At 10:00 we left for Melk Abbey. When I think of old abbeys, I think of austere, cold, and dark places. WRONG! This place was over the top Baroque from the get go. They had an exhibit that traced the Benedictine order's life here from the early 12th century to the present day. Originally built as a fortress, the first monks arrived at the abbey in 1089. The abbey is said to contain a piece of the cross and the remains of St. Koloman. Throughout the tour, Monika, our local guide pointed out artifacts from the history of the abbey.
The view from one of the balconies was spectacular. ( I am running out of superlatives and adjectives to describe what we are seeing.
Perhaps the most impressive room was the library with its collection 100,000 volumes and 1800 manuscripts. Unfortunately, previous visitors couldn't obey the rules about no flashes, and we weren't allowed any pictures.
The sanctuary is just over the top with gold, but beautiful.
We went back to the ship around noon and had a delicious lunch. It was a Grießnockerlsuppe, Country Sandwich (a whole wheat baguette with bacon, onions, tomatoes, and gratinated cheese), and Donauwelle ( a cherry sponge cake).
Then we set sail through the lush green Wachau Valley. It was just breathtaking and provide views of castles, vineyards and villages with their churches. Along the way it was time for a Bloody Mary Bar!
About 4:00 we docked in Dürnstein, a charming village on the Donau and took a walk into the town. There were so many shops selling apricot flavored "you name it." There was liquer, "rabbit shit," a kind of chocolate that looks like little turds, which has a drop of the apricot in the melody.
One of the most interesting places was the cemetery with its gorgeous flowers and ostuary. Not nearly as big as the catacombs in Paris, the collection of bones was impressive.
Back to the boat to get ready for the Inner Circle party - champagne, canapés, and a free drink - make mine a piña colada. Then dinner that was based on movie star themes. The waiters were all in sparkling vests and in a jolly mood. We have a waiter who delights in taking care of us and always takes us to his tables. Dinner tonight was a shrimp and apple cocktail (I started eating before taking the picture), Corn chowder with Virginia Ham and honey, and tiramisu for dessert.
During dinner as we were sailing, castles and hills made amazing photos.
After dinner we went up to the sun deck (make that moon) to watch the sunset. Just a bit later we started going through a lock. I have never been through one where the ships are side by side instead of front to back. It took nearly a half hour to go through.
Time to call it a night.
No comments:
Post a Comment