Down here in Krems

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Melk - What an incredible town - truely just like something out of a storybook - Benedictine Monestry I have video and heaps of photos of this magnificent building that was first started around 1000bc.. People devoted the whole of their lifetimes in constructing it and sadly never got to see the end result that we get today... Totally marvelled at the precision of every line, sphere, curves etc... No modern tooling, yet perfection and meticulous workmanship that has been built to stand for many more centuries....

You note that all of these fabulous structures are perched atop of the steepest locations, great for detering invaders, but really crap for tourist access (Talk about bad forward planning - they should have given us some consideration when they started these things 1000 years ago)....

Out of Melk down stream to Krems.... Took another detour... Up to the Aggstein ruins... 2km of busted arse road (Some one at Vic Roads must have been commisioned to build this one).... the climb was a 20degree incline, pushing the bike most of the way - temp 32degrees.. this is the first time I have really felt some leg ache....

The task was worth every moment.... Views are breathtaking extending down the Danube in both directions.... One of the 15th century owners Scheck Von Wold added a gruesome chapter to the history of this castle... It is said that he hung a heavy cable across the river and extracted tolls from the ships travelling through.... He also made the captors leap from the cliffs.... This ruin comes complete with an 8 metre strarvation pit (he also has a chapel) WTF?????

Moved on down stream through the Winery area's but the heat was beginning to take it's toll on me... Instead I found a Voondabah swimming pool along side the Danube river at Durnstein... It is a public holiday here and the warm weather has brought out all the locals (FABULOUS).... The pool even has ducks swimming around with the kids...

I'll down load some photos - Suemay & I are heading on down to Tuln

(Yeah Rossco - thanks for your comments).. Sorry I haven't yet turned gay.... Angelica, Sylvia, Suemay, Ingrid & Àrnica have also been great company amoungst far too many others (male and female) that I can mention....

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