On Christmas Eve we went on a coach tour of the Danube Valley. Only 12 of us on board with an excellent guide who did his commentary in English,French and Spanish!
The main feature was a visit to a Benedictine Monastery set hign on a hill top overlooking the pictureque town of Melk. The monastery was enormous - with guest wing Used by royalty)treasure house, library and a most ornate Baroque chapel. There are still 12 monks living in the place which by any standards was an over the top demonstration of what religion produces. Photos above are of the facade of the monastery and the town of Melk taken from the balcony of the monastery.
After a detailed guided tour of the monastery we went on to a village on the banks of the Danube for lunch, following which we went to an ancient village Durnstein which is built into the side of a hill on top of which are the remains of a 10th century castle. Narrow streets with vintage cottages. As it was Christmas Eve everything closed down at lunchtime in Austria as the Christmas celebrations are held that evening - so no shopping (Hurray). The tour gave us a good look at the Austrian countryside and the V ienna Woods - all very beautiful.
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