Saturday, November 14, 2015

Melk Abbey

IMG_2967The day after Jeff arrived we got to tag along on a student field trip to Melk Abbey and a 25 mile bike ride along the Danube.  Another dreamy day.  Especially with the parental reinforcement.IMG_2969IMG_2971IMG_2978IMG_2980IMG_2984IMG_2985This place was so incredible.  We got to take a tour with the BYU students and learned so much about the history of the Abbey.  It is OLD (built in the early 1700’s) and filled with old books and manuscripts.  Wished those walls could tell us their stories.IMG_2996IMG_3002IMG_3019IMG_3021IMG_3024IMG_3048IMG_3053IMG_3059These guys were super happy about mom trying to take pictures.  Enough already mom!IMG_3064IMG_3068IMG_3070IMG_3073IMG_3079IMG_3082IMG_3087IMG_3090Always so exciting to find the relics in these old barouche cathedrals.IMG_3091IMG_3092IMG_3098IMG_3104

IMG_3109we stopped for ice cream and cake mid morning because we couldn’t resist this little café housed in the gardens. IMG_3111IMG_3112IMG_8256IMG_3116IMG_3117IMG_3125IMG_3127IMG_3136

IMG_8253And then comes one of the greatest bike rides of my life.   We got to bike through these charming Austrian little towns and through vineyards and past old ruined castles and through valleys and by rivers. Aside from a tiny bit of complaining it was a pretty spectacular way to spend a beautiful day. IMG_8430IMG_8412Here we are starting off.  Charlie was a bit overly upset that he didn’t get to ride up with all these college students and his big cousins.  So upset that half way through we let him take off with them, only to have him take a spill and hold up the group.  He was MUCH braver than he might have been had he taken that same spill with us and those students were so good to him, it all worked out.  But it was a little tricky to navigate that situation.  IMG_8258IMG_8265It was extremely difficult to not take my phone out of my pocket to take pictures of what we were flying past. I was wishing for a go-pro on my helmet.  I had this little guy tagging along behind me, so I refrained from photography most of the time, and then all of the time after we had a little crash due to my one hand driving.  Dumb mom move.  IMG_8273IMG_8321IMG_8339I think this is the photo I took right before the crash.   ^^IMG_8340Luckily this tough guy survived with muscles in tact.  IMG_8424IMG_8414IMG_3140Stopping for lunch. IMG_3144IMG_3152And to visit the Venus of Willendorf.  Remember that from art history? Do you like how those kids are trying to imitate her pose?  Hands resting on chest?  This is not the actual statue, but it marks where the 4 inch statue was found.  The Venus is one of the earliest images of the body made my humans and dates back 25,000 years ago.  Seriously.  That’s old.  And what an interesting model of perfection for the human body.  I love it and all the fertility that it embodies.IMG_3158IMG_3177

We also rode by this amazing ruined castle that we hiked up to.  The view was spectacular.  And we had this little warrior to protect us from all the dragons attacking us as we hiked up the mountain to the castle.  It never gets old, those dragons got him through every hike and walk of our trip. 

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IMG_3185IMG_3182IMG_3178IMG_3188IMG_3194IMG_3197IMG_3200IMG_3201IMG_3203IMG_3206Me and Hazel stayed behind going down in search of the castles bathroom.  It was a lovely facility.IMG_3211IMG_3218IMG_3219What a ride!  I didn’t want it to end, ever. 

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This is how Hazel distracted Peter out of his tired and grumpy state on the bus ride home. That girl is really the master of distraction.  IMG_3221

Then these kids ate pizza and watched a movie while Rob and Mary Ann and Jeff and Maddie and I went and ate some really typical Viennese food in the plaza outside their house.  It was a lovely end to a pretty magical day. 

4 comments:

  1. WOW!
    Great photography and what a bikeride!
    And what great kids....how I love em!

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  2. Ooohh! The Abbey!!! The bike ride!!! Having your family with you on this high adventure---wonderful. Beautiful pictures!

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  3. this is awesomeeeee! i wish we had enough time in Vienna to do this. slash that we were going in the summer. I love you sayds!

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  4. SOOO fun to see all this! Takes me right back to our crazy bike ride in Paris except with kids who are a little older and the route a little wiser. That's a great memory! Gorgeous photography as usual. It's so great to see Jeff back by your side! What a grand adventure!

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