Am Samstag

This weekend the Bryan interns are spending time in Vienna. Ben and I stayed back in Bratislava, but took the opportunity afforded by their absence to travel with a neighbor-family into Austria for the day yesterday. I'm so glad that we did! Austria is a beautiful country, and there is so much well-preserved history there. It is just the sort of place that greatly appeals to the both of us.

Aggstein Castle Ruins.

We started the morning touring Burgruine Aggstein-- a castle ruins near the Danube. The castle definitely captured the imagination, and the beautiful scenery imparted such peace to our time. The blue of the Danube ribboning through a green valley, hillsides covered with vineyards rising up toward the castle--really lovely.

After a picnic lunch and exploration of the grounds, we drove back down the mountain and along the Danube through some very quaint villages. Because we had driven that route on our way to the castle ruins, we decided to hop the Danube by ferry and drive back on the north side of the river. We enjoyed some coffee and kuchen in a little shop, then explored the village church-- St. Michael's.

Cemetery at St. Michael's.

This was the best find of the day in my opinion-- a still-utilized place of worship, with faded frescoes from Roman times on the outside of the building, a beautifully tended cemetery and a very memorable mausoleum.

Mausoleum at St. Michael's,
viewed through a hole in the door.

We concluded the day with a visit to a church in a neighboring town-- the land for the church site was deeded to the diocese in the 800s! Parts of the school and church complex that stand there today date back to the 1300s.

At the base of the church hill there was a gentleman preparing saurkraut at a stand... The fragrance was delightful! Helps me to understand why my mom loves visiting Germany so much. Mostly for the food, she says. I realize the Germanic peoples don't exactly have a world-renowned reputation for their tasty cuisine, but perhaps more of us need to try it in Europe. Wow. Actually, we didn't even eat any. I'm convinced just by the aromatic scent, though.
After a detour for road construction on the way home, it turned out to be a very long day. Gladly, it was a memorable one!

Above St. Michael's, overlooking the Danube.