Durstein, Melk and the Wachau Valley

   Much cooler today and some rain this afternoon as I walked home from Bridge. I had several good hands and made the contract each time - my partner, Marie, had a Grand Slam - her first ever!

   I had to look in my diary to see where we went after Vienna - it was Durstein, an interesting town in the wine region of Bavaria, and a hike to a ruined castle overlooking the town and the river. After lunch on the boat we arrived at another town in the Wachau valley, Melk, where we visited a monastery. Bus there but we were given the option of walking back through the town, which I did, getting back in time for afternoon tea. As if we don't eat enough during the day! In the evening there was a lecture on the history and origins of wine. The weather was much cooler but still pleasant.

Interior of the church.

Exterior of the church.

View over Durstein to the Danube.

Entrance to the monastery in Melk.

Didn't quite make it all the way up to the ruined castle.

Vienna, Austria

   It has been overcast all day today, but quite warm - mid 20's. Two sets of tennis this morning and my wrist is much improved, almost back to normal. Kathy and I won the first set 6-2 but Cathy and Henry were up 4-3 when we had to vacate the court. I'd had enough anyway and was glad to stop.

   A rain shower later but not much so I was able to cut the rest of the grass this afternoon. The garden is looking very tidy, finally. I have some lamb chops marinating for dinner. It's ages since I had lamb - probably Easter -  but I will have to make my own mint sauce.

   Our next stop on the cruise was Vienna and we needed a bus to take us to the city centre. It was extremely hot again and although I enjoyed the walking tour, I was quite glad to get back to the boat. In the evening we had a demonstration and dance lesson of the Viennese Waltz which was fun. I got to dance with the instructor who really had me floating on air. 

Bratislava, Slovakia

    Overcast but warm for most of the day today. I cut the back grass and got the strimmer working on the borders. That should be it for the next week or two. A swim was called for after I had swept up all the clippings.

  Back to the cruise. After boarding the boat at Budapest and spending the day sight seeing, we set sail for Bratislava, Slovakia. We arrived early next morning  and went on a walking tour of downtown. It was extremely hot so we tried to keep in the shade.

Budapest, Hungary

   Just my usual tennis and gardening today and two swims - my blog is getting very repetitive. However, Wednesday was different as James was over for his half birthday sleepover and we went to Red Lobster for dinner. He had garlic shrimp and popcorn shrimp with lots of French fries. I had lobster and crab dip with tostitos - pretty light on the lobster. I ate some of his shrimp and fries. We were both stuffed when we got home but we had made sausage rolls before going out and he managed to put one away before bed.

  The construction site which was my front yard is now filled in with earth and awaiting some grass seed. They were very speedy and the street is quiet once more. So on to my cruise photos.

The "Amadeus Silver" double parked in Budapest.

The "Pest" side taken from The Fisherman's Bastion on the "Buda" side.

Hero's Square, Budapest