Blogs from Lower Austria, Austria, Europe - page 3

A visit today to Melk Abbey (a Benedictine Abbey) which sits atop a cliff, where below two Rivers flow into the Danube. The abbey was founded in 1089 and given to the Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. A monastic school, the Stiftsgymnasium Melk, was founded in the 12th century, and the monastic library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection. Today's Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736 - the abbey church with frescos and the library with countless medieval manuscripts, including a famed collection of musical manuscripts and frescos. The school was returned to the abbey after the Second World War and now caters for nearly 900 pupils of both sexes. After visiting the Abbey we wandered through the cobble stones streets of Melk on the way back to the ship. A lovely ... read more

Gestern bin ich also mit dem Auto von Linz nach Sift Melk gefahren. Dort waren insbesondere der Marmorsaal, die Bibliothek und die Klosterkirche besonders interessant. Danach bin ich zurück und auf dem Weg noch zum ehemaligen Konzentrationslager Mauthausen. Im Anschluss daran bin ich in den Voorten von Linz an den Stahlwerken vorbei gefahren, die der Stadt den Namen Stahlstadt eingebracht haben. Trotzdem ist Linz sehr sehenswert und war ja auch Europäische Kulturhauptstadt 2009. Abends habe ich dann noch gut gegessen und World of Warcraft gespielt. Gegen 22:00 gab es dann noch eine Art Feuerwerk am Donauufer, von dem ich aber vorher nichts erfahren habe.... read more

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 ... read more

Oh, Austria! The birthplace of Mozart, Hitler, and Schwarzenegger just to name a few. With its magnificent views of the Alps and a deep cultural love for dogs, who are all very well-behaved and are allowed in most public places such as grocery stores, restaurants, trains and other areas where you normally wouldn't see pets. Kebabs, cigarettes, and coffee were the other weaknesses of the local community. Being at the crossroads of Europe, Austria has a long history of being a multicultural country. It has one of the highest standards of living and statistically is much safer, compared to its neighbors. We arrived in Vienna in mid-February. It was still fairly cold outside, with snow covering most of the ground like a blanket. Coat, gloves, and a hat were a necessity. We were picked up at ... 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