We had another early start today and woke up a little weary
from yesterday’s tours.
Today we had 2 stops the first was Melk in Austria. The first sight of Melk from the river is of
this awesome Melk Abbey. It is vast and
monumental and it’s hard to believe that this was designed as a retreat for
Benedictine monks who were sworn to poverty and a simple life. The Abbey epitomizes the ebullient confidence
and extravagance of the Baroque style.
We were starting to get the ABC syndrome (not Another Bloody
Church) but on arrival at the Abbey we were completely awestruck. The sheer size of the place is unbelievable
and as we toured thru the royal visitors chambers which had been converted to a
museum we were very impressed with the renovations/restorations. The marble room which was used as a dining
room for VIPs was absolutely incredible – the frescoes giving the 3D effect to
the vaulted ceiling, the marble and the most interesting the fancy irongrate in
the middle of the floor where a stove was underneath to send up warm air for
Royal who sat at the table.
Fascinating!!!
The Library is still a functioning library and I was even
more awestruck by the thousands and thousands of leatherbound ancient books,
covering all science and history of the times.
They are all beautifully preserved in a magnificent setting and
historians and scholars can apply to come to the library to study the books.
From the Library it was onto the Church itself. Once again I thought I had seen it all but
every one seems to offer something different.
This one was spectacular without being OTT as some others have been.
The whole complex is huge and now houses the monastery, a
primary school for 900 students, a museum and admin offices and many other
buildings which I have no idea what they are used for.
From the Abbey we walked down to the town (naturally all the
Abbey and Palaces etc are on top of huge hills) and wandered the streets where I
managed to do a little retail therapy again.
From the small town we wandered over the bridge, thru the forest and
back to the ship.
The ship sailed just before lunch and we sailed the Wachau-Paradise Valley.
This is the highlight of the Danube
cruise with a valley 30 miles long and is known for its unique combination of
rugged wildness and more homely features.
It’s a landscape where vineyards and orchards are picturesquely set
below steep, craggy hillsides jutting out above verdant forests. Add a few adroitly placed ruined castles,
romantic chapels and quaint villages, and the picture becomes irrestibly
charming.
After cruising and another huge lunch we stopped at
Durnstein. Durnstein is a picturesque
village at the foot of craggy mountain with castle ruins (Kuenringerburg)at the
top. The castle was built in the late 12th century and was seriously damaged by Swedish troops
in 1645 during the Thirty Years’ War and then allowed to crumble into complete
disrepair. This castle was where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in
1192-93 after being captured during his return from the Third Crusade.
Alan walked/climbed to the castle and I elected to wander
the cobblestoned streets and visited the many little stores where they sell
apricot schnapps, apricot liquer and everything you could possibly make out of
apricots, with lots of samples. I
arrived back at the boat feeling rather mellow after all that alcohol and Alan
arrived back all hot and sweaty but said the view was worth it and the walk
back had lots of markers with the historical data on them so we both enjoyed
our time in Durnstein. Magnificent views from the castle of the town and the valley with the Danube meandering through it.
A nice hot shower and a cold wine and Alan was fully recovered.
A nice hot shower and a cold wine and Alan was fully recovered.
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