So we left Vienna Saturday before noon thinking there will not be much traffic getting out of town, but we were wrong. Where is everybody going? must be a popular event somewhere we don't know about.

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On our way, we passed Schönbrunn Palace, another  UNESCO Heritage Site and is so full of history 

The vast courtyard houses a theater, a cafe, and fountains with a cobblestone path leading to the palace’s front balcony. The Schönbrunn Palace has 1,441 rooms
The palace was originally a mansion called Katterburg. It was bought by Roman Emperor Maximilian II along with the floodplain it was erected on. He intended the place to be the court’s recreational hunting ground. He got the area fenced and exotic animals were kept and fishponds were made.

Just like other palaces I'm not invited so on we go

We followed the Danube, which is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through much of Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest into the Black Sea. A large and historically important river, it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects ten European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for 2,850 km (1,770 mi), passing through or bordering Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. Among the many cities on the river are four national capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade. 

It was raining most of the way but it's still very pretty 

Here's one of the famous river cruise boats

We stopped in a small town named Melk, and we went for a walk.

Mom adores these gorgeous geraniums

and the roses 

Melk Abbey is one of the biggest and most beautiful European Baroque Ensembles. Its splendid architecture is famous worldwide and is part of UNESCO´s World Cultural Heritage. Since 1089, Benedictine Monks have continually been living and working in Melk Abbey. Following the rules laid down by St. Benedict, they try to translate into action the words ORA et LABORA et LEGE (pray, work, and read) by working in pastoral care, education as well as organizing numerous cultural Events

Mom knew I wasn't going to be welcomed in the abbey but we walked up there anyway, and this lady came walking on the opposite side. To Mom's surprise, I started my deep dark warning growl ............

Why Mom said? I wasn't sure but something wasn't right to me. 

Mom tried to figure it out and spoke to the lady and asked why God disliked dogs so much so they were never let into religious sites.

The lady responded "This is a sacred site and dogs don't have the spiritual sense to understand that"

HEY SISTER, you know absolutely nothing about dogs especially me. I have a spiritual sense which I use for detecting things such as good, evil, beauty, and truth, much better than both you and Mom ..............See Mom, I warned you 

Due to its fame and academic stature, Melk managed to escape dissolution under Emperor Joseph II when many other Austrian abbeys were seized and dissolved between 1780 and 1790. The abbey managed to survive other threats to its existence during the Napoleonic Wars, and also in the period following the Anschluss in 1938, when the school and a large part of the abbey were confiscated by the state.

The school was returned to the abbey after the Second World War and now serves nearly 900 pupils of both sexes.

After our walk, we continued following the Danube driving through several sweet small villages until we stopped and camped at Grein.

One attraction in Grein is Greinburg Castle, built between 1488 and 1493. The castle was purchased by a Duke in 1823 and is now owned by a family foundation, headed by Andreas Prince of Saxe-Coburg. The ducal family is living here but the castle is also open for visitors.

Further, there is the oldest theatre in all of Austria located in the city

This is where the hardcore bicyclist often starts their pedaling but we only wanted to relax while the laundry was being done. This place had a dryer so we didn't have to hang everything around Lucy .

At the camp was a small cafe serving sausages and coffee and .........................beer.

Mom did not want to get another greasy sausage but bought a beer while I walked around begging at the tables.

This lady and her husband fell in love with me and fed me her entire plate and later she went to buy another one for herself. 

Mom was just hoping I wouldn't get sick..

We both liked this little town a lot and went for a nice walk along the Danube in the morning

The next city we are visiting is Salzburg and on the drive, we saw many castles on the hilltops, (very much like driving along the Mosel River) except for the vineyards

The geraniums are huge here 

Talking about size, I have come to the conclusion that everything is supersized in the USA. We don't see any large pickup trucks, not many SUVs. The roads are sometimes so narrow Mom starts wondering if Lucy will fit, and looks for bus stops, thinking if a city bus can make it Lucy can. A large coffee it's the size of a demitasse cup. Of course, Mom makes her own in Lucy but sometimes stops for an extra wake-me-up on the road. 

When ordering a large black coffee it's called an Americana and the cup is only half full and not very strong.

People here drink espresso and macchiatos. Espressos are good Mom says but that's only one sip and it's gone. 

How the Austrians can sit with that sip forever is a mysterium................

So, we are in Salzburg now and will go to town first thing in the morning.

Everything is great 

Many wet kisses to ya all 

Henry 

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