Durnstein... Along the Danube

From Vienna we cruised to Durnstein, Austria which is the starting point of the Wachau region. Glorious in scenery and history.

It was in the Kuenringer Castle, whose ruins still overlook Dürnstein, that the English King Richard Lionheart was held prisoner.

The area is surrounded with steep hills that are vineyards.  How they get the grapes picked is a mystery to me. It looks as though it could only be traversed by goats.

They are also famous for apricots—which become schnapps and liquor.  Almost every store offered a sample and by the time we reached the end of the street, we were warm and toasty.

I am always warm and rarely wear a coat, so I didn’t bring one. Big mistake as it was freezing in Vienna and I was miserable.  In Durnstein, I found a small shop where the owner made felted coats and other items. With considerable help from fellow passengers, the PERFECT coat for me was selected. It is a unique cut/pattern and will be a great souvenir from this darling town.

As much land as this quaint little town took up.... the population is only around 600 people.

From every angle Durnstein really captured my heart.

I've never seen so many beautiful doors in my life. Such detailed craftsmanship.

From the big cities to this rural countryside, the history left behind never ceases to amaze me.

So many quaint shops that just blend right into the landscape.

Saw this on the promenade in Durnstein. Hilarious... The sign directs you to the Kondeteri. Looks like some kind of sculpture we'd teach at a workshop for Art & Soul!

From Durnstein, we cruised to Melk, Austria.  Another charming medieval village…but it did not capture my heart as did Durnstein.

See you soon... on to Cesky Krumlov!

A European Excursion!

I am so excited and thrilled to have this fabulous opportunity to experience the most amazing vacation with a very good friend of mine. It starts in Budapest and cruises up the river to Nuremberg going thru 5 nations!! I'm going to take you with me...

We spent our first day in Budapest and learned that the medieval city is actually two cities.  Buda is on one side of the Danube and Pest (pronounced pescht) is on the other.  The ancient stone city walls have bullet holes from WWll and there also remains a Nazi lookout tower. But regardless of what we were looking at — from the Parliament Building to the local stone churches and monuments, the architecture was simply stunning.

Hungarians as not as fluent English as other European cities, and we found communication a bit of a challenge when we attempted to call for a taxi.  Missing our ship would not have been a good thing.

As much as I loved viewing the old buildings and architecture, the highlight of the day for me was spending time with an Eurasian sparrowhawk, Aniko. Looking forward to seeing more on this magnificent journey!