From Melk To The Mountains - An Austrian Welcome | Next Stop Everywhere

We've arrived into amazing Austria, with an appetite for exploration and a hunger to see the best this beautiful nation has to offer!

*** This video was recorded during summer, before Austria's rise in Covid-19 cases and curfew ***

First up though, a change of plan. We were meant to be going into Chechia (Czech Republic) but at the time this video was recorded, Covid-19 cases were spiking and a border closure/quarantine was between Austria and Chechia was mooted. So we hot-footed it over the border to make sure we got here... and where did we end up? The fantastic Melk Abbey of course.

The vivid yellow of the Melk Abbey - one of the biggest and most beautiful European Baroque abbeys - holds a grand position overlooking the Danube. It catches your eye when you approach the stunning city of Melk. Planned by the famous Austrian Baroque Architect Jakob Prandtauer in the first half of the 18th century, Benedictine Monks still live there and dedicate their work to culture and education. Even though it is visited by 550,000 people every year, it is still a place of spirituality and a Christian school, with an enviable educational reputation.

And speaking of the Danube, we thought the best thing to do from here was follow it's cool waters winding ways and see where the river takes us... as luck would have it, it lead us to the brilliant Au an der Donau Camping, where we rested up for a bit and took a dip in the aforementioned chilly waters of Austria's most magnificent river.

Then it's on to St.Wolfgang to climb the famed Schafberg Mountain... but not with our hiking boots strapped to our feet... nope... we decided to let the train take the strain with a trip on the incredible Schafbergbahn Cog Railway!

The steepest, steam cog-railway in Austria has been ascending the Schafberg Mountain since 1893. It takes 35 minutes to reach the summit, covering an ascent of 1,190 metres over 5.85 km.
The long-established cog railway's steam engines count amongst the oldest working engines in the world, and the view from the summit (1,783 m) is breath-taking. We're sure you'll enjoy it as much as we did!

Finally we visit the downhill ski racing mecca that is Kitzbuhel, where we stop for a history lesson on the 'Hahnenkammrennen', a world-famous annual World Cup alpine ski race. The race take place on the Hahnenkamm Mountain which features the classic downhill course, the Streif (or 'streak'), often regarded as the most demanding course on the World Cup circuit. Many famous names have scored stunning victories here, and many have struggled to even reach the end of the course too... Ski Sunday eat your heart out!

Enjoy, and join us for our Next Stop... Everywhere!

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