Salzburg to Vienna (via Linz & Melk)

Waking up in Salzburg to a snowy morning had Annabelle in heaven. Salzburg at any time of the year is pretty, but basked in sunshine (which we didn't experience) and covered in snow (which we did) are probably the two best times to visit.

Unfortunately, my camera failed on me - and refused to take any reasonable shots that aren't of blurred streetscape. So the memory of snowy Salzburg is just that.

However, as we drove to Linz (the third largest city in Austria - and an old industrial town - though it doesn't look it - on the Danube - or Donau as the Austrians and Germans call it).

Linz is home to Austria's largest cathedral - Neuer Dom (New Cathedral - how imaginative) - and the one condition upon the architect (who later designed Cologne Cathedral's later stages) was that the steeple should not be taller than that of Stephansdom, in Vienna. The cathedral has enough space for 20,000 worshipers - but looking at the tiny amount of seats - I'm sure that number also incorporates standing room only worshippers - making praying a bit hard...

Linz is also home to one of Austria's largest squares - and according to the guidebook, "one of the world's foremost achievements in town planning." Not having a town planning degree - I'm not quite qualified to comment on this, but I'm not sure what all the fuss was about. I actually thought it was moderately dangerous having trams go through the central square. But it was impressive in terms of its scale. We did also visit in Winter - so Linz's town square may not have been at its most impressive. 

We walked a little up to the Danube - with Mum hummming the "Blue Danube Waltz" and making comments about how vast the river was flowing, how big the river was, and how historically important the river must have been. (Such comments were also made when we reached the Rhine and Elbe Rivers in Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Dresden respectively).

After a lunch in Linz that was a.) too long and b.) just not that great. (May I add that it was Mum who chose it - which would come back to haunt us later), we set off for Melk, a town in northern Austria that is home to a spectacular abbey.

The English tour started at 2:00pm, and it being 1:00pm, we had 1 hour to drive the 1 hour and 30 minutes to Melk. You were also required to be there 15 minutes before hand to buy the tickets. We raced (no joke - we probably overtook about every car on the road) to Melk, arriving about 2:10 pm (we may or may not have received several speeding tickets - we think there's a speed limit in Austria - but no one else obeys it). We ran up to the ticket office, and asked the lady desperately if we could join in the tour.
"No. The English tour has already started".
"Well could you just take us to where they are?"
(Has look on security cameras)
"No. I cannot take you there. The tour has already started"
"You can't just take us to the third room - we don't really care if we've missed a bit"
"No. I cannot do that"

This conversation gives you some idea about how rigid the Austrians and Germans are with their timetables. The lady could have just taken us to the tour (we later found them anyway), but it would have meant that she would have to leave the desk - not her job - and that she would have interrupted the tour - hurting someone else's job. So I guess that is 30 euros that the Abbey at Melk will not be receiving for their restoration works in the future.

She did give us a brochure of the times of the tour (which we already knew) for "next time we visited Melk" - HA! But she did tell us we could visit the courtyard, as well as an exhibition about the builder of the abbey, and the church. So I'm not sure what all the fuss about the tour was. We did find our way to the exhibition, as well as to another art exhibition (of water colour flowers), as well as the priest entrance to "one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in the world"." I decided I'd had enough, and walked through the next door I found, which led only too a curtained section of the church and a bunch of robed priests standing round having a gander in German. Hence, I exited, and we departed Melk - but not before discovering that we'd accidentally stumbled upon a WORLD HERITAGE SITE. Hooray!!!

Part of the "Wachau Valley of Austria" - Mum was now able to cross another off her list!! Here are some further shots of the Abbey, as well as an arial photo of a photo.

From Melk we continued to Vienna uneventfully - and at speeds less than 150 kph. We checked into the Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom - inspired by the cathedral in Vienna - and completely in shades of white, black and grey, but a colourful roof. The whole building is very symbolic about the cathedral - and we were thankfully (for Mum I think) in a white room, overlooking the Vienna Woods and the Ferris Wheel.

How plush we are!!