Melk, Austria
July 28 - 29, 2007

We started our Summer vacation today by driving to Melk, Austria. Melk is about 50 miles West of Vienna and home to a large 11th century abbey (Melk Abbey or Stift Melk) that was originally founded in 1089 when Leopold II of Austria agreed to donate one of his castles to the Benedictine Monks. Its present Baroque form was completed in the early 18th century and has survived fires, plague, wars (it was spared numerous times including during the Napoleonic wars and the Nazi Anschluss).

I found a place to stay on the internet before we left, which is unusual for us, as normally we just go where we want to and find a place once we arrive. We learned from some friends of ours, though, that one can find accomadations much cheaper (and normally more comfortable than a hotel room) by looking for family apartments. Normally we find a place on the side of the road and pay 100 Euros a night, while this new method we were able to find a place right off the walking zone for 40 Euros (which also included 4 beds). I have to admit this particular accommodation was a little creepy, but we survived OK. Next time I’ll try to find something with a price somewhere in between the 2 extremes.
We dropped our stuff off at the apartment and then took a walk in the downtown walking area of the small town. We then made the hike up a large hill to the Abbey that overlooks the Danube. It is a beautiful Baroque building, quite large, much larger than I had imagined, even though we drive by the town and from the A1 between Vienna and Linz even the most casual of observers can see it sitting up on the hill (except for me, of course, as for some reason I've missed it). We took our time walking through the many different rooms and hallways, including a large ballroom type room where Katie and Ashley had a chance to dance around (the room was mostly empty and we had it to ourselves for a few minutes). We also went through the library, which had a well preserved group of books, and then to the chapel itself, which, like many chapels of Europe, was quite ornate but dark and dreary. We spent a few minutes on the grounds and the gardens, which are well kept and quite peaceful. We ended the day by walking back down the hill to the old town, finding a pizza place for dinner, and then back to our apartment behind the shoe store to sleep!
The next morning, we woke up early and I got ready and took the girls out for a morning walk down the main street while Heather got ready. We found a little bakery and bought a couple of rolls. I love walking in these towns early in the morning where they are mostly deserted, although for some reason this town was not as deserted as I had expected, but still quite peaceful (seemed more like locals awake enjoying a morning coffee vs. tourists, which was nice). We returned back to the apartment, packed up the car, and drove to Duernstein, which is located about 30 minutes from Melk and about 50 miles North West of Vienna.