Saturday, July 18th - Durnstein & Melk

We arrived in Durnstein just before 8 a.m.  We were up and had breakfast and then went for a quick tour of Durnstein on our own.  It is a very small town built on the hillside and the streets are narrow cobblestone and windy on the hillside.  There are lots of shops throughout the town but they didn't seem to have anything I wanted to buy.  The only real sight within the city was the Augustinian Convent from the 15th century .  It was rebuilt in the 18th century in the baroque style and it was quite nice.  The courtyard was large and the decorations around the doors were very ornate.  There was a service going on so you couldn't walk around the church itself so just had to view it from the back.  Basically the walls and columns and roof were white but there was a lot of gold decoration all around as well as paintings, sculptures and carvings.  The views of the Danube from the balcony was quite magnificent.

The ship was sailing at 10:45 and I had to make a quick decision on whether or not I was going to get onboard or whether I was going to cycle to the next port some 32 km away.  The ride was supposed to be along the river and there was a lovely path so it looked like a great ride.  However, the bikes were not quite what I was used to and the biggest problem was that I couldn't touch the ground.  That worried me in case we had to make some sudden stops so I decided to check with the guide.  He said stopping suddenly shouldn't be a problem but he also said that we would be on the road at times, which didn't excite me, and he also said that we would be going through some of the towns so we would be going up and down hills.  After Gillian catching me a few times as I attempted to stop the bike (not so gracefully I might add) and after some practice runs I decided to join the group.  So off we went as the ship sailed away.

Our route was indeed picturesque with vineyards up the hillsides and several small villages.  However, there were a lot more hills than I was used to and I don't actually use gears when I'm cycling in Kelowna so I was a bit lost on what gear I should be using.  Someone did tell me to gear down as I was fighting my way up one of the first hills ad eventually I did get in the swing of things and never once had to get off and walk my bike up any of the hills so I was impressed.  There were people walking their bikes and there were people behind me so that was also another plus.  But the group got so spread out that it was hard to know what the route was.  A couple of times I just had to stop and wait for those at the rear to catch up so the guide bringing up the rear could tell me which way to turn.

It was a beautiful sunny day but it was also very hot.  We started riding at 11 a.m. and it was already 38 degrees and it kept getting hotter.  Within an hour the group was too spread out to even function.  The folks at the front were having to stop and wait for us to catch up and the folks at the back who were barely surviving anyway never really got a break because as soon as they caught up the group took up again.  One of the ladies at the back just couldn't keep up so the decision was made to call a taxi to take her and her bicycle to our next port.  When the taxi arrived and it was a van, another lady and myself decided to also take advantage of the ride.  The rest of the gang was probably very relieved to get rid of us as they could then ride at a faster speed and not have to stop so many times and wait for us to catch up.  As it was, they just made it back to the boat at 3 p.m. as we were leaving on our next tour so they just went from one tour to another.

I should note that when the three of us in the taxi arrived at the port, our ship was just docking.  We waited a while and then put on our helmets and rode the last bit to the ship.  It worked because a couple of the waiters came out right away with wet cloths and drinks for us.  They thought we had been really fast since we were the only ones back but we did quickly admit that we quit and took the taxi ride for the last part.  We then had to wait in the shade for quite a while.  I guess employees are allowed to get on and off the ship before it is totally secured but passengers are not allowed to.  I was going to jump in the pool but by the time we finally got in there wasn't enough time to do anything other than shower and change clothes and head out for the next tour.

The Melk Abbey tour was great.  The Abbey is huge and it is high on a hill, over 130 feet above the river, so it looks very impressive with it;s white and yellow walls that look almost like gold in the sunlight.  Inside there is a huge courtyard that looks old and baroque except for a painting over each gateway and these were modern.  They could no longer accurately replicate what was there so they decided to just go modern.  While they were nice paintings they really just did not fit.  The tour took us through the Abbey library which is amazing with thousands of books, many of them old and in beautiful bookcases that go from floor to ceiling in wonderful dark wood.  We couldn't take pictures in this area which was too bad because it was one of the highlights.  The royal suites and hall are quite impressive but now show antiques and relics of an earlier time instead of the actual furnishings of the royal suites.  Maria Theresa stayed here three times, each time bringing an entourage of over 250 with her and all of them could be easily housed in the Abbey.  The Marble Hall is quite spectacular with its decorations and paintings.  The ceilings in a few of the rooms are elaborate paintings and the scale and dimensions are interesting.  They look like large curved ceilings leading to flat tops but in fact they are just flat ceilings painted to perspective - hard to explain but interesting to see.

The area was once a Roman stronghold - about 2,000 years ago.  In the 10th century the Duke Leoopold III of Babenberg gave the area and a small castle to the Benedictine monks who converted it to an abbey.  By 1106 they were given control of the town too.  Because of the riches in the area the Abbey became an important centre of learning.  Inn the early 18th century the Abbey was rebuilt.  The Church itself is absolutely beautiful with ornate decorations, sculptures, frescoes, decorations, columns,arches and high domes - the highest of which is 210 feet.  The whites and golds on the decorations and the dark woods make it an incredible sight.  I've seen it it before but it was still amazing to see again.  I should write more about it but it really is just beyond words so I don't know what else to say.

I walked from the Abbey back to the ship.  They said it would take about 25 minutes and it took 30 minutes with a few stops in some shops.  The stairs went down from the Abbey into the town of Melk and it was quite lovely with its cobblestone streets and its little shops all along the way.  You then crossed over a bridge across one of the canals and walked through a park back to the Danube where the ship was docked.  It was a lovely walk and sort of made up for the last part of the bike trip.

Once back at the trip it was time for a quick swim and then dinner - but we were late for dinner because we were approaching a lock and decided to stay and watch as we went through it since the other locks had all been at night.  It was amazing to see how well the captains could pilot their ships.  Our boat slid in beside another one and there wasn't a lot of room to spare.  It was amazing to see how fast the water and our ship rose, and then it was time to exit.  It's a very smooth and slick process and the captains obviously have their part down to a science.

We were almost an hour late for dinner but no problem.  We had our usual group of 7 and sat at the Captain's Table.  He wasn't there but the table was so we got the comfy chairs.  Dinner was great, as usual, but I had to leave to go watch the movie at 9 p.m.  Everyone else had seen it but I had not - or at least didn't remember it.  The movie was The Hundred Foot Journey and it was great.  The floor of the pool comes up to meet the regular floor and the screen goes at the end so it's a perfect location for a movie with comfy chairs and a bar right there.  Everyone gets their own headsets, which I decided was a good thing since the area is at the back of the ship and rather noisy when the engines are running.  

I finished the night with a short walk on the top level - short walk because it was raining.  I visited the captain for a while in his sheltered area and watched the lightning storm in the distance.  Then it was time for bed.