#2977 vacation memories: day 7 - Krems, Austria (Thursday 11 Sept)

 

golden hour on the Danube

When we woke up on Thursday morning, we were docked in Krems. We had breakfast in the dining room and were enchanted by the cute town waiting right outside. We wished we had skipped breakfast on the ship and gone into the town to find a cafe, but we didn't. However, after breakfast we did go do a tiny bit of exploring.

Krems, Austria

I love fall!

Our excursion on this blissful late summer/early autumn day was a quick 15 minute bus ride into the mountains to visit Gottweig Abbey. This is a working abbey that was founded in 1083. It's been through some stuff, like the Middle Ages, fires, and Nazis, but it's still there, and the monks are still producing delicious apricot wine and ministering to the people of the valley. It is beautiful up there, and the views are spectacular.

so green!

my "art" shot of the valley

Gottweig Abbey church ussie

Our guide was a handsome Austrian fellow called Andrea. The church is pretty. There is a building there that the Hapsburgs (the royal family of Austria back in the day) used to come to because they could. There is a remarkably beautiful staircase and a delightful fresco on the ceiling. I would recommend checking out my sister's blog to see those two things. She took excellent photos of the staircase and fresco.

While most people were gazing up at the fresco, Lizzie and I spotted a put-your-face-here cutout and we had to oblige.

one must be serious in a monk's robes

Lizzie making Salvador Dali eyes

After the Abbey tour, we went back to the ship and pretty much immediately began the scenic sailing portion of the day. We were bummed out because we had been on the last tour, so we were eating lunch in the dining room when the sail began and missed out on a few things. As soon as we could, though, we went up on the sundeck with pretty much everyone else on the ship to take in the sights of the Wachau Valley. We were fortunate to share a table with a wonderful couple from New Zealand, Debra and Craig. We chatted easily about all kinds of things, including politics. They wanted to know if we, as Americans, are okay. Guess it depends on who you ask, right? Anyway, it was a super pleasant was to spend an afternoon. Our conversation kept getting interrupted as Debra, Lizzie, and I would get up to take photos.

a decrepit castle on the hill

another charming village

yes, that is a statue of a giant nose

Schonbuhel Castle

sunset on the Danube

That night for dinner, Chef George prepared "A Taste of Austria" which was basically a lot of meat. I liked it. If I remember right, the entertainment after dinner was a music trivia game. Lizzie and I would have placed in the top three if I hadn't messed up the decade of the songs that Lizzie had correct. It was fun and challenging. A highlight was an impromptu acapella sing-along  of "Take Me Home, Country Roads." All in all, it was a completely wonderful day.

Up next: an unexpectedly delightful day in Linz, Austria.