Durnstein

The fifth day of our cruise took us into the beautiful Wachau Valley of Austria. We visited two towns, Durnstein and Melk, about 30 km apart. I was planning to cycle between the two towns, rejoining the cruise ship in Melk. Alas, the weather did not cooperate. As we were about to depart, it was pouring and the forecast was not promising. I chose to abandon the bicycle trip, a decision that didn’t work out as I expected. After about an hour, the weather improved and those foolhardy few who did choose to go were looking pretty clever.  Our good friend and traveling companion, Barry Stewart captured the beginning of my bicycle trip, which he has termed The 42 mkm Marathon. That’s 42 milli-kilometres (or 42 metres), the length of my travels. Here’s the photographic evidence.

On the positive size, I did enjoy the cruise to Melk, one of the most scenic areas we saw on our trip.

Before the rain and the star-crossed bike ride to Melk, I did get an opportunity to stroll through the ancient town of Durnstein, one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine-growing region. For those familiar with Austrian wines, Durnstein is known for its production of Gruner Veltliner, a very nice white wine. The town gained its name from the medieval castle, Burgruine Durnstein, which overlooked it. The castle was called “Duerrstein” or “Dürrstein”, from the German duerr/dürr meaning “dry” and Stein, “stone”. The castle was dry because it was situated on a rocky hill, high above the damp conditions of the Danube, and it was built of stone.

You’ll see the castle in the slideshow that follows, along with the narrow, cobblestone streets, and the stone archways and walls that typify European towns dating back to the 12th century. Very prominent is the Dürnstein Abbey (Stift Dürnstein), established in 1410 and rebuilt in  1710 in the Baroque style.

I conclude with a picture taken on the cruise to Melk, a church steeple that caught my attention against the vivid backdrop of the surrounding hills. The Wachau Valley is truly stunning. I’ll share some pictures of Melk in my next post, another glimpse of the Wachau Valley.