Danube Bike Tour Day 22: Ybbs to Spitz
Posted by Cassie, November 27th, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Distance: 48km
We were surprised to see the sun trying to peak through the clouds this morning. We were optimistic that today might be a better day for the weather. We enjoyed the ride along the river in the nice, dry weather. However, when we took a short break outside Melk, it started raining on us. Just when we thought the weather was getting better, it had to rain again. Fortunately, the rain blew over relatively quickly, so we didn’t get soaking wet.
Melk was known for its beautiful Benedictine abbey. St. Benedict left Rome because he was disillusioned with the corruption of the Catholic church. However, the abbey was ornately decorated with lots of gold, and the abbey had many expensive treasures that had been donated. It seemed to be a contradiction with his reason for founding a new order of the church. My favorite part of the abbey was the beautiful library with lots of old books, and it had also had lovely frescoes on the ceiling. The abbey was also built on the top of a hill, so it had a great view of the Danube river and the town of Melk.
Melk Benedictine Abbey
View of Melk from abbey
Melk abbey library
Melk abbey chapel
Melk abbey ceiling fresco
Fortunately, as we rode out of Melk, the weather cleared up, and we actually saw the sun! The scenery after Melk was very neat. The mountains became more impressive, and they were more impressive than the mountains we saw when we rode out of Passau. It was late by the time we left Melk, so we only rode a little further. It still was too cold for camping, so we found a nice pension to stay for the night in Spitz.
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