We woke up in the lovely Wachau Valley surrounded by one of the most beautiful regions in Austria. A riot of Fall colours embrace the hillsides with their terraced vineyards and apricot orchards. The ship had docked at the village of Durnstein which our "Daily Cruiser" newsletter described as "the Pearl of the Wachau". In this case I had to agree. What a stunning setting. Not only is the village quaint and steeped in history it has a castle you can climb up to for beautiful views down the valley.  
So, after breakfast we joined the "Active Walker's" group and followed the Red Lollypop in to town. It was a short walk on a gentle incline along the river bank before we began the steps up to town. Our first stop was outside the Shipping Master's house where flood levels have been recorded over the years. In June, 2013, the river rose 10 meters flooding the vineyards and orchards as well as the road we had just walked on and the buildings on the lower level. Apparently these buildings were mostly used to store wine which apparently survived the rinse cycle intact. The town, however, had quite the clean up on their hands. With only 936 residents and hundreds of tourists waiting to visit they had to work quickly to bring the riverside back in to working order. Fortunately the main part of the town is quite a hike above the water and was not effected. However, with the riverside road out of commission there was only one narrow street for through traffic to use. With the road barely wide enough for one car it meant a lot of backing up and maneuvering to get where you wanted to go. The residents are hoping to get some kind of a stop light system to use when the next flood happens. Really that is their only option. Placing a levee to protect the road would be extremely expensive and would probably result in the loss of tourism dollars. Face it, we do like to see those pretty towns along the water, not concrete or metal abutments.
But enough of the flooding... lets get back to the town! What a delightful place, the kind you imagine when you dream about floating along a river in Europe. Bright and cheerful with the ruins of Durnstein Castle clinging to the rocks 159 meters above the town. The castle is linked to the Crusades and to Richard the Lionheart who was held prisoner here in 1192. Apparently he made some remark that Duke Leopold V of Austria took offence to. Or, another version of the story says that the Duke thought King Richard ordered the murder of his cousin in Jerusalem which I suppose would probably make him more angry than an insult. Which ever version you believe it is amazing to climb up to this craggy ruin and imagine the view King Richard saw each day. He was reportedly smitten with a local lady who brought him food and made his stay there much more enjoyable I'm sure. So many rumours! King Richard was known to be quite the romantic.... he was married to one woman while engaged to another and, a year later, imprisoned in Durnstein. Whatever the truth is nothing can take away from the romance of this beautiful part of the world.
It was kind of sad to hike down the hill back to the ship. This little village would be lovely to spend time in. If possible I would come back here to spend a few days getting lost on day hikes when the tourists are in town, enjoying the quaint town in the mornings and evenings.
While I made myself cozy on the upper deck in the sun, Shane got in to his biking gear and joined the bike tour to Melk. Thirty kilometres along the winding river with one ferry crossing and lots to look at. The Wachau Valley really is quite beautiful. I was originally booked to go on the ride but was put off by the guide who said it was quite strenuous and my asthma has been an issue. I really should have listened to my instincts. The road was almost flat with only a couple of small hills.... I would have been just fine.
Staying on the ship wasn't all bad though. There is something magical about drifting along in the Fall sunshine watching this part of the world go by. I took pictures of Shane taking pictures of me all while sitting with my feet up. Ahhhhhh.
We arrived in Melk at the same time as the bike tour. Exhausted, Shane decided to shower and rest. I got on the bus to follow yet another lollypop to Melk Abbey.  
For over 900 years monks have lived and worked in Melk Abbey, an important spiritual and cultural centre in Austria for over 1000 years. It seems that in this part of the world, if you have a lot of money, you find a hillside with stunning views and build whatever it is you want to build right there on top. The Benedictines built one of the world's most famous monastic sites, Melk Abbey, in just such a location. In all fairness credit should be given to Leopold II who actually gave Melk, one of his (many) castles, to the monks so that they could found a school there in 1089. As with many such sites it has had it's share of reconstruction with the impressive building you see today completed in 1736. The tour is really a journey through the stages of this historic site. Empress Maria Theresa enjoyed the peacefulness of this lovely setting and the first thing you see as you enter is a long hallway with adjoining rooms built to accommodate her traveling entourage. Then you wander through a series of rooms going through the story of the monks, the history of the Abbey then you enter an ostentatious display of gold used by the priests (on a side note... we were told the church is the house of God and therefore had to be much more palatial than the house of a ruler on earth.... hence the golden artifacts from chalices to heavy woven robes). Next to the room of gold are two curious artifacts. One is a multiple lock mechanism on a box for valuables, very old and still in working order, the other is a reusable casket. Yep, you read that right. The abbey changed leadership with the new abbot declaring austerity to be the new norm. So, why not save a tree and invent a casket with a trap door. The body was placed inside, prayers said, then discretely dropped in a grave to be buried later. The casket was removed, brushed off and ready for the next unfortunate occupant. Quite a switch from the treasure room!
At the end of the hallway you enter a lovely hall with doors that open on to a terrace and a breathtaking view of the valley. It's a setting that would inspire learning and peaceful contemplation. Apparently it worked as there were, and continue to be, a number of scholars studying here. The library, where no pictures were allowed, consists of twelve rooms containing about 1,888 manuscripts, some from the 15th century and many hand written. Ancient works that cover not only the bible but astronomy, geography and of course history and law. There is globe of the world which is one of the first created when, finally, scholars agreed the world was round. Unfortunately Canada's land mass is not well represented looking more like a blob around the great lakes with ice above. Oh well, not much has changed really.
Then you step foot in the Church itself. Talk about gold! As we entered the sun was shining directly on the pulpit which gave the place an otherworldly look. Not to mention the choir practicing their heavenly praises in perfect harmony. A lovely way to end our tour.
This perfect day is not over yet. After dinner we were entertained (and I was enthralled) by a trio of classical musicians, La Strada. With two violins and a classical guitar these three made their own arrangements of the classics and even gypsy music. Not only were they very engaging they were extremely talented and entertained us for over an hour. This made up for missing the concert in the huge concert hall in Vienna. In the intimacy of the ship's lounge the music could carry us away.... and so it did.