Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Melk? Monastery? Not another church? That what I was thinking as we started out on our tour to Melk this morning. But, I can only say, I did a 360 as soon as we arrived at the Abbey.
Melk is a small town along the Danube of about 5,000. It’s name of fame is its 900+ years old abbey which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
At first Melk Abbey was a royal palace but in 1089 in became a Benedictine monastery. After a fire destroyed the original one,the present abbey was rebuilt in the early 1700s in baroque style. It was beautiful, very big, and very ornate. Some of the rooms we visited were for visiting royalty like Emperess Maria Teresa. Today it is also a prestigious school with over 700 students as well as continuing as an abbey with black-robed Benedictine monks.
The Abbey Church was even more impressive then the abbey itself. There was so much gold in it with lots of windows near the dome which made the gold stand out even more.
There was also a garden next to the Abbey Church with a pavilion that was beautifully decorated in baroque style. It was a cafe.
This afternoon we cruised through the Wachau Valley from Melk to Durnstein which is noted for its picturesque ruined castles, medieval towns and terraced vineyards. 
Everyone in our group was busy taking pictures and enjoying the sights except for Frank.
At four we arrived a Durnstein which is a small town of about 900 with beautiful old houses dating from the 1400 and 1500s. On top of the hill was the ruins of a castle in which Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in 1192. With Lauren leading the pack, Sharon, Malcolm, Judy, Frank and I treked to the top. The Danube takes a bend and it was neat to see it from this viewpoint. By the time I was done my fit bit showed over 13,700 steps. I was an over achiever today!
Tonight we were treated to an Austrian themed dinner with a three piece Austrian polka band providing the proper atmosphere. The meal was a huge buffet with all kinds if Bavarian dishes. My favorites were the Austrian beer and a freshly baked soft pretzels.
exposure?