The stone watchman sits gazing towards the cathedral in Regensburg, keeping an eye on its progress.

The legend goes:

There was a competition between the bridge maker and the cathedral maker on who would finish first. The Devil heard of this and approached the bridge maker. In exchange for the soul of the first to cross the completed bridge, he would help the bridge maker finish first. The bridge maker accepted the deal. However, being a bridge maker, it was his duty to be the first across the bridge to show that it wouldn’t fall apart. Some years later the day finally came, the bridge was finished, well before the cathedral. So there the bridge maker stood, looking at his new masterpiece as it gracefully spanned the mighty Danube, remembering his deal with the Devil. Now, The bridge maker was no stupid man and had no intention of giving his soul to the Devil. He took off his hat and through it across the bridge; his dog quickly running after it, the first to cross the bridge…

Regensburg is a cool city that I’ve visited a few times now, as it is only about an hour away, and has really good pizza! The city itself was spared “remodeling” during the war, so unlike Nürnberg or Berlin, the city center is pretty much in original condition, and even includes the remains of old Roman walls from the 2nd century.