MILK AND CREAM...OR AS THEY SAY IN AUSTRIA, MELK AND KREMS

This morning, after going through more locks, we docked n Melk, Austria. We toured the 900 year old baroque Melk Abbey, perched on a high cliff above the Danube. This is a massive abbey that has 30 monks. It is also used as a school. We toured the beautiful imperial rooms, which are now a museum showling the history of the abbey. It was rebuilt in the 18th century after a fire. The painted spiral staircase is amazing and the gardens were beautiful. Both Tom and I could feel the peacefulness as we walked the gardens, listening to the birds, and smelling the lilacs and wisteria in all their glory. This was one of the highlights for me.
After a traditional Austrian lunch of Bratwurst on the barbecue, Vienna sausage, European wieners, and just about any kind of sausage you think might be found here, we headed back down the Danube. The next 2 hours were absolutely breathtaking as we sailed through the Wachau Valley, the heart of Austria's wine country. We passed castle after castle, vineyards and stunning green hills, all while sipping complimentary apricot wine spritzers. The sun was shining and it just could not have been any better. So very grateful. We are now docked in Krems until midnight, when we leave for Vienna.....stay tuned
P.s. the last picture is the ruins of the castle Durnstein, where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned.