Melk!

What a day this has been! From the early-morning wakeup at 6:00 a.m. and frantic last-minute packing to wishing Coco a happy birthday with apricot-filled crepes, we have had a unique experience on our first (and only) day in Melk! The train ride was quite eventful, as we managed to get on our first train but due to delays had to find another train, one an hour later, to catch. After our safe arrival in Melk Bahnhof (train station), we settled down in our charming hotel, Hotel Zur Post, we walked along a winding uphill road to the top of the hill, which the magnificent Melk Abbey is situated on. Upon our arrival, we heard the schoolgirls from the Abbey school singing songs, which we softly joined along in and traded greetings, as they spoke English.

Our tour guide then led us through first the Abbey's history museum and then their expansive library, which contains over 100,000 volumes. We then got special permission from the church staff at the Abbey to perform our group song, "Himmel und Erde" (Heaven and Earth). Shortly following that, we exited the Abbey and sang "The Water is Wide" for the same schoolgirls we met earlier. Once we had left Abbey grounds, we then shopped around for a few hours and explored Melk. At 7 p.m., we all came to the bottom floor of the hotel to have a filling and delicious dinner, and of course to wish Coco a happy 18th birthday!