Onward to the Austro-Hungarian Empire

On the fifth day of our cruise we docked at Melk. Walking through a forested path, we looked up to see the imposing twin towers of the Melk Abbey looking down on us. A bus was provided for the journey uphill to the Abbey, but after the guided tour, we took an easy walk down the steps from the Abbey to the main drag of the pleasant town, shops and cafes welcoming tourists, and cyclists dropping by from the canal "towpath" on their way from Passau to Vienna.
In the Abbey, there is an excellent display of the collection of some of its treasures, before arriving at the spacious marble salon and then emerging onto the Terrace from where there is a panoramic view of the town. We then went on to the library and finally into the ornate Baroque chapel.

We did not linger long, but hurried back to the boat which left before lunch so that we could later have a good view of the Wachau valley while sitting on the sundeck. Commentary was given by our Cruise Director, Robert.
We saw the fertile vineyards as we approached Durnstein with its association with Richard the Lionheart. Robert gave a powerpoint lecture on the History of Austria after Coffee and cake in the afternoon.
Vienna came into view as evening approached, and after dinner on the ship, Sylvia and I ventured downtown on the U-bahn, the user-friendly subway system. Once in Stephansplatz, we savoured the Viennese air as we strolled down Kartnerstrasse, past the famed Opera House to the Ringstrasse where we caught the tram for a ride past the monumental Museums, Hofburg palace, and Parliament buildings.
Arriving at the Stadtpark, we paid our hommage to the Strauss monument and peeked into the Kursalon where our friends had gone to listen to an evening of Viennese music.

Sylvia went on the city tour the next day, but I went off to see 2 sights that I had missed on every previous visit to Vienna: the first was to walk in the Vienna Woods, and the second to walk up to the Gloriette in the grounds of the Schoenbrunn Palace. I was very pleased to have accomplished both missions. The view was practically zero from the Kahlenberg heights, the morning mists still covering the city. I had a lovely cool walk in the woods and then a very hot walk in the Schoenbrunn palace grounds later in the morning.