The Danube had flooded the Wachau Valley and the town of Durnstein so we were bussed from Vienna to Melk Abbey. We were forced to take the autobarn as even the lower scenic roads were flooded.
We arrived at the wonderful Melk Abbey, a baroque Benedictine monastery also known as Stift Melk.The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold 11, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to the Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey.It became a major site for the production of manuscripts and has an impressive library with countless medieval manuscripts and frescos by Johann Michael Rottmayr and Paul Troger. There is a school attached to the abbey which currently caters for 900 pupils of both sexes.
The abbey houses many priceless artifacts and paintings and we enjoyed a guided tour through the many rooms and then were taken to the abbey itself, an unbelievably ornate structure, where we were treated to an organ recital.
We lunched at the Stifrestaurnat at Melk Abbey and then enjoyed the views over the flooded Danube and the beautiful gardens.
We were then back on the bus and travelled to the back docks of Kelheim to join the Scenic Emerald.
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