Durnstein & Melk
A misty early morning is usually a good sign on the river at this time of the year and so it proved today with near perfect late summer conditions: dry, still conditions and warm sunshine. After breakfast we walked from the ship along the riverbank to the town gate of Durnstein to start our walking tour. The town still has its mediaeval walls, stretching high up the dramatic limestone hillsides to the castle that housed the hapless Richard the Lionheart who was imprisoned here for ransom on his return from the crusades. Richard was tracked down by his faithful servant Blondel who recognized his master's voice from a snatch of regal song. The little town has a distinctly rural feel. It is surrounded with vineyards and the famous apricot orchards of the Wachau valley. Its former convent is now a hotel and the former Augustinian monastery houses an elementary school. The monastic church, a highlight of our tour, is a celebrated example of the rococo style characteristic of the later Counter-Reformation in this part of the world, dramatically painted in blue and white. For today's tranquillity belies a conflicted past: the King of Sweden was in the field of battle near here for the Protestant cause and the Russian General Barclay fought here on the Austrian side against Napoleon two centuries later.
After sampling a few 'Drunken Apricots' - apricots preserved in schnaps - we retired to the local heurige to sample the local Grüner Veltliner wine before re-embarking River Cloud to head upstream for Melk. In idyllic conditions we sipped sturm on deck with onion tart - a traditional combination, and a perfect appetizer for lunch.
The Benedictine Abbey was the object of our afternoon port of call. Founded in the Middle Ages by an Irish monk, Colman, the abbey soon adopted the Rule of Benedict and has observed it faithfully through the centuries. Early in the fifteenth century, the Melk Reform demonstrated that the church could reform itself. Today Melk Abbey is celebrated for its high school, specializing in science and the performing arts. We toured its well-planned museum and gazed in awe at the old library before entering the abbey church for an organ recital by one of the monks. Many walked back to the ship through the small market town, some having first viewed the abbey's formal garden with their famous row of vintage linden trees some 250 years old. Arriving back at the ship in time for a spectacular sunset, the Captain spoke to us at Recap about the low level of water in the river, the down side to our week of sunshine. Alternative plans were outlined and everyone appeared satisfied that little would be lost under the new arrangements.
A misty early morning is usually a good sign on the river at this time of the year and so it proved today with near perfect late summer conditions: dry, still conditions and warm sunshine. After breakfast we walked from the ship along the riverbank to the town gate of Durnstein to start our walking tour. The town still has its mediaeval walls, stretching high up the dramatic limestone hillsides to the castle that housed the hapless Richard the Lionheart who was imprisoned here for ransom on his return from the crusades. Richard was tracked down by his faithful servant Blondel who recognized his master's voice from a snatch of regal song. The little town has a distinctly rural feel. It is surrounded with vineyards and the famous apricot orchards of the Wachau valley. Its former convent is now a hotel and the former Augustinian monastery houses an elementary school. The monastic church, a highlight of our tour, is a celebrated example of the rococo style characteristic of the later Counter-Reformation in this part of the world, dramatically painted in blue and white. For today's tranquillity belies a conflicted past: the King of Sweden was in the field of battle near here for the Protestant cause and the Russian General Barclay fought here on the Austrian side against Napoleon two centuries later.
After sampling a few 'Drunken Apricots' - apricots preserved in schnaps - we retired to the local heurige to sample the local Grüner Veltliner wine before re-embarking River Cloud to head upstream for Melk. In idyllic conditions we sipped sturm on deck with onion tart - a traditional combination, and a perfect appetizer for lunch.
The Benedictine Abbey was the object of our afternoon port of call. Founded in the Middle Ages by an Irish monk, Colman, the abbey soon adopted the Rule of Benedict and has observed it faithfully through the centuries. Early in the fifteenth century, the Melk Reform demonstrated that the church could reform itself. Today Melk Abbey is celebrated for its high school, specializing in science and the performing arts. We toured its well-planned museum and gazed in awe at the old library before entering the abbey church for an organ recital by one of the monks. Many walked back to the ship through the small market town, some having first viewed the abbey's formal garden with their famous row of vintage linden trees some 250 years old. Arriving back at the ship in time for a spectacular sunset, the Captain spoke to us at Recap about the low level of water in the river, the down side to our week of sunshine. Alternative plans were outlined and everyone appeared satisfied that little would be lost under the new arrangements.
