Early this morning we arrived in the Wachau Valley which is supposed to be the most scenic part of this river cruise. Indeed we awoke to some picturesque sights – green mountains stretching up on both sides of the river often dotted with small villages and vineyards.
By 9:00 a.m. we had arrived in Melk, Austria.
After finishing breakfast it was time to walk (Rick) or ride (Darwin) up to the large Benedictine Abbey situation atop the hillside. There we were given a walking tour of part of the Abbey ending in the large, ornate, Baroque style church. A service was in progress which included some organ playing at times. I discreetly made a recording of the music. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the Abbey or church.
There were also some wonderful view looking down over the town of Melk from the Abbey grounds.
Following the tour we (both) walked back down through the small town of Melk to our ship where we had a light lunch in the alternative dining room (Arthur’s).
We finally had an hour or so of free time (which is when I posted the pictures for Sep. 3.). During the afternoon we passed through two more locks on our way to Grein, Austria. At 4:30 p.m. I had another choir rehearsal to attend, followed by a talk about Mozart.
During dinner we arrived in the small village of Grein. At 9:00 p.m. we were led on a very short walk into the town and into an old, well-preserved theater (Stadttheater) where we enjoyed listening to some genuine Austrian folk music. The performing group (Hausberg Musi) was composed of four men playing tuba, two clarinets and accordian. It was a very pleasant end to Day Nine.
