December 23 and 24
Where We Heard A Wonderful Concert And Had No Issues With The Elevators At The Melk Abbey
Day 7 Part 2 December23
When we arrived at the concert venue, there was a bit of confusion. Mario told everybody who was taking the elevator up to hit the button with the biggest number. A bunch of us landed on the 4th floor, which was obviously wrong. At some point Mario appeared and apologized – he should have told us floor “2”.
We were still seated in plenty of time. Very nice program – a flute, piano, 3 violins, a bass, and a cello. The first half was Mozart, the second half, mostly Strauss waltzes.
I did manage to get lost after the program – I found a bathroom on the 2nd floor with no problem. It was all the way down the hall on the other side of the building. But when I came out of the bathroom, the hallway I came from was blocked by a closed door. I ended up taking the first elevator I found and exited the building – around the corner from the bus. Eventually Mario found me and the bus pulled around. Always something.
Day 8 December 24 Melk
The morning was scenic sailing until we arrived in Melk at about 11:00. Mario told me that the abbey had reported to him that the elevators were all working!
When we docked in Melk, we were ready to go – it was a 10 minute walk from the ship to the bus parking lot.
When we arrived at the Abbey, the elevator was indeed working – but there was still quite a bit of walking to get to the Abbey entrance. Most of the surface was either small cobblestone, which was not suitable for the transport chair, so I did my best to get myself there.
The Melk Abbey is about 1,000 years old – one of the first abbeys established in Europe. There are 21 monks still living in the abbey.
We were not allowed to take photos inside the abbey museum or the abbey itself. The museum exhibits showed items from baroque to modern times, including an example of a reusable coffin that Franz Joseph I instituted as a cost saving method. I found this photo out on the interwebs:
There was a 16-paneled painting – 8 on one side telling the story of the crucifixion, and the other 8 telling the story of Jesus childhood. Below is a post card of one of the baby-Jesus panels
At some point we were outside on a terrace, where we could take photos of the view.
The Abbey library is stunning. It’s still an active library. There is one book that is almost 1,000 years old.
The room where Maria Theresa did her entertaining had a trompe l’oeil ceiling that looked differently depending on where in the room you were standing and the angle.
The Abbey’s sanctuary is beyond stunning. Here’s two postcard photos.
Once we were done with the abbey, we retraced our steps back to the bus.
On the way out through the gift shop, I took a photo of this thing that I’ve not been able to identify. Looks like a clock.
We were back in time for lunch, where we were able to watch a lock go by.
We had more scenic sailing for the rest of the afternoon. The sun sets around 3:30 in this part of the world.
Dinner this evening was a celebration of Austria! Which meant: mostly pork. Fortunately, there were alternatives. I had the char (a salmon relative), and Andy had the “taste of Austria” minus the pork sausage.
After dinner, there were assorted Christmas Eve activities. The best part (for me) was Mario showing us his ventriloquist talents!
Tomorrow: Linz
Maryland Meshugas 