With all our bags packed our cabins empty we set off after
breakfast by bus to Melk Abbey. It is a
900 year old baroque abbey perched on sheer cliffs high above the Danube. It was rebuilt during the 18th
century after the original building was destroyed by fire. It has a stunning library which houses a wide
range of medieval manuscripts. We were
taken on a tour of the imperial rooms which now are home to a museum
chronicling the Abbey’s history from the beginning right through to now. It is still a working Abbey with monks and
also a secondary college with about 1000 students who are taught by the
monks. The final room is the Abbey’s
church which is a kaleidoscope of red, orange and gold. It has a magnificent carved pulpit and
shimmering ceiling frescoes. Truly
breathtaking.
As we left the Abbey it began to rain quite heavily. We were then bussed to Vienna in the pouring
rain. It took about 1 ½ hours to get
there.
By the time we were getting off the bus the rain cleared up and it was hot and sunny again.
That evening the Viking company shouted everyone a trip to a Mozart & Strauss concert at the beautiful Winter Palace of the Habsburgs.
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