The Devil is in the Details

This is a back-blip, and I confess that I can't really remember what I did on this day beyond what is suggested by the picture, which is crossing the stone bridge to go down to the river. So I'll share a legend instead.

In the picture is a statue of a man looking out towards the cathedral - it's said to represent the builder of the bridge, who according to legend had a bet with the builder of the cathedral over who would be finished first. In order to win, the bridge builder decided to make a pact with the devil - he would make sure that the bridge was finished first, but in return he wanted the first three souls that crossed the completed bridge.

So of course, with the help of the devil, the bridge was completed first. There's a statue of a falling man on the cathedral which supposedly represents it's builder, who the legend says threw himself off of it in shame. When the time came for the bridge builder to pay his debt however, he had a trick up his sleeve - before any person could walk across the finished bridge he sent out a rooster, a hen and a dog.

It is said that in his rage, the devil tried to destroy the bridge - he failed, but that is why the bridge is bent. So the angry devil dove down into the water and created the Regensburg Danube "Strudel" or whirlpools, strong underwater currents dangerous to anyone that might try to swim under the bridge.

To this day you can see the statue of the builder looking out towards the cathedral, to see if it is complete.