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The Abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks .The school was founded in the 12th century, and the library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection. As I mentioned before, all of the tours were included in the price of the cruise and the local guides were all good, however, our 2 guides here in Melk was fantastic! Elizabeth escorted us by bus to the Abbey and explained about the town of Melk, she was very informative and fun! We all really enjoyed her. The second guide then took us through the Abbey and with her wonderful story telling voice she kept you captivated. She was a good speaker and both guides spoke perfect English. Elizabeth was born and raised in Melk and you could tell she loves living here, she even attended the school at the Abbey and had some funny stories to tell.
We then had some free time to walk around the town of Melk before heading to the bus to meet our ship in Grein. Melk was a lovely small village and once again it started to snow, which made it more magical.... When we arrived in Grein we could see our ship cruising along the Danube. As we awaited the ships arrival, Elizabeth, our tour guide in Melk, gave us a brief walking tour in Grein. Grein is a picturesque little town on the left bank of the Danube River, something right out of a storybook.....
Back on the ship and now heading toward Linz. We arrived in Linz at dusk and were docked close enough to town to walk to the Christmas Market. Very festively decorated, we braved the cold and walked through- out the markets and shops in town. The Christmas Market here was small, but very crowded, seems all the locals favored this one, most grabbed a bite to eat and drink, seemed like a very social hangout. The lights were nicely done, but not too much of interest at the market for purchase. So after a few hours we headed back to the ship.
The next day we had the option to enjoy a scenic cruise to Passau or join an optional excursion to Salzburg. We chose to go to Salzburg. It was a few hour journey by bus, but we were glad we did it. Described as “one of the most beautiful cities in Europe," it truly was beautiful. It is the fourth-largest city in Austria. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps. The city is noted for its Alpine setting. Not only was this Mozart's hometown, but it was also the setting of the movie, The Sound of Music. The bus ride up was enjoyable. Our tour guide was signing songs for us from the Sound of Music, which was fun. We made a quick stop in Mondsee, the basilica where they filmed the wedding scene in the Sound of Music. Very beautiful...The scenery to Salzburg was gorgeous and this was my second favorite Christmas Market. It was HUGE and there where musician playing holiday music and people all over having a wonderful time. There was so much to do and see. We decided to take the funicular up to the Salzburg Castle first, the day was gorgeous, sunny and warmer, the bluest skies I have ever seen...
The mightiest fortress of central Europe, a powerful castle sitting in a prominent position, undoubted Salzburg′s prime attraction and most dominant feature of the city′s skyline: the "Festung Hohensalzburg" or "Hohensalzburg Fortress" ought not to be missed. The views alone are worth the trip. We spent many hours exploring the castle and it's grounds.
We stopped next for lunch and browsed the Christmas Markets and the shops in town. Be sure to pick up one of the hand blown and painted eggs, they make wonderful Christmas ornaments and so many different colors and designs to chose from. They were really exquisite.
It was a long day in Salzburg, but we loved every minute of it! Headed back to the bus to meet our ship in Passau.
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