December 17
We arrived in the Austrian town of Melk just after breakfast. There is nothing to experience in Melk except for their extraordinary monastery. The place is extremely ornate with a mix of Baroque & Rococo styling. There are extensive libraries housing several thousands of books, some from the 8th Century. The frescoed ceilings are bright & clear since the monks, over the centuries, were forbidden to have candles or other smoke devices in those rooms. There is extensive gilt work and the complex is gorgeous. We were taken by bus to the entrance since it was quite a way uphill but we opted for the ½ hour walk through town back to the ship. We had a 6 hour cruise through interesting countryside to Vienna where we docked at 6:15. Dinner featured wiener schnitzel and was served early so the optional tour to a concert could leave at 7:30. It was one of those commercial tourist concerts with the lesser orchestra in a large hall so we opted out. We could have taken the shuttle bus to the Christmas market (which we’ll see tomorrow) but also skipped that because the thought of spending 2 or more hours outdoors in windy zero degree weather wasn’t that appealing.