Brigitta finished out tour by walking us just outside the Cathedral.

She shared that the black plague killed lots of people but also resulted in people being quarantined to their homes. A doctor would come around once a day in full protection gear to pass bread and water through the windows using a ten foot pole. Supposedly that’s where “I wouldn’t touch that with a ten foot pole” came from.

Also, they would occasionally mistake someone for dead and bury them. During that time they would reuse caskets so when they dug them up they occasionally find that the person had been buried alive and had tried to get out. They began putting a bell on the person’s hand and foot and would monitor the bells for 3 days before burying them assuming they didn’t ring for 3 days they were dead. That’s where saved by the bell originated from.

We had the best day with Brigitta. Her husband had come to pick her up and we stayed and chatted with them for a long time. Their daughter is living in Phoenix temporarily as a professor. Her husband is retired but worked as a global sales person for a large company here. When we said we were from Kentucky he said oh yes. It’s beautiful there. Lots of rolling hills, white fences and horses.

If we ever come back to Passau I’d love to track her down and hire her for the day to show us around again.

We had some free time so we walked along the Inn River which runs from Switzerland and meets the Danube.

Now it’s time to catch the bus back to the ship. Time for lunch!