The boat docked and we boarded the bus to do a whistlestop tour around some villages in the Wachau Valley of Lower Austria. This scenic region 80 km northwest of Vienna extends 33 km along both banks of the Danube River. On the left (north/east) bank reside Spitz, Dürnstein and Krems. Opposite on the right (south/west) bank the larger town of Melk dominates with its baroque Abbey. The brochure describes Wachau as follows “Wachau has been dubbed by some as 'the Tuscany of Austria'. Its sculpted and harmonious landscapes resemble works of art, shaped by both man and nature. Find yourself captivated by the beauty of this countryside with its wonderfully preserved villages, castles, compact farms with prominent roofs, orchards in bloom, its roads, forests and, especially, its prestigious hand-built vineyard terraces. Johann Strauss lived in
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