Cruised through the Wachau Valley this morning, it was incredible! Throat worse this morning, so was glad to be able to sleep a little.
From the UniWorld site:
You’ll want to find a comfortable seat in the lounge or on the Sun Deck today as your ship cruises through the Wachau Valley. Over the eons, the Danube cut a gorge through the foothills of the Bohemian Mountains, resulting in a 19-mile (30-kilometer) stretch of riverine scenery so beautiful; UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Landscape. Castle ruins dominate hilltops; baroque church towers appear on the riverbanks, marking historic villages and splendid abbeys; and vineyards and apricot orchards cling to the rocky slopes. Some of Austria’s finest white wines are produced from grapes grown on the dry-stone terraces above the river, where grapes were first planted 2,000 years ago.
Toured the Göttweig Abbey this afternoon. So beautiful and peaceful. I could live here. It is an active monastery.
A beautiful ceiling fresco by Paul Troeger in the museum.
The organ recital in the Abbey was incredible.
Passed on the walking tour of Krems afterward, it was too cold and my throat too sore.
Christmas dinner tonight and charity auction for a dog rescue training group in Passau {they rescue people using dogs, not necessarily rescue dogs}. I won a star ornament made of pine cones.
From the UniWorld site:
BENEDICTINE MONASTERY GÖTTWEIG WITH ORGAN CONCERT
It stands majestically on a hill above Krems, one of the most beautiful abbeys in Austria. Though Göttweig Abbey was founded in the 12th century, the complex of monastic buildings—where an active community of Benedictine monks still lives—largely dates to the early 1700s, when, following a fire, an extravagant abbot rebuilt on a lavish scale. Some of these rooms were designed for royal visitors, which might explain why the ceiling fresco above the Emperor’s Staircase features Emperor Charles VI as Apollo, and Napoleon once stayed in the imperial apartments. Following a guided tour of the complex’s highlights, you’ll step into the beautiful abbey church, which retains its 14th-century stained-glass windows, for a special organ recital. If the weather favors you on your journey to and from the abbey, you might get to see sunlight sparkling on icicle-crusted grape trellises as you ride through the vineyards; the monks have grown wine grapes here for more than 900 years and at one time supplied wine for church services all over Austria.
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