Today we wake up in Austria and dock in Melk. After breakfast we disembark for a tour of the Melk Abbey. The abbey started out as a residence for the Babenberg family but since 1089 it has been a Bendectine Monastery. There are still 30 monks living and practicing in the monastery and it is also the campus of a school where the students study ancient languages.
After the tour we can make our own way back to the ship via the cute little old town of Melk. Back on the ship it is an early lunch and then we set sail for Durnstein through the Wachau Valley. the valley has picturesque scenery of vineyards little villages and castles.
Durnstein is gorgeous. First we have a guided walking tour and then we trek to the castle ruins.Quite a steep walk but the view is amazing and it is the castle where Richard The Lionhearted was held to ransom as a prisoner in 1193 by Leopold V.
With our free time the boys head off to the pub and Liz and I wander the gorgeous little shopping strip. It is mostly locally made goods but is nice to browse.
Back to the boat for dinner and then the boat sails back to a little village (pronounced Willage by the guides) we passed earlier in the day Weissenkirchen. Here we walk to a hause where have wine tasting of the wines produced in the Wachau Valley. Two of the the three wines are OK but the best part of he night is the man playing the accordion.
Back on the boat and Galin the bartender insists we go into the lounge as he needs to prove to me that he did run to the top of the castle today. Next thing We will Rock you is playing and the next thing you know we are dancing and so is everyone else in the lounge. Liz starts a Congo line and the boat is truly rocking. We finally escape to our room for a night cap. A fun way to end a fabulous day.