Sep 17 - Melk, Austria

The two dames in the courtyard at Melk Abbey

This morning we reached the beautiful Wachau Valley.  There are thousands of acres of vineyards along the shores of the Danube.  We passed many small towns and villages, churches and castles, and so many vineyards reaching from the shore of the river up the hillsides.

This town is called Weißenkirchen, meaning ‘white church’; in the photo below you can just see the white spire in front of  the church which gave the town its name.

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If you look closely at the photo below (maybe tap the photo twice to enlarge it ) you will see the vineyards up the hillside. There are a couple of rows of vines with blue plastic around them - these are the vines that have been chosen to make ice wine.

At the end of the Wachau Valley is the Melk Abbey We had a tour of the Abbey booked this afternoon.  But once again, the walk to the bus to take us up to the Abbey was so far from where the ship docked, that by the time I reached that point I knew I would not be able to walk to the Abbey and then stand for more than an hour to do the tour.  It was another disappointing afternoon. 😢

I did manage to get some photos before the entrance, and Mary shared some inside where photography was allowed.

View of Melk Abbey from the parking area.

Looking out on the Danube from the terraces, and below, the town of Melk.

In spite of not being able to complete the tour, it was a good day for me, and Mary carried on with the group.

Now we are headed for Passau.

Love from The Travellers

❤️❤️❤️