Salzburg to Passau

Friday 15 July
In the morning we arrived at Linz and after breakfast set off for a day sightseeing, driving in a coach to Salzburg and from there to Passau in Germany where the ship was waiting for us.

On the way to Salzburg we stopped at the small town of Mondsee in the Austrian Lake District where we visited an ornate church where the wedding scene in the film, The Sound of Music, was shot.

We passed a number of lakes on the way to Salzburg and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

At Salzburg we went for a walk around the old city, visited the cathedral.

The cathedral has five organs - one large one at the back and four smaller ones on the side of the church at the front. When they are all playing together we were told, the music is most impressive.

We also visited the farmers' market, Mozart's birthplace,

St Peter's Cemetery

and Residence Square.

We then had two hours to explore on our own during which time we climbed the steps to the bottom of the fortress from where we had a better view of the city.

On the drive back to the ship we crossed the border into Germany and stopped at Passau.

We walked to St Stephen's Cathedral - another impressive building with a huge organ -

and then back along the water front past the town hall.

I then went for a walk along the river bank to see where the three rivers, the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz meet.

After dinner we were entertained by the group La Strada - two violins and guitar - playing classical and gypsy music.

Durnstein to Melk

Thursday 14 July
Our first stop for the morning was Durnstein in the Wachau Valley.

Durnstein is a small colourful town with buildings dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It rained shortly after our arrival but by the time we were ready for our walk the weather was fine but cool.

We spent a couple of hours exploring and also tasting local wines.

We then started climbing the steps to the ruins of an old castle. Robin completed the climb but I decided to stop half way as the steps were becoming more challenging. Robin returned via a different route without the steps which would have been a much better route to take had we known about it.

After lunch Robin joined a group of cyclists who had opted to cycle to our next stop, Melk.

 

The rest of us stayed on the boat and enjoyed the scenery from the river - many pretty towns surrounded by vineyards and other vegetation. For a short time during this part of the trip it started raining again.

Robin returned just before 4 pm as were ready to go for a walk to Melk Abbey.

Melk Abbey is magnificent. It is a huge building with beautiful internal decorations in the rooms that we were shown and also in the church.

I then walked back through the town, across the bridge and along the road back to the river and the boat.

After dinner we were entertained by the group - The Sounds of Austria.

Vienna

Wednesday 13 July
Woke up to views of river banks with small houses, some on stilts near the water. After breakfast we went through another lock. There had been an unexpected delay during the night so we did not dock until 9.45.

We met our guide and drove through Vienna to Schoennbrunn Palace - the summer palace of the Hapsburgs. Magnificent gardens and building elaborately decorated, especially within - wooden parquetry floors, walls covered with large tapestries or silk wallpaper or with features outlined with gold. The Chinese influence was strong in a number of the rooms decorated with blue and white Chinese designs and Chinese porcelain. A different route was taken on the return trip with the guide pointing out major sites.

We had the option of returning to the town to spend the afternoon exploring but chose to stay on the boat and take a walk around the local area.

Walked along the riverbank to a small settlement where people enjoyed the river, either swimming or sun baking while a few people paddled canoes. Part of the river had been diverted and was used as a marina for small boats and also accommodated a motor boat clubhouse. This settlement was on the outskirts of Vienna with vineyards close by. Quite picturesque.

After an early dinner we were bused to the Aeursperg Palace to attend a concert of music by Mozart and Strauss. There were 10 musicians, two vocalists and two ballet dancers providing the entertainment. An enjoyable evening followed by a drive back to the ship through night time Vienna.

Before we left for the concert we learned that a shuttle bus driver had been knocked down by a cyclist and was injured - concussion and bruised ribs. Cyclists have a dedicated lane next to the footpath and many riding in this lane think they can travel at any speed without regard for pedestrians who might be leaving a bus, for example.