It just can’t get any better than this! This was an unbelievable day and I thought yesterday was good! We woke up this morning around 6:30 just as we were docking in Durnstein. We had our regular breakfast and then headed out to explore Durnstein which is a small little village just down from where the boat docked. Durnstein is built in a hill and has all these little cobblestone streets with beautiful well kept homes and stores that are centuries old. Brian was quite excited as this was where one of the castles of “Richard The Lionheart” inhabited which overlooks the Danube River.
We had to get back to the ship for 10:15 as this was when all the passengers that had elected to ride a bike to Melk were meeting to head off for a Guided Bike Tour and Picnic; and the rest of the passengers and ship would be leaving at 10:30 to head towards Melk. It was a race to see whether the bikers or the ship would arrive there first. We were all given a bike, a helmet and a packed lunch and we headed off for our 33 kilometer bike ride. This bike ride was no comparison to the ones we did in Florida. Did I mention how phenomenal it was…….it was unbelievable! We went through all these little villages and towns which was nothing like I have ever seen before and scenery was breathtaking. We stopped in a little town along the way to have our lunch and wait for the ship to pass us by and when it did, all the passengers were on the top deck waving and cheering us on!
After our ship went by and we were waving goodbye, one of our fellow riders accidentally threw her camera over the edge right down onto the road as she was waving. Brian saved the day by running down onto a very busy highway and retrieved her camera. Unfortunately, the camera was damaged but at least she could retrieve the disc and won’t lose her pictures. She and her husband were very grateful to Brian for running down to get it and gave him a handshake, a hug and the promise of a beer later on!
After lunch and waving good-bye to the ship, we headed on our way and after about an hour, we stopped at a coffee-house/pub where we could order a beer, cappuccino, cafe latte, hot chocolate and of course all these drinks were loaded with whipped cream on top (except the beer)! I decided to try a Cappuccino which I have never had before. I did enjoy it but I don’t think I am a great fan of cappuccino with the exception of the delicious whipped cream on top!
After that, we had another 10 kilometers to go to get to where the ship docked and you won’t believe this but we BEAT THE SHIP!!! Of course, we didn’t let them live that one down.
Now if that wasn’t good enough, the best of the day was still to come. This afternoon we visited one of the most fabulous religious places I have EVER been – We were taken to the Melk Abbey where the Benedictine monks reside. We had a guided tour through this fabulous Monastery and learned so much about the Monks. At the end of the tour, we were taken into a place of silence – the Church Abbey itself and I cannot describe in words what it was like; not only was it a very spiritual place to be, the sculptures, the wall murals and architecture was breathtaking. We all sat in the church pews and exclusively to Scenic Tours, one of the housing Benedictine Monks played an organ recital for us. It was the perfect ending to an incredible day! I wish that Jenn and David could have seen this Church Abbey – I know the the Church of Our Lady in Guelph is beautiful itself but it pales in comparison to this Church! I could only imagine seeing Jenn walk down the aisle at this church! I also took a video of the inside of this church which I will post after I get home. If you remember, you will have to follow my blog at the end of our trip just to see this video. It turned out really well and shows the inside of the church much better than the pictures I took.
I wish I could put on more pictures but I am afraid I may not be able to Publish the post if I make it too big with pictures.
It was one fantastic day!
We are now on our way to Linz / Passau. Once we arrive at Linz in the morning, we disembark at 8:00 a.m. and our excursion choice for tomorrow is an all day trip to Salzburg where we will see the history of the Von Trapp family (The Sound of Music) and we have a 2 hour guided walking tour of Salzburg with an included lunch at St. Peter’s Restaurant, free time in Salzburg in the afternoon and then we meet up with the ship in Passau – our first port of call in the country of Germany! Just more to look forward to! Stay tuned for my updates tomorrow!!
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