It's Payback, European Style! A trip to Bavaria & Austria for DIS friends! - Travel Complete! It's a Wrap! 11/2

[franandaj]

Day 11

Today I set my alarm for 6:15AM, Karin and Tom were going to pick me up at 8:05 and I didn’t want to be late. It turns out I was ready in plenty of time and I worked on the computer some before I went down to be picked up. I even ate the last of my schnitzel, rice and potatoes, as well as some tomato juice.

Today was Sunday and so we had to have breakfast at a bakery well outside of town, because most of the bakeries in town were not open. Two days before I had realized my ideal coffee and this shop served it. Nice large cup of coffee, but still strong!

I went with the standard breakfast of ham and cheese with butter and jam. We got to choose our rolls from the counter again. I picked a cheese covered roll For one of mine and went with the standard breakfast roll for the other.

I made a sandwich from the cheese roll.

And I ate ½ of one of the regular rolls with butter and jam. Then we got on the road. We were on the Motorway for about an hour before we reached the town of Melk. The building has been in use by Benedictine Monk's for over 900 years.

It was occupied by the Babenberg family who ruled the region for a while. Eventually they tired of this place as one of their many homes and they left it to the monks.

Since it was a Sunday, public parking was free. We were there early and were able to find some very easily. Not so had we arrived later in the day. We walked past this quaint street. I believe we came back up this street at the end of our time there.

And then we walked all the way up this hill….

Here is the outside of the place.

Almost nothing of the original building remains on the outside as we learned on our tour. Around 1700 The exterior of the building was remodeled in the Baroque style. Only the two towers (that you will see later) remain unchanged from their original form. Oh wait! You can see one of them on the right side of the picture below!

We took a guided tour that was in English, and no pictures were allowed anywhere inside the building. I purchased the guide book for the purpose of showing pictures as well as understanding the history a little better. Here is an excerpt from that book.

Melk remained the headquarters of the Babenbergs in Austria for about 100 years (“residence” would be an exaggerated description of what were most likely quite modest accommodations.) It has long been believed in Melk that a group of priests lived here in a sort of “Palatinate Abbey” as early as the time of Leopold 1, whose rule began in 976. On March 21, 1089 the monks arrived in Melk with Abbot Sigibold, and began their life in a community following the rules of St. Benedict with that evening’s vespers. ​

This was the last picture that I could take before we went fully inside and pictures weren’t allowed.

Here is a shot from the book. You’re looking at the place on the backside where I’ll be taking a few outside pictures in just a bit.

And here is an aerial view of the place (also from the book). That courtyard at the top right of the picture is where I took the initial pictures.

During the first part of the tour, we saw many beautiful artifacts, gilded statues, and other such things. This is the Melk Cross. Because of it’s significance it is only displayed on special occasions, so we really didn’t get to see it, but we saw others that were almost as pretty. On the front Jesus the Crucified is shown, surrounded by the four Evangelists on the points of the cross.

The back side has the appearance of a “crux gemmata” through the use of precious stones and a cameo.

In this “ballroom” they used forced perspective to make the ceiling look taller.

Here we passed outside and could take pictures.

Then we went to the Library. It was weird that all the books were rebound by the family before the monks so they would look the same.

Then the tour was over. They let us go via the church where there was going to be a prayer session in about 10 minutes.

We declined to stay and went to the gift shop. I bought a book so I could show you more pictures and brush up on my history cause the guide was hard to understand.

We took the lift up to the panoramic Viewpoint. Here’s those two towers that are still original that I mentioned earlier.

I also took some pictures of the gardens. I didn't need to walk the gardens. I'd been getting in enough walking as it is. OK, so I wasn't cranking out the steps like the week before, but 7,000 steps in Austria is harder than 7,000 steps in So Cal.

[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

Then we took a shortcut down to the village. The problem with shortcuts in Austria is that it usually involves a lot of steps because you are taking the steep side of a hill instead of walking down the gentle (or not so gentle) sloping portion.

Here's where we went.

We found a nice little cafe.

Karen and I got Ice cream and Thomas just got a beverage. I got Eiskaffee which is basically vanilla ice cream with coffee/Espresso that has been chilled poured over it, and topped with whipped cream. At this place there were several variations with coffee Ice cream, and a couple others, I don't remember, but I wanted to try the classic for my first time.

Then we went back to the car for our next destination. I believe that this was that little street I pointed out earlier.

We were headed to Mauthausen, the site of the largest concentration camp in Austria. As we were driving up a small street to get to the site, there were police that were stopping every car. It turns out that we had chosen the 79th anniversary of the camp’s liberation to visit, and unfortunately it was only open to invited guests.

So we turned around and headed back to Linz, Karin determined that it was time for cake. We went back to Jindrak and had some special Austrian cake.

I saw a cake in the case, and asked what it was. It was some sort of cake soaked in rum, and Karin insisted that I get some and try it. The cake is still in my fridge as I write this (while writing my notes), hopefully I will find the room to eat it!

Spoiler Alert! I do eat it and you will see it later in the TR!

They dropped me off at my hotel. I worked on the TR and even posted an update. They came to pick me up shortly thereafter, and we went to a Gasthaus in a very remote area high up on a mountain.

They use antlers in all of their de-cor-a-ting!

Shame on you if you didn’t sing that!

They convinced me to get these bacon filled dumplings. They were very good but very filling. I ate exactly half of one and some potatoes. I was kind of hoping they would offer me a box, but they did not.

And Sauerkraut was served as a side.

Karin and Tom both ordered the Roasted Pork.

Then they ordered me a dessert, it was similar to a donut, but with the filing on the top. It was good, but I knew I couldn’t eat it all so I ate the center and the filling.

I had a schnapps with dessert, and somehow they convinced me to drink two more kinds of schnapps.

After dinner, the proprietor said to them in German, “The Frau has had enough schnapps” and they both laughed. Here are some shots going back down the mountain.

They took me back to the hotel and I started packing up my things as I would be leaving soon.

My stats for today.

 

[jedijill]

I ate there!

In one of the shops Karin bought me this apricot which had been stewed in the brandy and schnapps for over a year. It was good and the drink was strong. I considered that my dessert beyond the other dessert.

I still have my jar! We can share next visit and revisit Austria from home!

They use antlers in all of their de-cor-a-ting!

I see what you did there! And yes, I sang it!

They convinced me to get these bacon filled dumplings. They were very good but very filling. I ate exactly half of one and some potatoes. I was kind of hoping they would offer me a box, but they did not.

I had those too and they were delicious but enough food for a small army for a week. Very good but very filling!

Then they ordered me a dessert, it was similar to a donut, but with the filing on the top. It was good, but I knew I couldn’t eat it all so I ate the center and the filling.

I had that too and it was delicious but a lot after the dumplings! No schnapps for me though!

Jill in CO

 

[mlaw]

The musician that the restaurant in Durnstein is named after is Blondel. I now need to visit just to go to that restaurant. There was a musical written by Tim Rice about Blondel and saving King Richard the Lionheart. I saw it twice on stage in London when I studied there in mid 1980's. I feel in love with the music and bought the cassette tape (only old people like me will know what that is lol). Unfortunately, I lost it in one of my moves since then. I have now added Durnstein to my bucket list!

 

[pkondz]

Well I certainly gave you plenty of time to come back!

When I read this, I thought "Oh, no! Did I forget to comment on an update?"

Nope. Just been so long, I'd forgotten where we left off.

Sounds like you need to fix that! Right now I have one pawing at me trying to get me to pet her instead of type.

Nope. Wouldn't be fair to the kitty. I'm hardly home, what with working all the time.

Oddly enough, I rarely have nights like that. It's more like I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow and I have look at the data from my fitbit to find out when I went to sleep. Like last night, I was out at 8:30PM and I got a bunch of texts after I went to bed

Nothing like shift work to destroy your sleep.

Similar, but the Café au lait doesn't have whipped cream on top of it. I like those too.

Ah!

What pray tell caused you to have 2 coffees in a month?

There ain't no rules... I just felt like it. Well........ one time was because my mom insisted that I wouldn't order (or drink) a coffee. Couldn't let that slide.

She came to an appointment that I had with our doctor back in July, and had some nice things to say, but I don't think she's actually said anything to me.

Maybe it's because you're not doing anything she doesn't approve of.

 

[franandaj]

I ate there!

Sounds like we went to a lot of similar places!

I still have my jar! We can share next visit and revisit Austria from home!

They sell jars of them? Not just individually?

I see what you did there! And yes, I sang it!

Good girl!

I had those too and they were delicious but enough food for a small army for a week. Very good but very filling!

Yeah, they claim that American portions are huge, so are Austrian. And with this increased dosage of drug, I may even be eating less.

I had that too and it was delicious but a lot after the dumplings! No schnapps for me though!

Yes very much a lot after the dumplings! Schnapps doesn't take up much room, it fills up around the food!

 

[pkondz]

Hey folks! Sorry about the long absence! It's been a crazy last month between visiting my folks at the beginning of the month, Jill coming to visit here, and then me going to British Columbia two days after Jill left. Since I got back from that trip, it's been a constant catch up between the buildings, taking cats in for their annual checkups, and just life!

That's okay. Life gets busy sometimes. I know!

In two weeks I will be aboard the Disney Dream departing from Southampton to Ft. Lauderdale.

Wow! That's coming up quick!

So hang on to your hats! I'm going to see if I can wrap up this TR before I go!

Hanging on! I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep up, but I'll try my best.

I loved how there would be an old castle with a modern building right in front of it.

I never really thought about it that way, but you're right!

This is the remnants of Dürnstein Castle where Richard the Lionhearted was held prisoner at one time.

Cool!!

The vineyards were beautiful.

As you know, I'm not a big wine drinker, but I do like vineyards.

We were going to the restaurant named for a musician who allegedly freed Richard the Lionhearted, when he was being held prisoner at Dürnstein Castle. I do not remember the story and can not find any reference to it online

And I'm not gonna Google it. I'll take your word for it.

It was a nice day and we were seated in a pretty patio area.

Looks inviting.

She coerced me into ordering this soup, which was delicious and had gneiss knopfel. It was a sort of dumpling, and Google translate can’t tell what it is, but thinks it’s a metamorphic rock.

And then I ordered this Wachauer Rostbraten (braised cutlet of beef in a sauce of apricots and wine.) This was a dish, typical of the region, which was known for it’s apricots. It was so good and I ate almost every last bit, and regretted it because I was so stuffed, I couldn’t eat anything for the rest of the day, pretty much.

mmm... that sounds good. Too bad you got a bit too stuffed, though.

I ordered this glass of apricot liqueur for my dessert.

Would I like that? I'm guessing... probably not.

I took this artsy fartsy picture.

The play of light and shadow juxtaposed with the angular momentum between the fore and backgrounds...

I can do artsy fartsy speak for your artsy fartsy picture.

I’ve become very selective about what I buy, because at this point, I’m trying to get rid of stuff, not accumulate more.

The other day I got rid of 4-5 pairs of jeans. I wear them until they need replacing but keep the old one in case I need an old pair for some kind of messy work... I realized I've not thrown any out in years. Out they went!

And even then, I have more clothes than I know what to do with

Donate!

In one of the shops Karin bought me this apricot which had been stewed in the brandy and schnapps for over a year.

Whoa!!

Just to show you how close the grocery store was to my hotel. I’m standing in front of the hotel and you can see the grocery store sign, just behind the sign for the hotel.

Very convenient.

Wait... does that make it a convenience store?

I got the appetizer portion of a chicken salad. There was choice of baked or fried, so I chose fried. I had no idea that it was crusted with pumpkin seeds

Sounds interesting. How was it with the seeds?

 

[franandaj]

The musician that the restaurant in Durnstein is named after is Blondel. I now need to visit just to go to that restaurant.

Yes. Karin and Tom related an interesting story about him, but i didn't take notes. My memory is not what it used to be! LOL! I'm sure you can relate.

There was a musical written by Tim Rice about Blondel and saving King Richard the Lionheart. I saw it twice on stage in London when I studied there in mid 1980's.

I didn't realize that there was a musical, and by Tim Rice. I will have to look that up!

I feel in love with the music and bought the cassette tape (only old people like me will know what that is lol). Unfortunately, I lost it in one of my moves since then.

I'm old enough to remember cassettes. But I never bought them because my father always told me they had inferior fidelity. I always bought the Vinyl and then made my own cassettes. I guess kids today would only know them as the thing that Starlord get at the end if the first Guardians movie in the present from his mother that he finally unwraps! LOL!

I have now added Durnstein to my bucket list!

Its a very nice place!

 

[franandaj]

When I read this, I thought "Oh, no! Did I forget to comment on an update?"

Nope. Just been so long, I'd forgotten where we left off.

I know! I kept meaning to come back and at least reply. I did the last post just a couple days after returning from my mom's house. Next thing i know I've got rehearsals, and Jill shows up, we have a whirlwind good time. She leaves and im off to Canada, again! I'll have to fill you in on all the joyous fun that's been going on since then.

Nope. Wouldn't be fair to the kitty. I'm hardly home, what with working all the time.

I meant you could come visit here and snuggled with my kitties!

Nothing like shift work to destroy your sleep.

I'm glad I don't know about this.

There ain't no rules... I just felt like it. Well........ one time was because my mom insisted that I wouldn't order (or drink) a coffee. Couldn't let that slide.

Maybe it's because you're not doing anything she doesn't approve of.

She did want to say she was proud of me for just pushing on and not crawling up in a fetal position. But that's kind of what I do. When she had the injuries, I just stepped up and took care of what needed to be done.

 

[pkondz]

Today I set my alarm for 6:15AM,

Early. You must have rope drop on the brain.

I even ate the last of my schnitzel, rice and potatoes, as well as some tomato juice.

Typical American breakfa.... wait.

I like how the cookie has the matching logo.

ooohhh... that looks good.

I made a sandwich from the cheese roll.

I do the same when I'm having continental with mom. Except I do mine open-faced.

And I ate ½ of one of the regular rolls with butter and jam.

That butter and jam on a roll is growing on ya, huh?

We were on the Motorway for about an hour

So... you went, what... 200... 250kms?

The building has been in use by Benedictine Monk's for over 900 years.

Eventually they tired of this place as one of their many homes and they left it to the monks.

"tired of this place"...

And then we walked all the way up this hill….

to fetch a pail of water

Around 1700 The exterior of the building was remodeled in the Baroque style.

That's just last week by European standards.

(“residence” would be an exaggerated description of what were most likely quite modest accommodations.)

"modest"

Oh! The church is completely encircled. Huh!

In this “ballroom” they used forced perspective to make the ceiling look taller.

I wonder who else might do that?

Nice shot of you. Pretty top.

It was weird that all the books were rebound by the family before the monks so they would look the same.

"Fetch me the book of lists of the serfs!"
"Which one is that?"
"The brown one."

Oh! I just assumed both towers would be the same. Completely different. I wonder if they were built many years apart? Guessing yes.

7,000 steps in Austria is harder than 7,000 steps in So Cal.

It's because of the metric system.

The problem with shortcuts in Austria is that it usually involves a lot of steps because you are taking the steep side of a hill instead of walking down the gentle (or not so gentle) sloping portion.

Do you want quick? Or do you want restful? You can't have both!

I got Eiskaffee which is basically vanilla ice cream with coffee/Espresso that has been chilled poured over it,

I didn't know it was chilled first. I learned stuff.

I wanted to try the classic for my first time.

And? What did you think?

We were headed to Mauthausen, the site of the largest concentration camp in Austria.

Hmmm... not sure if I've heard of that one. Sounds familiar... not sure.

It turns out that we had chosen the 79th anniversary of the camp’s liberation to visit, and unfortunately it was only open to invited guests.

That's too bad. Would have been very interesting and, I would think, impactful.
(Yes I do remember what you told me.)

Karin determined that it was time for cake.

Of course it is.

That looks good. yum

It was some sort of cake soaked in rum,

Would it surprise you if I told you I'd try that?

The cake is still in my fridge as I write this (while writing my notes), hopefully I will find the room to eat it!

Still???

They use antlers in all of their de-cor-a-ting!

Good way to get ahead.

Shame on you if you didn’t sing that!

I did not. I assume it's from Tangled? Been too long since I've seen it (once.)

Stuffed!

It was good, but I knew I couldn’t eat it all so I ate the center and the filling.

#priorities

I had a schnapps with dessert, and somehow they convinced me to drink two more kinds of schnapps.

Had to really twist your arm, huh?

After dinner, the proprietor said to them in German, “The Frau has had enough schnapps” and they both laughed.

 

[pkondz]

and Jill shows up, we have a whirlwind good time.

Good!

I'll have to fill you in on all the joyous fun that's been going on since then.

uh, oh...

I meant you could come visit here and snuggled with my kitties!

Oh! Well, okay then.

She did want to say she was proud of me for just pushing on and not crawling up in a fetal position. But that's kind of what I do. When she had the injuries, I just stepped up and took care of what needed to be done.

I know. She'd be proud of you. No, scratch that. She is proud of you.

 

[DnA2010]

Hey folks! Sorry about the long absence! It's been a crazy last month between visiting my folks at the beginning of the month, Jill coming to visit here, and then me going to British Columbia two days after Jill left.

Lot of good times have been had

This is the remnants of Dürnstein Castle where Richard the Lionhearted was held prisoner at one time.

Wow! Europe is just too cool that way, re: old castles

The vineyards were beautiful.

Did you try their wine?

And then I ordered this Wachauer Rostbraten (braised cutlet of beef in a sauce of apricots and wine.) This was a dish, typical of the region, which was known for it’s apricots. It was so good and I ate almost every last bit, and regretted it because I was so stuffed, I couldn’t eat anything for the rest of the day, pretty much.

Yum that looks and sounds delish, looks like a lot of potatoes, although they look perfect. I do like apricot

Very artsy!

In one of the shops Karin bought me this apricot which had been stewed in the brandy and schnapps for over a year. It was good and the drink was strong. I considered that my dessert beyond the other dessert.

Their shops sound pretty "fun"!

I bought a bottle of the Apricot Liqueur. I still haven’t cracked any of those bottles open yet.

Looks like this was nice and soft still?

 

[DnA2010]

I made a sandwich from the cheese roll.

That looks tasty, I'd do the same, but not open face like @pkondz

And then we walked all the way up this hill….

Well it ain't know SH hill but...

The back side has the appearance of a “crux gemmata” through the use of precious stones and a cameo.

wow! that's very unique! thanks for showing both sides

See for miles when it's flat hey!

this looks like a postcard!

I got Eiskaffee which is basically vanilla ice cream with coffee/Espresso that has been chilled poured over it, and topped with whipped cream.

that sounds awesome, like affogato!

was that like a whipped cream in there?

I was kind of hoping they would offer me a box, but they did not.

Now Canada, we've got the boxes ready

And Sauerkraut was served as a side.

that's a massive portion, like the one we got at SH

I had a schnapps with dessert, and somehow they convinced me to drink two more kinds of schnapps.

So what are these guys?

Yeah, they claim that American portions are huge, so are Austrian. And with this increased dosage of drug, I may even be eating less.

You are def eating less!

 

[franandaj]

That's okay. Life gets busy sometimes. I know!

I bet you do! And life got busy again!

Wow! That's coming up quick!

And now it's even quicker! I could count it in hours now. Let's see..... 69 hours from when I'm writing this!

Hanging on! I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep up, but I'll try my best.

Well obviously I'm not updating at the lightning speed that I thought I would!

I never really thought about it that way, but you're right!

As you know, I'm not a big wine drinker, but I do like vineyards.

They are very pretty.

And I'm not gonna Google it. I'll take your word for it.

And one of the previous posters confirmed that Tim Rice wrote a musical about the story!

mmm... that sounds good. Too bad you got a bit too stuffed, though.

Yeah, I hate that feeling, it had been a long time since the last time I felt that way.

Would I like that? I'm guessing... probably not.

No, I think you would. It was definitely sweet. I haven't cracked the bottle that I purchased yet. Maybe if you come to visit, I'll open it.

The play of light and shadow juxtaposed with the angular momentum between the fore and backgrounds...

I can do artsy fartsy speak for your artsy fartsy picture.

The other day I got rid of 4-5 pairs of jeans. I wear them until they need replacing but keep the old one in case I need an old pair for some kind of messy work... I realized I've not thrown any out in years. Out they went!

I rarely get clothes to a point that they need replacing. I just don't work that hard.

Donate!

I have been! I got rid of a couple T-shirts in the last donation box!

Very convenient.

Wait... does that make it a convenience store?

Actually it was more of a convenience store than an actual grocery store. Karin and Tom didn't take me to any grocery stores, but Magdalene and I went to a couple that were much like grocery stores in America. This was definitely a convenience store, albeit well stocked!

Sounds interesting. How was it with the seeds?

It was OK, I wasn't a big fan of the seeds.

Early. You must have rope drop on the brain.

Well they were picking me up early.

Typical American breakfa.... wait.

Well if I have leftovers from a German restaurant it's typical!

I like how the cookie has the matching logo.

Most of the places had that, if not a cookie then a chocolate with their name on it.

ooohhh... that looks good.

it was.

I do the same when I'm having continental with mom. Except I do mine open-faced.

That's fair.

That butter and jam on a roll is growing on ya, huh?

Eh, haven't had it since I've been back home.

So... you went, what... 200... 250kms?

I wasn't navigating....I was in the back seat. No clue.

That's just last week by European standards.

Pretty much!

I wonder who else might do that?

Nice shot of you. Pretty top.

Thank you!

"Fetch me the book of lists of the serfs!"
"Which one is that?"
"The brown one."

Yeah, pretty much.

Oh! I just assumed both towers would be the same. Completely different. I wonder if they were built many years apart? Guessing yes.

I can't answer that, well if I were to go and read the book, but I don't have time.....you know 69 hours until I leave and all......

It's because of the metric system.

Oh, it that it?

Do you want quick? Or do you want restful? You can't have both!

I want my cake and eat it too!

I didn't know it was chilled first. I learned stuff.

I think it's called an affogato when it's still hot.

And? What did you think?

I liked it!

Hmmm... not sure if I've heard of that one. Sounds familiar... not sure.
That's too bad. Would have been very interesting and, I would think, impactful.
(Yes I do remember what you told me.)

Yeah, I had not heard of it....

That looks good. yum

It was quite tasty!

Would it surprise you if I told you I'd try that?

Yes, it would be a huge surprise.

Still???

Well at the time I was writing my notes, sitting in the hotel room, yes the cake was sitting in the fridge.

I did not. I assume it's from Tangled? Been too long since I've seen it (once.)

NOOOOOOoooooooooooo. It's from Beauty and the Beast! From the song Gaston! You need to listen to it!

Had to really twist your arm, huh?

You know how hard it is to get me to try an adult beverage!

 

[pkondz]

I bet you do! And life got busy again!

It has a tendency to do that, doesn't it?

And now it's even quicker! I could count it in hours now. Let's see..... 69 hours from when I'm writing this!

Not at all looking forward to that, are you?

Well obviously I'm not updating at the lightning speed that I thought I would!

Yeah, I hate that feeling, it had been a long time since the last time I felt that way.

I hate it too. Not sure if anyone actually enjoys that.

No, I think you would. It was definitely sweet. I haven't cracked the bottle that I purchased yet. Maybe if you come to visit, I'll open it.

Sweet!
Both the wine and the invite.

I rarely get clothes to a point that they need replacing. I just don't work that hard.

Eventually, when you wear something often enough...
Mostly they just get too faded for my liking. Or the hems get a little thread-worn.

I have been! I got rid of a couple T-shirts in the last donation box!

Well they were picking me up early.

So they must have rope drop on the brain.

Most of the places had that, if not a cookie then a chocolate with their name on it.

I like that.

Eh, haven't had it since I've been back home.

So you're saying you need to go back to Germany/Austria.

I can't answer that, well if I were to go and read the book, but I don't have time.....you know 69 hours until I leave and all......

Not that you're counting at all...

Oh, it that it?

I want my cake and eat it too!

Don't you mean you want your Sacher Torte and eat it too?

I think it's called an affogato when it's still hot.

My sister had that recently. It sounds good... if you like coffee.

Yes, it would be a huge surprise.

Try me.

Well at the time I was writing my notes, sitting in the hotel room, yes the cake was sitting in the fridge.

Ohhhhhh..

NOOOOOOoooooooooooo. It's from Beauty and the Beast! From the song Gaston! You need to listen to it!

oops

You know how hard it is to get me to try an adult beverage!

Very! Practically impossible!

 

[franandaj]

Lot of good times have been had

Indeed!

Wow! Europe is just too cool that way, re: old castles

Yes it is! Way older than these Americas!

Did you try their wine?

I'm not sure I saw that brand of wine on the menu.

Yum that looks and sounds delish, looks like a lot of potatoes, although they look perfect. I do like apricot

I think I left one of the potatoes. They were so crispy and good!

Very artsy!

Their shops sound pretty "fun"!

Well most of the them were your typical tourist traps.

I have, however, polished off a couple of those mini bottles that I bought when up with you!

Looks like this was nice and soft still?

Yes, it was very tasty!

That looks tasty, I'd do the same, but not open face like @pkondz

I only like my sandwiches open faced when they have gravy on them.

Well it ain't know SH hill but...

No, it wasn't that bad!

wow! that's very unique! thanks for showing both sides

You're welcome

See for miles when it's flat hey!

I'm not quite sure I'd call that flat.

this looks like a postcard!

Honestly, I was hoping to find a pack of postcards in the gift shop, but I guess they don't make those anymore.

that sounds awesome, like affogato!

Evidently affogato is when the coffee is still hot. Eiskaffee is when the coffee is cold.

was that like a whipped cream in there?

Honestly, I have no idea.

Now Canada, we've got the boxes ready

that's a massive portion, like the one we got at SH

Yeah, I know. I'm not sure how anyone can eat that much sauerkraut!

So what are these guys?

I think the dark one was sort of licorice flavored. They didn't think I was going to like it and they were trying to gross me out, but it was fine. It had a little bit of a tingly aspect to it. I forgot what the clear one was.

You are def eating less!

 

[franandaj]

It has a tendency to do that, doesn't it?

Yup! Crazy how that works!

Not at all looking forward to that, are you?

And now it's down to like 7 hours!

I hate it too. Not sure if anyone actually enjoys that.

Probably not.

Sweet!
Both the wine and the invite.

Eventually, when you wear something often enough...
Mostly they just get too faded for my liking. Or the hems get a little thread-worn.

I guess I have so many clothes that they don't get worn often enough. I have like 40+ pairs of capris, probably twice as many dresses, and then long pants (which I only wear about 1/4 of the year), I have at least 20 pairs of those. Most of the reason I'm getting rid of stuff lately is that it's so big on me, and I can't have it altered, some of the clothes just don't fit.

So you're saying you need to go back to Germany/Austria.

Well someday, but there are so many other places I need to go first.

Don't you mean you want your Sacher Torte and eat it too?

I think the name was a lot longer than that.....

My sister had that recently. It sounds good... if you like coffee.

They have that on the ship. I had it once. It was good.

 

[franandaj]

OK folks! Today is the day! I’m off on my next adventure! There’s still a bit left to this one, but I didn’t meet the challenge of finishing this report before starting on the next. I have a few more hours before I leave and lets see if I can get the pieces in place to finish this while I’m gone. But I doubt it!

Day 12

I had set my alarm for 7AM as Karin and Tom would not be picking me up until 8:45, but at 6:00AM I was wide awake. I didn’t fight it. Jenny and Jill were still up and we chatted while I was doing my morning stuff. I took my last shower until I was home and put away my hair products. I also put everything I wouldn’t need anymore into the suitcase and weighed it.

You see Karin and Tom had given me 3 kilos of stuff to bring back for Jill. I was going to be her Gummi Bear Mule. LOL! They had made a special trip to Passau to the store where they sell these special Gummi Bears the week before I arrived. You see, I couldn’t go to the shop where the special gummi bears are sold because we were in Passau on my birthday which was a holiday. All stores were closed that day.

My suitcase was still only 45 pounds, but I was going to have a heck of a time lugging it onto the train the next day. I mean I did have 4 bottles of schnapps/liqueur that I had purchased as well.

They picked me up at 8:45, and we went to yet a different breakfast spot. They did not have the coffee that I have decided that I like (even though I’ve only had it once). So I got French Press Coffee instead.

They had Eier Benedikt on the menu and that sounded yummy and intriguing to me, so I ordered it. This turned out to be one of the best breakfasts that I have had on the entire trip! Karin said that was because this place was much more American style than any other place.

Not quite what I had expected, but I liked it!

On the other hand Karin and Tom hated the place, her teapot was rusted, whatever style of eggs that they ordered were basically served raw. She posted on a local food Facebook group, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the place is out of business by now with the reactions that she got.

Then we got into the car, drove on the motorway until we reached St. Florian.

Here we are outside the building.

Such detail in the entrance.

We purchased a guided tour. The actual tour was in Austrian, but there was an earpiece that I was able to use which had an English version on it. I’m sure the native speakers got a much better tour because they could interact with the guide and ask questions.

At some point during the tour, I listened to a history of how Florian became a Saint and why he is the Saint of Firefighters.

Florian was born in 250 AD in Cetium, what is now Austria. As a young man he joined the Roman army, and proved to have the makings of quickly climbing the ranks. The emperor at the time—Diocletian—recognized his dedication and ability to work well with people, and appointed Florian to a high administrative post in Noricum, now part of Austria. However, Diocletian had no intention of using Florian to do good deeds. During the Roman Empire, the rise of the Christian doctrine was not tolerated. Anyone proclaiming to be a Christian was sought out and punished by being put in prison or to death. The only way Christians could be spared prison or death, is if they were willing to renounce their religion and offer sacrifice to the Roman gods or emperor.​

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As an official working under the Emperor, St. Florian was expected to carry out his duties persecuting Christians in the areas he commanded.​

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St. Florian refused.​

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Angered that he was being disobeyed, the emperor sent one of his assistants, Aquilius, to speak to Florian. When Aquilius asked Florian why he wasn’t fulfilling his orders, Florian replied, “Tell the Emperor that I am a Christian and will suffer the same fate as the Christians.” Stunned by Florian’s confession, Aquilius tried to entice Florian into abandoning his faith by offering him a promotion. Florian would not be swayed. In retaliation, Aquilius ordered that Florian be whipped and beaten. In response, Florian expressed that he wouldn’t mind enduring a “few scratches” for his faith and personal beliefs.​

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Becoming angered and fearful that Florian would convince other Christians to rebel against him and the emperor, Aquilius ordered his soldiers to burn Florian to death. When Florian surrendered himself to Aquilius’ soldiers, he stood on the pyre with confidence. Rather than being fearful for his impending death, Florian challenged the soldiers to go ahead and light the fire, saying, “If you do, I will climb to heaven on the flames.” Irritated, Aquilius decided not to burn Florian, but instead ordered him to be scourged and drowned by throwing him into the Enns River with a rock tied around his neck.​

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St. Florian died 304 AD. His body was recovered and he was given a proper burial.​

Here we are in the main courtyard of the monastery, awaiting our tour.

This in addition to my handheld listening guide was what I had for understanding what we were looking at.

We were about to enter the library.

The ceiling….

I loved that these keys were used to lock and unlock the doors.

One hallway had some beautiful stained glass windows. I’m not showing you all of them, there were so many!

Then we entered this large ballroom. Today it is used for concerts, private ceremonies and other functions. There was just a concert in there the day before.

Darn musicians and their patrons, leaving trash all over the floor!

And their stuff in the corner of the room!

One last look at the ceiling in this room.

[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

Our next stop was the church. Here are the confessionals.

The church was very beautiful and also had some gilding in the decorations.

They like their ceilings here!

This was Bruckner’s Organ.

If you are not familiar with Anton Bruckner here is a small history on his life.

Anton Bruckner was born in Ansfelden (then a village, now almost a suburb of Linz) on 4 September 1824. Music was a part of the school curriculum, and Bruckner's father was his first music teacher. Bruckner learned to play the organ early as a child. He was very dedicated to the instrument just as he was later in life in composing, often practising for 12 hours a day. He entered school when he was six, proved to be a hard-working student, and was promoted to upper class early.​

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Bruckner's father died in 1837, when Bruckner was 13 years old. The teacher's position and house were given to a successor, and Bruckner was sent to the Augustinian monastery in Sankt Florian to become a choirboy. In addition to choir practice, his education included violin and organ lessons. Soon he began to teach classes on his own, as an assistant teacher.​

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After several different moves, teaching and studying at several different schools, Bruckner returned to Sankt Florian in 1845 where, for the next 10 years, he would work as a teacher and an organist. Largely self-taught as a composer, Bruckner only started composing seriously at age 37 in 1861. Broad fame and acceptance did not come until he was over 60 (after the premiere of his Seventh Symphony in 1884).​

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In addition to his symphonies, Bruckner wrote Masses, motets and other sacred choral works, and a few chamber works, including a string quintet. Unlike his romantic symphonies, some of Bruckner's choral works are often conservative and contrapuntal in style; however, the Te Deum, Helgoland, Psalm 150 and at least one Mass demonstrate innovative and radical uses of chromaticism.​

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Bruckner died in Vienna in 1896 at the age of 72. He is buried in the crypt of the monastery church at Sankt Florian, immediately below his favorite organ​

Then we went to the crypt which is underneath the church.

This is where Bruckner’s body is interred. There are also thousands of skulls and other bones down there that they found when excavating the area.

Here are some other caskets on display in the crypt.

Next Up: We tour the living quarters.

 

[missjackiemcg]

My suitcase was still only 45 pounds, but I was going to have a heck of a time lugging it onto the train the next day. I mean I did have 4 bottles of schnapps/liqueur that I had purchased as well.

Schnapps and liquer and gummy bears, oh my! Sounds like a tasty suitcase!

Simply gorgeous! It reminds me of the library Beast gives to Belle. I always love the smell of libraries filled with old books. This looks like it would be an incredible place to cozy up and read.

Wow, this is really incredible. Those bones and skulls are real, I assume?