Melk to Krems - June 17

June 17

After breakfast in our little apartment behind the shoe shop we all headed up the hill to have a look at Melk's claim to fame, the Stift Melk, a huge Benedictine abbey that dominates the town from the top of a hill.

Melk with its famous abbey dominating the skyline.

The abbey viewed from peasant level.

Stift means donation, and apparently the abbey was a donation from Leopold II in 1089. The place is huge, ornate and dripping with wealth. We paid our money and went through the section set up for tourists and it was all very professionally done.

Tracey takes time out to examine the beautifully preserved library, complete with hand illumnated manuscripts.

The spiral staircase was typical of the abbey's ornate decoration.

The chapel dripped with gilt.

We then had a coffee in the huge and beautiful garden pavilion and had a wander through the English-style gardens before hitting the road for Krems.

Walking in the abbey gardens.

Coffee in the garden pavilion.

The section of the Danube from Melk to Krems is reputed to be the most beautiful and interesting, and we did ride through some beautiful old towns. At Durnstein we encountered hordes of tourists, including a boatload of Aussies. They were there for good reason as Durnstein is a gem, the highlight for us being the climb up to the ruins of an ancient fortress where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in 1192.

The castle where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned viewed from the the town of Durnstein.

Rod and I made the climb up to the ruins and ran into a group of friendly US tourists at the top.

The view from the castle ruins is not too bad either (Rod's Nikon).

The view (my Fuji)

We rode on to Krems and checked the Tourist Information office for accommodation options. We procrastinated too long, and ended up in an on-site van at the camp ground with Rod in his tent.