This was a journey to a living, breathing abbey where Benedictine monks work and worship; on a hilltop overlooking the splendid Wachau Valley and the Danube River.
The courtyard includes a huge building housing an ages-old library and museum ...with the first 2 photos showing the entrance way to the courtyard.
Inside the museum, one climbs the three-story Imperial Showcase, crowned by one of the largest and most spectacular ceiling frescoes in the world, depicting the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI as Apollo.
The ceiling gives the impression that it is 3 dimensional, but actually the artist painted it on a flat surface giving it the feeling of depth.
The adjoining princely and imperial rooms showcase splendid artwork from the abbey's own collection.
Next we'll visit the Abbey church to view a neoclassical portal into a rainbow-colored interior with beautiful pews and art work.
(sorry, but 7 out of the 9 photos inside the church got "error messages" and could not be uploaded :)
The day ended with a nice meal....
...and complemented with German "umpapa" music provided by two German men in Lederhosen.
Tomorrow, we dock in Vienna, Austria and the day is highlighted by a visit to the Lipizzaner Stallions and the evening features a Mozart Strauss Concert. Steemians, join me tomorrow for all the excitement!