Czech Republic - Austria: September 4, 2009

Friday was a continuation of Thursday night’s rain and wind. We left the hotel at about 10:15 and headed out to pick up some supplies for our drive to Vienna. From there we drove to Uhersky Brod to pick up Carol from her dialysis and then set off for Durnstein. The weather had eased quite a bit and the beginning of the drive was quite good. However, just north of Vienna, the weather was bad again and driving became more difficult. We made it safely to Durnstein, parked and walked up the street into the town in the rain. It was still as quaint as I remembered and we walked up the main street. Being wet, the tourists were non-existent, so we were able to walk freely. We made our way to the Abbey and entered the church. It was not disappointing inside, and the photographs did not portray the atmosphere. One of the unique features was the glass coffins containing the remains (read: clothed skeleton) of two of the Abbotts, which was a bit eerie.

From there we walked to a small tavern and ate lunch. Sticking with the local theme, I had beef goulash with dumplings. It was very good. We then tasted some local Wachau wines at one of the local merchants and investigated one or two of the souvenir shops, before sloshing our way back to the car. It was raining much harder and the drive to Vienna was not enjoyable. Thanks to the wonders of GPS, we found our hotel, The Imperial Riding School, quite easily. Marisa and I walked up the street and managed to acquire some pizza at the Underground station before settling in for the night.