Today, as a free day before the final class day, I decided to hop out to the Wachau valley one more time with a few people heading out that way. However, this time Matt and I would go on the opposite side of the river, so find some places we had not seen.
The last bike trip, our purpose was the ruins where Richard the Lionheart was held captive. This time, it was to get to the ruins on top one of the mountains that we saw as we rode the first time.
The day was a bit hotter, and my bike was nowhere near as nice, but it was still a stellar trip. Getting off in Melk, we went up to actually explore the Abbey. I was unimpressed with the first few rooms, which are trying to do some fancy new exhibit style, with odd lighting from room to room. However, once we got outside of that half, we were treated to a view of the town & river from the top of the Abbey, before heading through the library. It infuriated a few of us that the coolest part of the Abbey, the library, we could not take photos of. There was an old-world globe, and a globe of the constellations (I've never seen a globe of the constellations) at the two ends of the hallway, which struck me as almost a secular versus sacred opposition (the constellations were painted on like gods).
Past the library were the beautiful stairwells, with a mirror at the bottom to keep the illusion that they are much longer than they were, as well as to see the underside of the stairwell. And coming out at the bottom of the abbey, we encountered....Organs!
Not the Habsburg organs spread through Vienna, but musical organs of the chapel, which I have been waiting to hear this entire damned trip. Oh man, the vibrations that echoed through the room, especially in the bass notes as I stood right below the organ seat. Playing that thing must be orgasmic. I knew that this would be a good day.
After the performance stopped, everybody applauded, and we wandered through the chapel, looking at the skeletons of different people embalmed within. The Abbey was built in the 11th century, and some bones, which we could not see, were of a murdered priest, and had been sent to the Abbey in 1050-something, to be buried. What a wonderful find! To have been kept there, through war and all, for over a thousand years. Even longer than the Habsburgs themselves had been in Austria. I wonder if he will still be buried there in another thousand years.
The Abbey store sold, instead of wine as with Klosterneuburg, herbed liquor akin to Jägermeister. I purchased a small flute of Abbot Georg's Magensonne. It tastes delicious, but I will keep it instead as a souvenir.
I don't understand this place, however, as the entrance has paintings that look like graffiti of ninjas, and then the adjoining garden is filled with cardboard cutouts of odd, magical creatures. Was Melk once rumored to have such beings? Regardless, we left, and, after a brief stint souvenir shopping, began our ride.
I showed the way for AJ and his gang to cross the bridge and head down the Donauradweg on the trail I know and love, while Matt and I carried on straight. Almost immediately, we found some wild blackberries (or berries of some sort) growing along the path, so decided to risk it and eat some. I am still alive today, so it was a safe call.
Our first goal was this gorgeous castle we could see from the bridge the last time around. Coming up on it, however we were stopped by a sign stating 'Privat'. I did not know castles could still be privately owned! I was so pissed. Why don't I own a castle? It's straight unfair I tell you, even if somebody owns a castle, it should be open for the public to see. That castle was gorgeous, built on a cliff overlooking the river. We had no choice but to ride on another couple hours to the castle ruins of Aggstein
(to be continued...)
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