August 30, 1999
To Melk
After a great buffet breakfast at the hotel we took a walking tour of Krems before packing up for the short, leisurely ride to Melk, home of the famous Benedictine monastery. The ride itself was quite relaxed as we began the first of three days on the Danube bike route. For the next several days we enjoyed flat, quiet, beautiful roads, usually well away from cars, and facing a steady stream of oncoming bike tourists riding downhill and downwind on their way to Vienna.
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Melk is a rather small place: pretty enough, but overwhelmed by the huge monastery that looms above on the hill to the west. After selecting a room we hurriedly set out on foot to the monastery, hoping to be in time for the 3 PM guided tour in English. We would have been more successful if we’d gone in the right direction but in our haste we chose badly, wasting about 20 minutes and a fruitless scramble up a dirt path to the undated walls at the backside of the complex. Having no other choice we hurriedly walked in the other direction and arrived at the main entrance at 3:15 - late, but still in time for the best part of the tour.
The monastery is splendid, and a fascinating achievement. Its most memorable feathers are its monastic library, the marble hall, and the choir (?).
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 377 km (234 miles)
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