Our Untours-provided day trip out of Vienna was definitely one of the high points of the trip. We took the train to the small town of Melk, where we were met by Norbert, our self-named "un-guide". What a charmer this gentleman is! He first drove us to the Abbey in Melk - definitely "super-Baroque" in design.
We then drove through the Wachau Region of Austria along the "left side" of the Danube. This is an area of gorgeous scenery, lined by wide, level bicycle trails, terraced vineyards, and small towns with cobblestone streets. We even got off of the main road and drove along some of the roads intended for bicycles. One of the towns was Willendorf, which is where the Venus of Willendorf was found. I've seen photos of this prehistoric fertility symbol, but didn't really realize where it was found. Ann and Al had seen at the Museum of Natural History in Vienna.
Norbert stopped and to let us walk through the town of Durnstein. The town lies on a land-step above the Danube and below a huge ruined castle. This is where Richard the Lion Hearted was held captive for many years. There are lots of tourist shops in this town, and part of the roads is lined by vineyards.
We crossed the Danube and went up into the hills on the other side of the river. There have been settlements in this area for over 2000 years. Norbert showed us a remnant of a Roman road, where the grooves of the wagons can still be seen. He drove us through beautiful hills and farmland, with occasional vistas of the Danube and an occasional abbey on a distant hilltop.
We finally arrived at an Inn for our special lunch - an amazing 5-course meal - which took almost 2 hours. On the way to the train station, Norbert stopped to show us one more charming village church, with amazing gilded and carved wood altars contained in a tiny building. The train and metro got us home about 7:30, and we could just savor the day.
Today's photos are of shopping in Durnstein and of grapes from the Wachau vinyard region.
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