Travel: Wow Wachau!!!

..... a day of wonders and blessings...
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We have a 4-day UN weekend and I am HOME! The possibility of both occurring at the same time is verrryy rare. We planned to go to Venice  but the husband complained of painful corns and calluses that impede walking long distances. While I was somehow disappointed, I also welcomed a 4-day break at home. 

Saturday came. It was raining, it was gloomy. We were totally bored!! So at 7 AM, I was frantically searching the web for a possible day trip outside Vienna. Thank you GOD for the internet and several travel blogs that led us to the towns of Melk and Duernstein in the Wachau Valley area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site a few miles from Vienna.

We were off on the 9:18 train from Westbanhof to Melk availing of the combination ticket as described in one blog.

First stop - MELK. Of course, Melk is made famous by its impressive Abbey.

Stift Melk in all its grandiose

Melk Abbey or Stift Melk was originally a castle owned by Leopold II, Margrave of Austria. The impressive Baroque Benedictine abbey founded in 1089 stands majestic on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube.

The abbey tour takes you to the Kaisergang (Imperial Corridor and Abbey Museum) and the library which boasts of around 100,000 volumes of medieval manuscripts.  The marble hall features an impressive ceiling fresco by Paul Troger.

The grand finale of the tour is the magnificent, gold-accented church of the Abbey. Simply awesome!

Golden magnificence of the Church of the Abbey

Frescoed ceiling of the church which includes a depiction of St. Benedict's triumphal ascent to heaven

After the Abbey tour, a little sightseeing of the town and lunch, we proceeded to the ship station for our next stop - DUERNSTEIN.

The short cruise from Melk to Duernstein is an absolute wonder!! I stood on the boat, chilled to the bone, absolutely awed with the passing scenes. Allow me to wax spiritual here...the experience was so surreal that I uttered a prayer of thanks to the Maker for creating this beauty, this work of art - thanking HIM more for this opportunity!

Autumn is displayed in all its grandeur along the Wachau Valley - a colorful blanket of yellow, red and brown hues shrouds the area.

Breathtaking autumn hues....

Schloss Schönbühel along the banks of Danube

My camera just kept on clicking the whole time we were cruising - every angle is worth each megabyte of digitized memory!

Now, Dürnstein.

A view of Duernstein midway to the castle ruins

Dürnstein is a quaint, romantic little  town whose claim to fame is its terraced vineyards, the Wachauer Laberl - a semmel-like bread made by Backerei Schimdl - and the ruins of the castle,  where Richard the Lion Heart (King of England from 1189 to 1199) was imprisoned in 1193 .

According to its website, the name "Dürnstein" - in earlier days "Tirnstein" - originates from the rocky area, "dem dürren Stein", where the settlement was founded. Dürnstein has kept its historic character and is regarded as the most romantic place in the Wachau.

After partaking of its famous bread, we 'foolishly' went for a trek to the castle ruins. Completely reminiscent of our Ancient Thira experience in Santorini, we climbed a seemingly endless, sometimes perilous stone path! I was breathing heavily and perspiring despite the 2 deg C chill, silently cursing the gods of heights (if ever there is one) for another one of these (mis)adventures. And yes, the sights along the way may make one say 'it is worth it!'... unfortunately, I was too busy trying to breathe and stay alive, to have a full appreciation of my surroundings. Again, I am exaggerating because it was, indeed, worth it! :)

 Maybe around 300 steps up, the hubby started complaining of pain on his foot (thank GOD for corns and calluses!) and we stopped about 100 steps more to the topmost part of the ruins. We may have missed the prize but sometimes a second place-finish is not that bad! :)

The the ruins of castle where Richard the Lionheart, King of England, was imprisoned

It was definitely a day of wonders, a day of discovering the gems of our surrogate home...another 'together-moment' to be cherished for a lifetime.... and yes, it is a day of praise and thanksgiving to the ALMIGHTY for the beauty of nature - a true attestation of HIS grace and blessings!!!

Standing in awe of the surrounding beauty....

We have a 4-day UN weekend and I am HOME!! Rare occurence both.  We planned to go to Venice but the husband complained of a painful corn and callus that impede walking long distances. While I was somehow disappointed, I also welcomed a 4-day break at home.

Saturday came. It was raining, it was gloomy. We were totally bored! So at 7 AM, I was frantically searching for a possible day trip outside Vienna. Thank you GOD for the internet and several blogs that led us to the towns of Melk and Durstein in the Wachau Valley area.

We were off on the 9:18 train from Westbanhof to Melk taking the combination ticket as described in one blog.

Of course, the town of Melk is made famous by its very impressive Abbey  or Stift Melk in German.