Waltzing through the Wachau Valley

Terraced vineyards in the Wachau Valley

The day dawned foggy and wet, but the sun soon burned off the fog and revealed the beautiful terraced vineyards of the Wachau Valley.  I'm claiming this as my favorite stretch of river so far  -- both Rhine and Danube.  We docked at a little town called Durnstein.  Like most of the towns we've seen, it has impossibly cobbled streets, and you also must dodge the BMWs racing through the one narrow street.  Durstein's claim to fame is the ruins of a fortress where Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom after he was captured on his return from the crusades; England ransomed him at great cost -- one third of the treasury.  A better place was a little village we drove through up the valley.  It is the site of a wine cooperative which processes the grapes of small growers. With its quiet, narrow streets, farm machinery, combined with new housing, it reminded me of Collex-Bossy, the village where we lived while stationed in Geneva. I will admit to being a little weary of cobblestones and tourist shops.

In the afternoon, we made a visit to the Gottweig Abbey, a large complex on a hilltop a little further down the valley.  This monastery is home to 43 monks and also provides refuge to pilgrims travelling to Santiago de Compestela and others on retreat.

Our tour guide in the courtyard of Gottweig Abbey

Our tour was made more special because it was guided by one of the resident monks.  I most enjoyed seeing the manuscripts which had been hand written as long ago as the 13th century.

Library of Gottweig Abbey

We weren't allowed in the library, but were shown photos of it and several of the individual manuscripts were on display.  It's astonishing to think of the monks stooped over their work in a cold, damp and dark scriptorium. I'm grateful to them for keeping alive the tradition of learning.