Visiting a 12th CENTURY Winery in Austria's Wachau Valley (Danube River Cruise)

Yesterday was a big city and today is about small villages… three of them actually! Today, we have three excursions in three different towns. We are in the Wachau Valley which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a region of picturesque Austria!

First up, we dock in Krems and hop a bus for a quick 10 minute drive along the river to Dürnstein which offers a unique combination of breathtaking scenery, traditional architecture and places of historic interest. Here we are able to stroll the charming streets of this fairy tale village which even include a castle ruin! Our walking tour took us through medieval cobblestone streets and 16th century townhouses. There are two main landmarks to this town, with the most visible being the luminous blue facade of the Baroque Stiftskirche, Dürnstein’s famed church cloister which is considered the most beautiful of its kind in all of Austria. And high above the town we could see the ruins of castle where Richard the Lionheart (King of England) was imprisoned in 1192. There are vineyards and apricot trees all around town and these are the two most popular products… so I had to go to a cafe and try an apricot filled donut with an apricot nectar juice… the wine will come later. Honestly, this was one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen and I could have just sat by the river all day enjoying the beauty!

Visiting Melk Abbey

After lunch, our second tour takes us to the other side of the valley to Melk Abbey or as known locally as Stift Abbey. We drive high up a hill to arrive at the abbey, which is so grand it can be seen for miles away perched on high in the river valley. Melk Abbey is one of Europe’s largest and most revered Baroque monasteries. Originally founded in the 11th century, this magnificent Benedictine Abbey now houses a museum chronicling its history and a famous library with countless medieval manuscripts. This is a site to behold! The entire complex is painted a yellow/gold and truly stands out in the valley’s landscape. Once you approach, you can see how big it really is! A guide will take you through each room of the museum which leads one into another. Each room has a different theme, for example the first has a blue light in the room that represents meditation. There are many beautiful pieces of art in the form of paintings, sculptures and gold… crosses, chalices, etc. So much gold! Especially when you make it to the last room, which is the ornate and glorious church! It took 44 years to build the church which opened in 1746.

Amazing Wine & Austrian Music Experience

We end our day, and meet up with the ship, in Spitz which is in between Kerns and Melk along the river. Here we attended an exclusive event for AmaWaterways at a local winery. Our bus drops us off at the historic Klosterhof, the former wine press of St. Gottweig Abbey. Dating back to the 12th century, this atmospheric estate will host an intimate wine tasting set to live Austrian music… which was AMAZING!! This was so much more than I ever expected! The building itself is beautiful where you can see the stone from the 12th century and the bricks from the 16th century that make up the walls. The wine was good, but the music and the atmosphere made this the best experience of the day… well actually of the entire trip! We were having such a great time, our table was among the last to leave and we were invited down into the wine cellar to see more. The rooms just went on and on… there was so much to see! And so much more than I can describe, it just has to be seen!

The winery is very close to the river and a tunnel has been made under the road so that we could walk from the winery directly back to the ship. We ended our night with a family style dinner at Jimmy’s Wine Bar & Restaurant onboard, which is a unique restaurant to the AmaMagna. Magnificent day!

#wachau #austria #danuberivercruise


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