Leaving the River

We are sharing the final segment of the river portion of our European trip  on our Living Richly in Retirement online journal. We appreciate everyone who has read and commented. For those interested in viewing photos, we will let you know when they are posted.

Entering Austria, our first stop was in the pretty little touristy town of Melk, home of the iconic Benedictine Melk Abbey. Formerly a royal palace with lavish baroque architecture, it features beautifully adorned marble statues and fresco-covered walls. Perched above the Danube River, it provided beautiful photo opportunities. The abbey continues to function as a monastery for Benedictine monks and hosts a monastery school for 700 students. For us, the most fascinating aspect of the tour was the reusable casket. At one point in the Abbey’s history, a body would be placed inside the casket and transported to the cemetery. Following the funeral service, a trap door would be released, causing the body to drop into the grave. This casket would be utilized again.

At this point, we have seen and heard all we care about castles, cathedrals, abbeys and architecture.

Continuing down the river, the next stop was Vienna. Our first impression was another ancient architectural city flooded with tourists. However, during our free time we ventured out of the busy inner city into other areas. Strolling through a city park we encountered masses of school children. Inquiring from a local, we learned that it was the first day of the last week of school, which is a week of daily excursions. About two miles from our ship we found Hundertwasser Village, a former car tire factory converted into an apartment building using the concepts of artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Unfortunately, at the time, we were not aware that we could tour the inside. Heading back to the ship, we stopped for Austria’s national dessert, Sachertote and  a cup of coffee in a traditional Vienna coffeehouse.

Having purchased the optional excursion to a classical concert, we were expecting to be entertained with beautiful music in one of the grand concert halls. Instead, we found ourselves bussed to the House of Strauss, where the highly respected Johann Strauss once performed his masterpieces. That was impressive, but more so was twenty-year-old Alma Deutscher, a former child prodigy who composed her first full-length opera at age 10. As she conducted the small orchestra, she also played a few of her pieces, including a movement from the Violin Concerto which she composed at age 9 and our favorite, The Waltz of the Sirens, worth checking out on YouTube

Our 2-week, 4 country river cruise comes to an end in Budapest, Hungary. After a bus trip around the city, we visited yet another church. With its colorful mosaic roofs and outstanding views, Mathias Church Buda Castle was a bit more interesting than some of the others. 

Saying good-bye to our new friends and the fabulous crew of the Gymir we board a bus for a few days Prague, Czech Republic before heading home.