Day 12 of 18: Melk and Krems, Austria

I have fallen behind in my travel blog, but it's fortunately due to an activity-filled schedule. Today (Friday, July 28) started with our Viking ship docked in Melk, Austria. Set amid an important wine-growing region of picturesque villages and hilltop castles, the small city of Melk, Austria (population 5,000) lies at the confluence of the Danube and Melk Rivers at the base of the Wachau Valley. 

We met our guide Andrea at 8:45 am for a short bus ride to Melk Abbey, an imposing 900-year-old Benedictine abbey. Built in Italian baroque architecture, Melk Abbey overlooks the town from a hilltop location. This architectural treasure has 365 windows, one for each day of the year, and the views from its expansive balcony are stunning. 



Melk Abbey on the Danube

Historic drawing of Melk Abbey with one of the original towers in the background

View across the Danube from Melk Abbey balcony

The original Palace was founded in 996 by Babenberg family and given to Benedictine monks for a monastic school in 1089. The current Melk Abbey dates mostly from the 18th century (built 1700-1740), although two of its orignal towers date to 1089. The school and abbey were confiscated by the state in 1938 and returned after WWII. Aside from that interruption, the monastery has been active for 900 years; 24 monks live there today. The commuter (not boarding) school serves 900 middle and high school students. Admission is based on grades and costs just 100 euros per month to attend.

The Church at Melk Abbey is grandiose, as you might expect. We did not take a formal tour of the church, with extensive artwork, crypts and symbolism throughout.

Exterior of Church at Melk Abbey

Interior of Church at Melk Abbey

The Abbey's beautiful library remains important to the Benedictine monks, with 116,000 volumes in 12 rooms. The collection covers topics such as theology, history, law, astronomy, geography, medicine and more. The library also houses priceless medieval manuscripts and frescoes by Paul Troger. Unfortunately, photography inside is not allowed, so I grabbed one off Google. We did get a few photos of the Abbey's meticulously kept grounds and gardens.

Melk Abbey Library

Entry to Melk Abbey grounds and forest trail

Abbey gardens and view of old town Melk below




From Melk Abbey, we walked back through old town Melk and then to the ship, following directions from Program Director David to go "over the river and through the woods." It might have been challenging to find our way, but the aerial view from the Abbey made it easy to visualize. 

Melk, Austria

Melk, Austria

Back to the ship, view from Melk Abbey balcomy

The food on our Viking longship is exceptional, with a menu changing daily to match local cuisine. The portions are modest, which is good because we're not used to eating three full meals every day, including lunch & dinner desserts. But today I decided to skip lunch in order to fit in a run along the Danube. It was one of the most scenic runs I can remember, with locks, castles, churches and natural beauty along the river. Not a single road to cross and I only shared the perfectly manicured trail with other runners, walkers and a few bicycles. I ran 7.4 miles up and back on the Danube; I wanted to run further, but the ship was scheduled to leave at 1:45 pm for Krems, so I had to cut it short.

Google's interpretation of my run along the Danube

In the afternoon, the ship cruised through the spectacular Wachau Valley, with narration from our Program Director. Here are a few of the highlights: 

Swarovski family castle

Spitz Castle ruins 

Spitz Church w/ mirrored crucifix pattern that only appears with the right light conditions

Viking Aiger passing the other way on its way to Amsterdam

Weissenkirchen (White Church) in Der Wachau

Hilltop remnants of a 12th century fort where Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner (Durnstein)

Durnstein, Austria, with 12th century fort on the hilltop

Statue of Richard the Lionheart on the Danube in Durnstein

 

We arrived in Krems, Austria late-afternoon and took a self-guided tour around the town. We found the Karitkaturmuseum, which sounded interesting, filled with iconic political and cultural caricatures ("exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect" -- Yup!). Enjoy ...

Krems Karikaturmuseum

Miles Davis

The Queen

Putin

Austrian Marilyn Monroe

The Devil

That was a long, fun, active day. Next we cruise overnight to Vienna where we have two days of fun excursions planned (July 29-30).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 5 of 18: Koblenz and the Middle Rhine River

Image
We started our day docked in medieval Koblenz, Germany, heart of the Middle Rhine region, and made our way by bus to a walking tour of the nearby 13th century Marksburg Castle towering 500 feet over the river.  Viking Ve in Koblenz, Germany Marksburg Castle was the only Rhine fortress to have never been destroyed. Difficult to reach and built with strong fortifications, it was never besieged by enemies. The tour included the living quarters, kitchen, torture chamber and former prison cells, and a collection of life-size figurines detailing changes to armor and weaponry through the ages. Today, Marksburg Castle is home to the German Castles Association, which works to preserve medieval fortifications all over Germany. Guide Marc holding the key to Marksburg Castle Carriage entrance to Marksburg, inside outer walls Passing the 4th level of castle Marksburg fortification Marksburg cannon battery Wine cellar Marksburg kitchen Marksburg food pantry Marksburg castellan family living quar...
Read more

Day 7 of 18: Würzburg

Image
Today is day seven of our Viking Grand European Tour (Sunday 7/23). Würzburg is a university town in northern Bavaria and a jewel of baroque architecture. It is home to the former residence of the Würzburg prince-bishops, who wielded great power and wealth. The UNESCO-listed Bishops' Residenz is one of largest and most ornate palaces in Germany. The Würzburg Residence and Court Gardens Before visiting the sites, I enjoyed a 10k run through the Würzburg Ring Park, a 19th-century ring-shaped greenway featuring fountains, monuments and 220 species of trees. It spans the baroque old town, starting and ending at two historic bridges on the river Main. Würzburg  Ring Park Keith and I walked to the Würzburg Residenz to tour the Bishops' Residence and Court Garden. Würzburg Residenz was constructed over a 25-year period, beginning in 1719, with interior decoration finishing in 1780. Near the end of World War II, Würzburg was subject to a massive 17-minute allied bombing campaign that r...
Read more

Day 6 of 18: Miltenberg

Image
Today (Saturday, 7/22) our Viking ship wound its way along the narrow Main River, through numerous locks and low bridges in the Spessart region. This legend-rich forest area, 800 square miles of wooded hill country, is home of the actual Snow White. The Grimm brothers also used Spessart as the setting for many of their fairy tales, which locals insist were not all fiction. The Viking Ve upper deck was "flattened" to queeze under the bridges across the Main. The viewing terrace, putting green and shuffleboard court were all closed while the crew folded down the deck railings. Even the Captain's bridge was lowered into the vessel by hydraulic lift to ensure safe passage. Mid-afternoon, we docked in Freudenberg in preparation for a walking tour of nearby Miltenberg.   Viking Ve with its convertible top lowered Freudenberg, Germany Viking Ve in Freudenberg We took a short bus ride to Miltenberg, our first stop in Bavaria, known for its half-timbered houses and Germany’s oldes...
Read more