On The Move!!: Tuesday Part Two

After leaving Melk - we cruised down the river. It was raining lightlly (it's about 2 degrees - so not quite cold enough for snow today). The views between Melk and Dürnstein are supposed to be among the best on the Danube. We saw Schönbühel Palace (known as the watchman of the Wachau) belonged to Passau in the beginning of the 9th century. Then we passed the ruins of the Aggstein Castle (where once lived the Kuenringer clan - a family of robber barons who plundered passing merchant ships and wagons from their perch. We passed the city of Willendorf (a small village that gained notoriety in 1908 when the paleolithic stone carving known as Venus of Willendorf was unearth here (a small statue of a sturdy woman carved from oolitic limestone - some 30,000 years old). Next city was Arnsdorf - where Franz Gruber played organ at church and then wrote the music for Silent Night. We also passed Spitz - a wine growing town, Weissenkirchen - another wine-growing village. Finally after about two hours on the river, we arrived in Dürnstein. Dürnstein has only 900 residents - but attracts about 1.3 million tourists every year (you wouldn't know it at this time of year as most things were closed). It is considered one of the most romantic places in the Wachau Valley - and is famous for its wine, produced in the surrounding picturesque, terraced vineyards. Dürnstein is German for "dry stone," the material upon which the town is built. There is a fortress built high on the hill (we couldn't go up there as it was too slippery and dark). In the towering walls of the fortress, Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in 1193 for insulting Leopold V, the Duke of Dürnstein. The Parish Church (Pfarrkirche) was originally part of an Augustine monastery. The blue church tower is considered to be one of the finest architectural landmarks in the Danube valley. The Wachau valley is known also for its nectarous Apricot spirits. We were able to sample the Apricot liqueurs and of course we had to buy one. They also make their own whiskey (which Andy sampled and said was quite good. Dürnstein is a pretty town (pictures were hard to get as it was dark by 4:30). We have a lecture tonight followed by dinner. At midnight we leave for Vienna.