Blogs from Melk, Lower Austria, Austria, Europe - page 2

We woke today to a very cold and foggy morning. It reminded me of a morning in Canberra - some fog and you need to rug up on your way to work or school. In Austria, however, that weather was all day. We were even able to stare directly into the sun without it hurting our eyes. After breakfast we went into the hotel lobby to wait our ride to the bus, where our tour would begin. Months ago we booked an all day tour to the Danube Valley (located in the north-east of Lower Austria). Tours run throughout the year, but they change it up a bit in winter, compared to the summer months. The starting point was actually only about a ten minute walk from our hotel, but considering we had already organised to ... read more

Day 6 – Melk Abbey and cruise through the Danube’s Wachau Valley Today we docked and were transported by coach up to the Benedictine Melk Abbey where we were given a guided tour. It is the largest in Austria and was constructed in the early 1700s. I used the GoPro to video the tour and I'm not sure if I'll be able to post that somewhere. But that'd be like watching someone else's family vacation home movies or slide show huh!? Could be boring if you weren't part of it! “Melk’s restored abbey, beaming proudly over the Danube Valley, is one of Europe’s great sights. Established as a fortified Benedictine abbey in the 11th century, it was later destroyed by fire (what you see today is 18th- century Baroque). Architect Jakob Prandtauer made the building one ... read more

It was worth the wait. After hunkering down the night before dodging driving rain, lightening storms, snow and the odd flying lawn chair; this morning we woke up to a calm serene blanket of snow. We waited until noon for most of the snow to melt off and had one of our best days riding through the Alps! Up and down mountain roads , through quaint villages and lush meadows I couldn't stop smiling.... read more

Geo: 48.2341, 15.3316A town population of 5,000 near the end of the Wachau Valley. The 10th© home of the Babenberg family, the original rulers of Austria.... read more

Geo: 48.2271, 15.3296We are staying in the small town of Emmersdorf, which is directly opposite the town of Melk, which has the world famous Melk Abbey as it's key attraction. From our balcony, we have a clear view of the Abbey. Melk Abbey financed it's complete renovation in 1997 through sale of it's original Gutenburg Bible to Harvard University.Last night we drove to a small Austrian town in the hills and had authentic Austrian cuisine. We were literally the only people in the restaurant who could speak any English. Today we caught the Schiff (Ship) from Emmersdorf to Krems down the Danube River, a distance of some forty kilometres down the Wachau Valley. The Wachau is the section of the river where all of the River Cruise scenes of lofty disused castles are taken. We passed ... read more