Day 4: From Vienna to Linz (via Melk & Grein)

We checked out of the Vienna Hotel and were on to Duernstein on the Danube. Here we boarded a Danube river cruiser M/V Austria for a two and a half trip up the Danube to the village of Melk. Along the way we relaxed while viewing the picturesque villages and castles that line the river.

At Melk, we went to Hauptstrasse 12 where a small plaque commemorates Bruckner's visits to his friend Josef Maerbock. It was amusing to see the bewildered looks on the people in the cafe when this small band of tourists descended on their cafe with cameras at the ready. We then visited the Monastery Stift Melk which is, in many ways, like the monastery of St. Florian.

We then departed Melk and stopped at the village of Grein. This beautiful village is the home of the oldest theater built in Europe. It was in operation in 1791 and still retains some very unusual features - flip-up seats that are locked by the patrons who purchased the seat for the season, and a toilet separated from the audience by a curtain (so the user would not miss any of the performance!!)
Bruckner presented the Grein Musiktafel (choral society) with a musical "motto," (his WAB 148) which he composed in 1874 and he frequented performances by the ensemble.

After Grein, we concluded our journey at Linz and a dinner at the hotel.