Today was certainly a day of adventure. It sounds weird to say but I was getting in the rhythm of meandering on my bike by the Danube and stumbling upon castles.
♪ On the road again ♫
We started off on an really fascinating trip by going south of the Danube to visit a castle tucked twenty minutes away from Melk. We rode through cornfield after cornfield and I enjoyed the peace that the rural countryside brought
Once we finally made it to where the castle is supposed to be I really had to laugh because it was closed for a children's birthday party! Where else in the world can you rent out an entire castle for your birthday?
We were at least greeted when we got there. Not by any people but by a cat sitting on the roof, following along as we walked around the outside.
Next up was Stift Melk. This was really a hidden gem in the midst of this small Austrian town on the Danube.
First I was struck by an impressive array of clocks on all sides of the inner square. I think clocks in this time were absolutely a symbol of wealth and intelligence. The intricacy of the mechanisms and the level of skill required to create them was no doubt a way to show God their adoration. I wonder if they purchased these clocks from Augsburg and had them shipped here. I read in the Metropolitan Museum's website that during the early 18th century when this abbey became baroque, Augsburg was one of the leading suppliers of clocks to all of Europe.
Also note the interesting paintings around the clocks in the inner courtyard. I have no idea what style they are but I doubt they're from anytime before 1900
The interior of the abbey absolutely blew me away. I have never seen so much gold in one building before. It completely overwhelmed my senses. I managed to snap some pictures of the Sunday mass despite there being a very strict to photo policy throughout the entire abbey.
I'm thankful that this abbey survived several waves of destruction and closure danger. From lecture I heard that the enlightened despot, Josef II (son of Maria Theresa), wanted to shut it down because of the needless excess. But since it was also operating a school he deemed it functional enough to keep. And while I'm on the topic of Josef II, here's an example of the coffins that he tried to implement throughout Vienna. The bottom would drop out and dump the body into the ground after it was lowered, thereby cutting on the excessive and elaborate coffins that were common at the time. This policy did not last as the Viennese were very fond of their funeral ceremonies as they were. I don't know why the abbey had one in their museum, but it was fun to see it in person!
I also really appreciated this little blip from a former servant of Martin Luther, named Hillarius Große. His statements were pretty hilarious so the name seems fitting.
I'd guess that during the early years of the Reformation it was just as important to attack Luther's character as his theology. Each side was looking to discredit the other by any means necessary. But from what I've heard attending Kathy's classes, Luther didn't exactly have the best table side manner.
Now check out this library! A total dream for someone who is as into calligraphy as I am. Not the best photo quality but that's because they didn't allow photos and would actually have people patrolling often :(
Back to biking. Here you can get an impression of the peaceful flat trails we were working with along the great Danube.
And again, the great thing about this trip is that you just happen upon castles with the same frequency you'd expect to find starbucks stores in downtown San Francisco.
But our next planned stop was an hour down the Danube by bike, and about a 40 minute hike up a steep hill. It was Aggstein Castle, a fairly well preserved medieval castle . What a beautiful place! A word of recommendation though, don't eat at the restaurant that is inside the castle. They are overpriced and the food is poor quality. Instead, eat at the restaurant at the bottom of the hill near the parking lot.
This one's for you Kathy! Spot the historical inaccuracy with this executioner.
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