Melk to Weissenkirchen

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 Melk

We had a morning in Melk where we visited the Melk Abbey.
Also known as Stift Melk, the Abbey is a large (still active) Baroque monastery that sits on a rocky outcrop and overlooks the town of Melk and the Danube River. It was founded in 1089, but the abbey we see today was built in 1736.  The only raining structures from the original abbey are two white towers.



We had a guided tour through the Imperial Wing of the building. This wing houses a museum.  There are a few beautiful relics on display. (Unfortunately, no photography was allowed during the interior tour.)  After leaving the Imperial Wing we entered the Library which contains thousands of ancient manuscripts. 
The church in the Abbey did not disappoint.  It is considered one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in the world. 



The exterior of the Abbey, and the gardens were stunning!






Cruising the Wachau Valley

From Melk we set sail up the Danube once more.  We had a beautiful hour and a half sail through the Wachau Valley.  This region is dotted with small villages, castles, abbeys, and vineyards. We curled up under a blanket at the front of the boat and enjoyed the passing scenery.





Weissenkirchen

We stopped for the afternoon in the picturesque village of Weissenkirchen, found in the heart of the Wachau Valley, and surrounded by rolling vineyards and golden hillsides.
We decided to take some of Emerald's e-bikes out for a couple of hours.  The weather was warm, and the sun was shining.  We rode for a while along the Danube River (I mean, how cool to say that we did that!) and then up into the village's narrow streets.  




The Weissenkirchin parish church is an impressive fortified church from the 14th century.  It sits on a hilltop overlooking the town below.  The village take's it's name from the church - Weissenkirchen - meaning "white church".  In 1465 and 1542 it was enlarged, but you can still see one white tower from the original structure. 




Unfortunately, our afternoon in Weissenkirchen had to come to an end as it was time to set sail once again. It had been a perfect day in this charming Austrian village.

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