May in Regensburg / Mai in Regensburg

We saw a parade on May Day after all. It wasn't a lederhosen and May tree parade, but the other kind of May Day celebration for International Workers' Day. We heard drums outside first thing on Friday morning and raced out to see what was happening. A protest march, several groups protesting various things ranging from the lack of fair pay to a call to remove mandatory military service to an opposition against capitalism (while drinking McDonald's coffee!). The drummers were flashy and loud and they marched S-L-O-W-L-Y and so it seemed like an event rather than a chance encounter with several groups of protesters.

Later in the afternoon we came across many of these groups in one of the main squares downtown where protesting had turned into a street fair with information tables, a stage with loud bands rockin' out, lots of food and drink, a bouncy castle and an absolutely brilliant make-shift slide made out of conveyor belt rollers. Nikolas spent about half an hour listening to the music, clapping at the end of every song, and then spent another half an hour on the conveyor belt slide. He tried out the bouncy castle, but the big kids on it were too big and wild for his liking.

Other highlights of the weekend included beautiful weather, good food, a boat ride on the Danube, flying paper airplanes in front of the Dom (the cathedral built between 1200 and 1300), playing in a great playground hidden among amazing and ancient buildings, and lots and lots of ice cream! You can see more photos from the weekend here or in the photo albums in the side bar.