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If you believe in folklore Dürnstein is the place in Austria for you to visit. It’s a small village located about thirty kilometers west of Vienna on the Danube in what is called the Wachau valley. It was here in 1192 that King Richard the Lion-Heart was imprisoned in the castle of Kuenringer. Legend has it that the King was discovered when he recognized the voice of his minstrel aide singing a merry tune on his way to Vienna while in search of his master. For me the city conjures up visions of Robin Hood, Prince John and Maid Marion. Robin Hood is Errol Flynn and not Kevin Costner. I don’t care what went on behind closed doors in Sherwood Forest, Errol Flynn is Robin Hood. Besides the only tight pants Kevin Costner looks good in are the baseball trousers he wore in “Love of the Game”.
Yesterday we took the train to Krems a small town in the heart of the regions wine country and historically one of Austria’s most important trade centers. Its charm is in the Gothic towers and the Italian Renaissance architecture. We used nearly every mode of ground transportation on our trip to the
Wachau valley. We were a little late getting started because I tried to slice my finger instead of the bread and was very successful. Wiping the blood off the entire kitchen took some time. We missed the nine o’clock train so we had coffee in the Ubahn station and waited until the ten o’clock. Passing through the countryside along the Danube on the one hour journey to Krems was again delightful. Scenes of farm tractors and other field equipment and laborers always impress me how hard some people have to work for a living.
We arrived in Krems and spent two hours strolling around this picturesque little village. Because April is a little early for the tourist trade it’s pretty quiet. The innerstadt, old city, is like most in Europe a time warp that forces people to slow down. It’s great therapy. We stepped into a restaurant near the old town entrance gate for a bite of lunch and as in most places the waiter immediately brought Joey a dish of water. Another scene unlikely to ever be witnessed in America was of the cleaning lady, shoes off, stepping onto a chair with people quietly dining next to her
as she watered the plants.
Nancy had knoblau suppe, garlic soup, and I enjoyed my favorite gulasch soup mit (with) semmel. A semmel is a small round piece of fresh bread that is only served in Europe much to my dismay. We then took a walk up a hundred or so steps to a thousand year old church and on the way a motorist stopped his car in the middle of the tiny one lane road, jumped out with the door open and the motor running. He ran to us and in rapid but flawless English said, “That is the most beautiful animal I have ever seen.” He went on to ask about our little beast and shower compliments upon him. This is an incident that seems to happen in one form or another on a daily basis. Our man-child Doberman is fast becoming the talk of Vienna.
From Krems we took a ten-minute bus ride through the vineyards to our eventual destination of Dürnstein. It is still too early for the grapes to be in bloom but the sight of row after row of vines on flat land next to the water and up every hillside is
evidence of the regions lifeblood. The single lane-winding road cuts through villages with farmers busy with their daily chores. It’s really enlightening to see the activity while visualizing what the fruits of labor will bring in a few months.
We found our favorite village pretty much closed down. Not a single restaurant or shop was open save for one. The town was nearly deserted except for a carpenter or two putting last minute touches to establishments that in one month will be host to hundreds of tourists per day. We found one wine shop open and spent nearly an hour tasting wine, liquor and schnapps while kibitzing with the delightful owner. It turns out his shop was new had been the former post office. Because tasting wine is so much more delightful than licking stamps, we stayed as long as we could and left with two bottles of liquor we couldn’t find in America in a thousand years.
The bus service is erratic this time of year so we opted for a taxi back to Krems. A talkative local lady, running Gabby’s Taxi Service, which only seemed fitting, hustled us back in ten minutes, never stopping her chatter
until after we arrived. No problem with Joey, she just hauled out a blanket from the trunk, plunked it down on the back seat and off we went.
The train ride back to Vienna was uneventful with the only change being rabbits, pheasant and an occasional deer replacing the workers in the fields. Once back in the city we took the Ubahn to one of our favorite local restaurants for a relaxing two-hour dinner. Once again Joey was gazed at, petted and treated like a celebrity. Nancy made the mistake of ordering too much, again, and I for once chose a simple lamb dish that was marvelous .
We drove back to the apartment, having borrowed a car from one of our players. Johannes Wimmer is a handsome, bright and friendly kid who has visited us in Oregon more than once. Like all our Vienna friends he is more than willing to lend a hand or a car or a bed whenever appropriate. We will need his car tomorrow to pick up friends arriving from Portland.
It was a full day but again one of delight. Joey and I crashed almost immediately after arriving home. Nancy took
a call from here mother in Medford and finished her day with a thirty-minute sauna. Just another ho-hum romantic day in the life of the Smythe’s. Oh my.
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