Saturday, November 2, 2019; Wachau Valley and Krems, Austria

Saturday, November 2, 2019; Wachau Valley and Krems, Austria

We awoke to find the ship transiting another lock on the river.  Our stateroom is situated pretty far aft on this ship (Stateroom 335), so we can feel the rumble of the lateral thrusters when they are used in tight navigation spaces, but it was not difficult to sleep through the night.  The sky appears more overcast today, and the temperatures are in the mid 40’s.  We have sailed past many fishermen, who set up in chairs set up separated by a few hundred feet.  Apparently, there are many types of fish that can be caught in the Danube.  Some are caught for food (perch, pike minnow, catfish), and others for sport (muskies).  

Sunrise over the Danube

Landslide dating to Roman times

See the World in Comfort, with Viking Cruises!

After breakfast in the restaurant, we settled into the lounge to catch the narration for our transit of the Wachau Valley.  This is a UNESCO world heritage  region notable for production of apricots and wine grapes.  There is also a small castle where Richard the Lionhearted had been held for ransom during one of the Crusades.  

Apricot Schnapps from Wachau Valley to warm us up.

As the day wore on, the clouds closed in and it began to rain on and off. The sun deck was cold, windy and generally not a pleasant place to be so when photo opportunities popped up, Ben would pop out of the lounge and either dash up to the sun deck, or to one of the side boarding door areas to snap pictures.  The vineyards appear yellow since the grape leaves have turned color, but have yet to fall completely from the vines.  

Wachau Valley wine growing region

Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during one of the Crusades.

Our ship tied up at a city called Krems, which is at the downstream extent of the Wachau Valley.  Melk is at the upstream end of the Wachau Valley.  Both cities are associated with Benedictine Abbeys.  In 2015, our cruise stopped to visit the Melk Abbey.  There was a short bus trip from the ship’s berth to the Krems Abbey known as the Göttweig Abbey, which is situated up on a hilltop overlooking the valley.  It is remarkable how much these Abbeys look like military fortifications, with trenches, towers and ramparts.  At the time these were built, there were frequent raids by the Ottoman Turks, and the church was most cohesive geopolitical entity at the time of the Holy Roman Empire. 

Our tour began with a tasting of apricot juice and a sample of white wine produced with apricots and grapes grown on lands of the Abbey.  There was then a greeting movie, which to our surprise, was produced by Viking Cruises.  There seemed to be a very close commercial tie between the Abbey and Viking Cruise line.  We then toured the grounds, church, and associated museum.  One of the centerpieces of the Abbey is a fresco depicting King Charles IV in a golden chariot on the ceiling of the great staircase.  

An unusual powder horn for muzzle loaders.

The cathedral itself was ornate and grand, but at this point, I’m afraid we’re already starting to experience Cathedral fatigue. This Abbey’s call to fame is it’s library, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of graphical art from the medieval era, but that was not open to the public. 

What was open, as the wine tasting room and gift shop.  We sampled two white wines (Gruner Veltliner and Riesling) and a local red wine (Pinot Noir).  While these were all acceptable to the palate, we weren’t knocked over by any of them.  As we were leaving, we had to walk through a Wedding Expo for locals, and got to see some more traditional costumes, in addition to the usual billowy white wedding dresses.  

The views from the Abbey had the potential to be spectacular, but it was raining and misty, so visibility was quite limited, and the lighting was pretty poor for scenic photography.  

After returning to the ship, the rain had largely stopped, so we walked along the waterfront about a half mile upstream, and then back down along a narrow cobblestone street in the city accessible via a pedestrian underpass below the busy highway that runs parallel to the riverfront.  There were two churches and a number of shops and restaurants, but most were closed because it was the weekend.  We did happen to see an early 1970’s era Cadillac Eldorado, which is not something you see very often in Europe.  

The sun is setting much earlier now- dark before 5pm. We did spot a few swans near the ship, and were able to coax them into posing for pictures by feeding them cookies from the ship.  

Tomorrow, we arrive in Vienna.  Unlike our prior Danube river cruise itinerary, we do not overnight in Vienna.  That must have something to do with the speed at which the ships move either upstream or downstream on the river. We remember it took be better part of the full day to cruise through the Wachau Valley heading upstream, but going downstream, it took less than 2 hours.