impression as there are shops, shops, shops everywhere. In contrast the shops in Croatia dealing mainly with selling to the tourists - just a different economic base I suppose. So interesting to be here this evening after where we were this morning -- culture shock, really! Croatia reminds us a bit of Portugal in its landscape of olive groves, oranges and lemons. Even the houses and apartments share a similar architecture. Large tracts of land are seemingly left untended which often makes the are look more depressed than it may really be. As we travelled past the German countryside on the train it was very well maintained and used extensively for agriculture with nothing really left barren. Very green and lush. What we did not see in Croatia was a North American-type food franchise which are already in full view here in Germany. So Croatia hasn't yet been spoiled in that regard. Germany, in contrast, has many such fast food places which makes you feel not quite as removed culturally (as perhaps you would like to be in a foreign country). Just an observation. At any rate, we are here. We are looking forward to our next biking adventure. We went down to the harbour by the Danube today so we know where our boat will be docking and how far it is from our hotel (very close luckily). German skills are very poor so noticing the language barrier already. Also seems our "tour guide/interpreter" who was so handy on the boat in Croatia didn't accompany us on this leg of the journey. Damn!! Tschuss!