The Wachau Valley & Gottwëig Abbey
Imagine sailing down the quiet Danube River with nothing but rolling hills and hazy skies all around you. The effect couldn’t have been more stunning if I had found it in a magazine - green hills, fog and absolutely no other boats on the river. We didn’t get to stop and explore the Wachau Valley, but if you’re looking for a quick (or long) day trip from Vienna this is the place to go. There’s a reason the Wachau Valley is a UNESCO world heritage landscape - the scenery is stunning and the wines are incredible. Most of the 200+ wineries use the terracing method on southern facing slopes so that extra sunlight is absorbed by the stone walls (that form the terrace) yielding more sugar in the grapes and creating acidic white wine. The most famous wine of the region is the Grüner Veltliner, so make sure to try it!
A village in the Wachau Valley.
Fun fact: the small ferries that are used to cross the river have no propeller or electricity. Now you might think, “how do they not get swept downstream?” They use the Danube’s currents to carry them to specific spots up/down river, so you’ll never cross straight across. Don’t worry about getting swept away - there are safety lines! This method is 100% emission free and helps preserve the river and the landscape around it.
Just a cute spot in Krems.
Approximately 20 minutes before you reach the Wachau Valley you’ll see the town of Krems. In my opinion, Krems itself was not very exciting, but the nearby Gottwëig Abbey is phenomenal. Get ready for a whole bunch of fun facts and historical information!
I never thought I’d learn this much about a monastery and actually enjoy it. Situated on top of a hill and surrounded by vineyards is the magnificent Gottwëig Abbey. It was built in 1083, but a majority of it burned in the 18th century and had to be rebuilt. Even with that, it’s truly magnificent. The day we were there the fog was INSANE and we could barely see in front of us. If you can go on a sunny day and take in the views, you’ll see amazing apricot orchards, vineyards, and spectacular views of the Wachau Valley.
Did you know that people considering becoming monks get a one year trial period? I thought this was so cool! Not only this, but after 6 years of monk-hood (is this a word lol??), you’re still given the option of being a monk forever and deciding if you want to live in the monastery (only 30 live there at the moment). For some reason I envisioned that a monk was chained to his destiny from the moment he decided to join a monastery.
Fun fact: the sequoia trees on the property are real! They were brought from California. This is so random that I HAD to include it.
Lookin’ puffy as can be, but if you look to the corner of the room behind my head, the ceiling looks domed!
The gorgeous fresco ceiling is probably one of the most magnificent that I’ve seen and is the epitome of Baroque art. The fresco was added in 1739 when the monastery was rebuilt after the fire. The Holy Roman emperor, Charles VI, was portrayed as Apollo! What a way to boost someone’s ego. The staircase is also considered one of the best depictions of the Baroque style. The steps are incredibly shallow because, at the time, women weren’t allowed to expose their ankles. On the bright side, this made them look like they were floating up and down the stairs in their long skirts and dresses! Lastly, this is almost impossible to tell from pictures, but the ceiling utilizes an optical illusion. It isn’t domed like it appears, but the illusion makes it look like it is! Even in person, it’s pretty difficult to spot unless you stand in a specific part of the room.
Last but not least, the church. The glass windows are over 500 years old. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but they were put in backwards which is why the stained glass effect is diminished. That’s also why the windows can’t be repaired - at this point if they were taken out, they would likely shatter due to all the damage from weather.
This window looked so real to me until I stood next to it and realized it was in fact fake haha!
Fun fact: The windows at the front of the church are painted on (they look so real!!) because the abbey ran out of money and couldn’t afford to put in actual windows.
