Monastery on the Danube
We took the train from Vienna to Melk where Michele wanted to see the Abbey. We stowed our bags in the lockers in the train station and wandered down the hill to the town. We were each given an Easter Egg when we passed through the Pedestrain Zone (remember Easter was coming this weekend). We worked our way up to the Abbey. We were under the impresison that you could only take and English guided tour today at 11 am or 2 pm, since it was the off season. We got there in time for the 11 am tour, but found out we could do a self tour instead. We chose that, since we had a tight schedule today and didn't know how long the tour would be.
The Abbey had a nice museum, but most descriptions were in German.
Before we caught the train, we stopped in a little store and got sandwhiches. Michele stuck with the tried and true salami and cheese. I got an interesting looking lump of meat. The man ahead of me ordered it from the heated case and it smelled good, even though I couldn't identify it. I asked for a slice of cheese on it, but instead she explained you could get a piece with cheese IN it. And it was delicious. I later learned it was leberkase - Mmmmmm. So back to the train and onward.
Upon arrival into Melk by train, you can see the bright yellow complex sitting above the town. It's pretty easy to find: go down the hill from the train station toward the monastery. Go uphill at one of the staircases to the driveway of the Abbey. They have tours but you can also go along a self guided tour, depending on the season.
We were a little pressed for time so we decided to do a self tour, rather than waiting half an hour for a tour that we didn't know how long it would take. I think many of the exhibits in the museum were in German and English, but not all were in English. There were some interesting (and very old) relics from the early church, religious artwork and other objects important to the monastery. One room had some gold and jeweled relics and the entire room was covered in mirrors, so the shiny objects were reflected into forever-land.
The marble room has a nice fresco on the cieling, but I forget exactly what the scene depicts. I really liked the library - floor to cieling bookcases filled with old books. I also found the 17th century globe interesting - look at California. It is shown as an island! The tour ends in the spactacular Baroque church filled with gold and shiny, sparkling objects, painted murals and frescoes and even a couple of crypts of martyrs. Actually, those skeletons were a little creepy.
The view of the Danube Valley was a little overrated in my opinion. The gift shop had lots of books, postcards and even bottles of wine made at the monastery.
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