Thursday 25^th September, 2014…….We docked at Melk in Austria this morning….oh boy did it rain in the night and this morning it was still very wet and cold so Michael and I decided to hell  with another walking tour and Abbey……Melk has been a spiritual and cultural centre in Austria for over 1,000 years….the Benedictine Monastery founded by Leopold II is still a working monastery with 900 monks actively involved in the economy, culture and tourism with 750 puplis…..however for us time for a catch up with things on board and some R & R!!!!  However we had asked for a tour of the galley and initially they said no but the tour director phoned me this morning and said the head chef who is Austrian would give us a tour…..and so into the galley the 2 of us went, not much room there but amazing the food they put out…..this chef is very good on presentation and a very good cook….we commented on the duck he served last evening and he said he had cooked it for 6 hours at 180 degrees, thus the tenderness of the bird…..I had guinea fowl last night as it was something I had never tasted but I think the duck was a better choice…..after lunch and we cruised up the canal through the Wachau Valley….grape vines everywhere…our tour director gave a commentary……Austrian wine is something we don’t really see in NZ but there are 50,000 hectares of vineyards in Austria with 40,000 wine makers….all in a population of 10 million people….grapes grow best at 200 to 400 metres above sea level we were told and this Wachau Valley is in that sea level bracket….interesting but that’s what we were told…something to check out later…..whilst we cruised they served us onion tart with Kaiserspritzer…the local drink……quite sweet, more like an after dinner wine….we docked at Durnstein and had free time to walk the streets of this quaint village….the ruins of Kurenringer Castle overlook Durnstein where the Englishman, King Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner in 1192/3……by the time we docked the sun had come out and another hot afternoon so I went walking in the local village…..all the usual tourists shops and bus loads off Japanese arrived but it was worth the walk as this really is a picture postcard village in the Wachau Valley…..cruising tonight to Vienna….M & F

Friday  26^th September, 2014…….We docked this morning in Vienna……then we bussed into Vienna as we are docked about 20 minutes away from down town Vienna……overcast morning, no rain but only about 16 degrees…..the weather is certainly cooler these days but afternoon’s seem to warm up a bit although today they are predicting only 17 degrees maximum….Vienna, Michael and I have both been here before……beautiful buildings and architecture……for me it’s up there with Paris but both of us have been astounded at the amount of graffiti this time….very sad seeing these beautiful buildings defaced….we toured in the bus, then walked, then back on the bus to go to the Schnapps Museum where we did much tasting of same, and oh boy was it a good day to be tasting Schnapps with the cooler temperature….then back on the bus for more touring……most of you will have been to Vienna but basically the centre of Vienna is known as the 1^st District….it is in the shape of a circle and in the very middle of the circle the focal point of Vienna is St Stephens Cathedral…next to the Cathedral is is main pedestrian street called Karntnerstrasse…..this leads to the Opera House at Karlsplatz….two more pedestrian streets are also next to the Cathedral, Graben and Kohlmarkt which are beautiful shopping streets but oh so pricey!!!!! Also lots of superb cafes and restaurants…we walked all these streets, went into the cathedral as you do, but oh the people and we are supposed to be visiting out of high season……I would hate to be in these big cities now in high season….tourism now is such big business!! Surrounding the 1^st District is the big wide boulevard called the Ringstrasse which encircles the city centre on three sides….the fourth side borders along the Danube Canal…..the Ringstrasse is lined by an amazing number of grand and elegant buildings built after the old city walls were taken down……some of the old Roman walls still remain in places also an old Roman archaeological site to view, opposite the Albertina Museum in the 1^st District……one needs to spend a few days in Vienna and walk and walk to really appreciate all the buildings, statues etc but unfortunately we both have head colds, whatever…….just about everyone on the boat is on antibiotics and we thought we had escaped but the bug has got us, mildly though, and as we have a full day trip tomorrow we have opted for a leisurely afternoon on the boat as we certainly haven’t had many of those…it’s been all go….tonight we cruise to Budapest……M & F.

Below photos of Bamberg and Nuremberg we missed in a previous blog.....

Bamberg....

As above.....

The Prince Bishops Residennce....Bamberg

Queueing for smokey beer in Bamberg......this is a favourite here but we opted for an ordinary beer as we were told the smokey beer is an acquired taste......

Hitler's Colliseum building....Nuremberg.......

As above...we drove around the area in the bus and to think this was to have a roof over it....it sure would have been the biggest room in the world!!!!!

As above.....

Zeppelin Field where the Nazi Party rallies were held up until 1938.....they lasted a week and drew a million people to Nuremberg  from all over Germany.....

The centre piece with the railing is where Hitler stood to give his speeches......

Cemetery in Nuremberg....

Looking down from the castle at Nuremberg.....

ore of the castle area in Nuremberg.....

Looking up at the castle.....so many of these buildings built on a rock outcrop and the rock used in the construction.....

The market square in Nuremberg....

   

 

Wachau Valley between Melk and Durnstein...Austria....

As above....

The remains of Kuenringer Castle where King Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner 1192/3.....

As above....

Durnstein....Austria....

 

Albertina Museum....Vienna...

The streets of Vienna....

The Imperial Palace...Vienna....

Directly across from the Imperial Palace.....

The horses from the Spanish Riding School  coming in from their morning training....Vienna

As above......

The stables of the Spanish Riding School......

As above......

Another entrance of the Imperial Palace......

Statues in Vienna........so many and brilliant craftmanship.....

More of the Imperial Palace.....

Another statue......Vienna.....trying to remember them all individually just too difficult.....i

The Cathedral...Vienna.... 

Inside the Cathedral......

These guys dressed as Mozart, everywhere in the street, to advise tourists, take on tours etc.....

Another fountain statue....

Schnapps tasting......

As above.......so many varieties to try and we lost count of how many we tried!!!!!!

But we're still on our feet!!!!!

More Statues.....

And more.....you really need days in Vienna to appreciate all the architecture, statues, museums etc.......