architecture and an Old Stone Bridge
dating back to the 12th century.
Perhaps one of my favorite cities
was Passau, Germany. A special
treat was to sit in the 17th century
St. Stephen’s Cathedral and listen to an
organ concert. The cathedral houses
Europe’s largest pipe organ with more
than 17,000 pipes. Imagine the wonder
sitting and listening to the sounds and
being surrounded by the beautiful
architecture and art. And, of course, we
all took advantage of shopping time in
this delightful city.
Continuing up the Danube River
Basin, we landed in Melk, Austria. High
on a cliff overlooking the Danube is the
Melk Abby, built in the 12th century
but destroyed by fire. Rebuilt during
the 18th century, it now contains a
library of 80,000 medieval manuscripts.
Fellow traveler Diana Berry noted,
“I found the Abbey at Melk to be a
must see. The frescoes in the church
are magnificent. The library contains
countless medieval manuscripts. It is
still functioning and houses a school
for 900 students of both sexes.”
It was with a great deal of
excitement that we arrived in Vienna,
Austria, for a two-day stay. I loved the
Schonbrunn Palace, the magnificent
home of the Hapsburg Dynasty. My
friend Joe Concalves and I hiked to
the top of the ridge and viewed the
palace from the Glorietta colonnade.
The palace tour was incredible with the
preservation of furnishings and views of
the rooms as they were centuries ago.
Empress Maria Theresa, the only
female ruler of the Hapsburgs, ruled in
the late 1700s. She bore 16 children
—10 of them survived and married
into royal families throughout Europe.
She was ahead of her time in her
domestic reforms for medicine,
education, and civil rights.
Vienna has a long history as a
cultural center, stretching back to its
days as the capital of the Holy Roman
Empire. Famous composers such as
Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz
Schubert, and Joann Strauss are all
tied to this city.
Fellow travelers, Lisa and Ernie
Faria, took advantage of an optional
tour to see the Spanish Riding School.
Lisa states, “Vienna is magnificent
and right in the center of town is
the Spanish Riding School—home
of the gorgeous Lipizzaner stallions!
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
february/march 2019
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