along the city wall,
and along the very quaint streets.
The tour took us by the monastery,
We hiked part way up the hill for better views.
The Durnstein Castle, at the top of the hill, has one major claim to fame. Richard the Lion Heart of England was held captive here by King Leopold V, Duke of Austria. The ransom paid by England for the release of Richard was enough to build several towns in Austria.
The Durnstein Castle, at the top of the hill, has one major claim to fame. Richard the Lion Heart of England was held captive here by King Leopold V, Duke of Austria. The ransom paid by England for the release of Richard was enough to build several towns in Austria.
The area is well known for apricots so we stopped at the
local bakery and had apricot strudel…very very good.
There was a very small church...
with a small cemetery filled with flowers.
We wandered around the grape vineyards that ran along the river front.
Nearby was a ferry landing with a very small ferry that could transfer people and bikes (but not much else) to the other side of the river.
As sailed off down the river we had great views of the pretty little town with the castle ruins high on the hill.
We also saw an interesting statue of King Richard the Lionhearted and his minstrel, who helped locate him by wandering the countryside singing a song that he and Richard used to sing together. When he reached this castle and sang the song, he could hear Richard singing with him.
Shortly after we headed out it was announced that we would have a barbecue lunch on the sun deck. It was pretty hot up there in the sun…it has been hot all week. But many went topside to enjoy lunch under the umbrellas.
We cruised most of the afternoon and were seeing a few more towns and castle ruins along the river than we had seen in the first week.
Nearby was a ferry landing with a very small ferry that could transfer people and bikes (but not much else) to the other side of the river.
As sailed off down the river we had great views of the pretty little town with the castle ruins high on the hill.
We also saw an interesting statue of King Richard the Lionhearted and his minstrel, who helped locate him by wandering the countryside singing a song that he and Richard used to sing together. When he reached this castle and sang the song, he could hear Richard singing with him.
Shortly after we headed out it was announced that we would have a barbecue lunch on the sun deck. It was pretty hot up there in the sun…it has been hot all week. But many went topside to enjoy lunch under the umbrellas.
We cruised most of the afternoon and were seeing a few more towns and castle ruins along the river than we had seen in the first week.
We arrived in Melk, Austria in the late afternoon and
promptly boarded buses to go up the hill to the Melk Abbey. The Baroque Abbey
sits high over the Danube and is really massive.
The current Benedictine abbey buildings date from the early 1700’s. It is an active abbey with about 31 monks. No photos were allowed inside the buildings or the church but fortunately we could take pictures of the exterior...and it was beautiful.
This is the entrance to the complex.
and the central courtyard.
The only interior shot we got was of the grand stairs that led up to some of the interior rooms.
They have a massive active library that is available for researchers and the monks of the abbey. This is the exterior of the Library wing.
and the almost matching wing on the opposite side of the abbey.
The church interior (again no photos) was spectacular with gilt and murals and marble. But the detailing over the exterior reflected the opulence of the interior.
The current Benedictine abbey buildings date from the early 1700’s. It is an active abbey with about 31 monks. No photos were allowed inside the buildings or the church but fortunately we could take pictures of the exterior...and it was beautiful.
This is the entrance to the complex.
and the central courtyard.
The only interior shot we got was of the grand stairs that led up to some of the interior rooms.
They have a massive active library that is available for researchers and the monks of the abbey. This is the exterior of the Library wing.
The church interior (again no photos) was spectacular with gilt and murals and marble. But the detailing over the exterior reflected the opulence of the interior.
The terrace gave great views over the neighboring town and the countryside beyond.
We walked back to the boat through town at the base of the abbey's hill...
and then managed to get slightly lost. We weren’t late getting back but we certainly put in a lot of steps.
and then managed to get slightly lost. We weren’t late getting back but we certainly put in a lot of steps.
After dinner entertainment was a string trio…one guitar and
two violins. Very good.
Then it was a massive packing marathon as tomorrow we trade
ships. Because of the ongoing drought to the west of us the water is now too shallow for us to go any farther upstream. Fortunately, AmaWaterways has another an identical ship on the other side of the low spot that can't come any farther downstream. So all of the passengers on both ships will swap ships. A packing annoyance but nothing terrible.
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