Continuing a 43 year old love affair with Austria, we recovered from our travels by renting by Internet an apartment for 4 nights in a little village on the Danube river above Vienna. Rossatz is on a bend of the Danube across from Durnstein and Krems and just 30 km downstream from Melk. It is a wine growing, apricot growing, pear growing region, and we stay in the 2nd stock (3ed floor) of a building started in the Middle Ages and more recently remodeled for 6 beds, kitchen, etc for EURO 110 a night. Yvette Lorenz was most accommodating. Take a look at http://www.ferienwohnungen-wachau.at/artemisia/ Apartment Artemesia in Rossatz a small village.
We bought fresh bread in the little market 2 doors away. We walked (you could bike) on paths through the vineyards, orchards, fields down to the Danube (Donau) river and rang a bell to call a small passenger ferry (12 people max?) who will carry you over for a few EUROs to the ancient village of DURNSTEIN and its famous castle ruins that detained Richard the Lionhearted from getting home while Robin Hood and Maid Marian fought wicked Prince John? Is it only my generation who learned all about this on TV in our youth?
The Danube itself is constantly traveled by large boats cruising up or down with a few hundred passengers each. An American anxious to talk in Durnstein told us that he had started his cruise in Amsterdam and was going to Istanbul? 24 days? I think I would have been afflicted with a severe case of cabin fever by that time, but the boats stop daily and perhaps several times a day to let you explore the beauties along the way. More common would be to ride from Passau to Vienna, with stops for a few day cruise.
We climbed to the castle ruins, found a Konditori for the most perfect hot chocolate mit SCHLAG (whipped cream) and EIN STUCK KUCHEN of some kind.Next day we went to KREMS by our rented car. (The Opel ZAFIRA seats up to 7 without luggage, and got the six of us with luggage by cramming a bit for the two trips we made with luggage. Since we stayed in one place for 4 days and another for 2 in Austria, we didn't have to travel with luggage much till there were just the four of us.) Having a car let us go to supermarkets for food and keep the restaurant bills down, and let us visit out of the way villages. You can travel by public transportation anywhere in Austria and in Hungary. But it takes time and language skills, so for a group that can share a car it is good.
Then to MELK and Sarah and I toured the fabulous Monkery (Stift Melk = A wealthy monastery with extensive land holdings) while the others enjoyed Austrian/Greek Pizzas and Gelato.
For Supper we went to another rival STIFT called Gottweig that sits on a hill closer to Rossatz and has a very nice restaurant with a superb view of KREMS, the Danube, the whole WACHAU valley. The only thing we failed to find was a monk tired of his vows for Melissa to bring home with her.
Friday to Vienna where we had rented by Internet again an apartment for 2 nights. Big city prices made this EURO 150/night for two nights for six. But in hotels we could easily have paid EURO 100-200 for two, so it still was a bargain.
We visited some highlights for Sarah and Melissa who had to leave next morning, went to Church with a little company meeting in the recreation room of a retirement home, but the church was young adult mostly, guitars, and great sermon if you knew German.
I visited the SCHOTTENTOR church and museum and investigated a little more about how the Irish Christians influenced Christianity after the fall of Rome as a political power in Europe. Since the Irish (Scotia in Latin SCHOTTEN in German) were Celtic Christians before becoming Roman Catholics later on, I was hoping to find evidence of their practices regarding Sabbath keeping, married clergy, and absence of Mariolotry in their early beliefs. I did learn a little history but would have to become a Latin scholar to really get into these questions, hard to do on a 1 hour visit!
Did I mention breads? Did I mention cheeses, cow, sheep, goat milk, hard ones, soft ones? Did I mention fresh unfermented innocent wine (TRAUBENSAFT) from the varietal grapes? Is there a better breakfast in the world than a Kaiser Role (SEMMELN) with butter and cheese and jam? Their rye breads are not sour, their whole grain breads are not doughy, their white breads are substantial and satisfying. And all of it absolutely non fattening. As long as you climb enough steps to mountain top castles day after day, that is.
