The boat remained docked in Krems overnight. Today we had an early start so my alarm was set for 06:00. We met up with Jane and Trevor for breakfast and then went to join our respective coaches. (They have split us up so we don't cause too much trouble!)
The coach left the marina and took us over the Danube and up to Göttweig Abbey which dominates the countryside from its hilltop location. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was founded in 1083 but rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 18th Century after the original buildings were destroyed by fire. We switched on our QuietVox boxes and the tour began. Like yesterday, we were taken to the Imperial Wing to view the various rooms. It was interesting but not as impressive as Melk.
Again, this is a working monastery with some 30 monks and 3 novices. We didn't get to see the parts of the monastery used by the monks (understandably). Like yesterday, we finished the tour at the church which was, again, Baroque in style. This was more gaudy than Melk and somehow lacked atmosphere. Having said that, there was a chapel in the crypt that was quite lovely.
We finished the visit with a wander around the upper gardens and then made our way down for a coffee before rejoining the coach.
After the Abbey, the coach dropped us in the heart of Krems for a guided tour of the old town. QuietVox again provided direct commentary from our guide as we wove through the streets.
Krems and its twin district of Stein were really quite charming. It is one of the oldest settlements in the Wachau Valley and artefacts dating back 32,000 years have been found nearby. (Venus of Galgenberg).
The town is a maze of cobbled streets and alleys. Our tour lasted about 30 minutes and then we were left to our own devices for a wander through the streets. We stopped in one store so I could buy an adapter to charge my MacBook (the only adapter I had forgotten to bring).
We got back to the boat in time for a spot of lunch and the sail away. The boat left Krems and started on the 170km journey east to Bratislava. It was particularly interesting as we went through the first lock. (We had traversed it during the first night afloat, but hadn't seen it for obvious reasons). It looked as if we descended about 10 metres as the lock equalised the level with the next stretch of water.
By mid evening we had arrived in Bratislava and docked. We met up for dinner and then settled in the lounge for the evening's music quiz. It was nearly midnight when we finally stopped talking and went to bed.
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