| Leaving
Melk, we turn north and follow the Danube into one of the most
famous and pleasant sections of this journey - the WACHAU. We have
entered Austria's major wine growing region. Here, on the steep
hills facing south across the river, legendary wines such as the
excellent "Grüner Veltliner" thrive on the sun-drenched
slopes. |
| In
Willendorf, we visit the statue of a pre-historic fertility
goddess, the "Venus of Willendorf".
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| We
wonder about the kind of life that was lived, many thousands of years
ago, by the artisans who fashioned this statue as we enjoy our view over
the valley and the vineyards around us.
The roads that lead us through the vineyards are
broad, flat and restricted to bikes and the odd slow-moving farm
vehicle.
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At
St. Michael we visit and climb the tower of a fortified church
dating back to the invasion by the Turks several hundred years
ago. As we look down at the peaceful town from its tower, we
realize how much history has flooded along this river of
civilization.
Several
castles and quite a number of rugged ruins look down on us from
their craggy pinnacles.
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Our
next stop is Dürnstein where the Danube once again turns sharply
eastward to resume its course that will eventually lead it to the
Black Sea.
More
vineyards await us and we may want to stop and taste some of
these famous wines.
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Time and weather permitting, we may climb one of the
nearby hill tops. We
have earned a breathtaking view up and down the Danube valley and over
the hills to the south.
We also get an excellent
view of the gloriously baroque former Stiftskirche from the early 1700's
which with its characteristic powder-blue colour is another of Dürnstein's
landmarks.
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Our
afternoon dessert break finds us either in
Krems or near Tulln, birthplace of the famous painter Egon
Schiele.
After
a short visit we bike eastwards to Traismauer where we will spend
the night. |
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