We woke up today having arrived in the town of Melk after cruising the Danube for most of the night. Today's itinerary included a walk through the town of Melk where a local produce market was in operation. It was interesting to see the range of food on offer and how it was presented which was a little different to how we would normally see it.

The main event was the visit to the Melk Abbey. The abbey is over a thousand years old and continues to this day to be home to about 30 Benedictine monks. The abbey also houses a school run by the monks. The highlight was the church. So much opulence. By far the most impressive church we have seen. The decoration was designed to display what heaven was like. The photos don't do it justice.

After lunch on board we cruised down the river through the Wauchau Valley. The valley is very picturesque and the scenery includes a number of castles or ruins. The gallery shows some of them.

Next on the agenda was a visit to town of Durnstein. In Durnstein a local farmer/botanist has been working on reviving the growing of saffron which had ceased over two hundred years ago. He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the growth and use of saffron. He provided samples of a number of products containing saffron including chocolate.

Following the workshop, Nicole and I walked into the township of Durnstein. The town is very pretty, probably the nicest town we have visited. We sampled some local produce which was very good. The local produce is largely based on the locally grown apricots. We bought some dried apricots that have been coated in chocolate. They are to die for. There are some photos that show the town.

We leave Durnstein later tonight and sail on to Vienna for the next 36 hours.