Our time in Romania is over. It was so good to see the former exchange
student and her family in her country and experience a Romanian Christmas with
them. We enjoyed their traditions, and
most of their traditional foods – they use fish in many ways, and we are not the
biggest lovers of fish. Her extended family made us feel very welcomed. It is
always interesting to be able to hear from a local about their politics and
government, knowing it is from their viewpoint.
Also, they showed us places in their part of Romania before we ventured
out on our own to other parts of Romania.
Most of the time there was a lovely winter landscape with
snow, especially in the mountains. The white snow kept things bright, as the
sun eluded us almost the whole time. But
I’m not sure Romania isn’t one of those countries to visit in the summer,
especially Transylvania where there are green rolling hills. Part of the charm of Romania is how it is
somewhat set in time. As you drive through the countryside you see flocks of
sheep with their shepherd, farmers using horse drawn carts/wagons, hay stacks
in the small fields, many wooden churches in villages, monasteries tucked into
valleys, and lots of lovely Romanian Orthodox churches. Romanian was
interesting.
Today is a day of transport, back to
Vienna. We repacked for flying, had
breakfast at the hotel, returned the car, and shuttled to the airport.
The flight went well, and it was
good to see the sun was still there above the clouds. In fact, the sun was
shining in Vienna. We did not anticipate
the dreary weather we have been experiencing the past 3 weeks. It has been a
week since we have seen the sun.
At the Vienna airport we rented a Skoda car with automatic
transmission, for this segment of our trip. All the other vehicles we have
rented have been manual, so this is a pleasant switch. We drove west out of Vienna to the village of
Melk. Melk is known for its Monastery
overlooking the village. It is New Year’s Eve. Things are book-up and very
expensive in Vienna, so we opted to drive to Melk. We are sure there will be
enough celebration in Melk for us. Melk
is along the Danube, and a stop on Danube River Cruises. We drove in this area during
the summer of 2003 and toured the Monastery at that time.
We are staying in the Rathauskeller Hotel in the center of
the village. The restaurant must be the best in town, as it was completely
booked for dinner tonight. This
afternoon, soon after leaving the airport we stopped at a Burger King. We do not want much to eat tonight, but since
places are already closed or will close early, we need to grab a bite at a café/restaurant
across the street.
Melk is celebrating tonight.
In the town square there will be music, and the Christmas market stalls will
sell adult beverages to ring in the New Year. After midnight there was a large
firework show. We decided to take a nap,
so we can go outside around 11:45 pm. At
home in Mt Pleasant, we are usually in bed when the clock strikes 12, after
watching the Ball in New York City, dropping at 11:00.
Cal & I remember being in Germany for New Year’s 1973. We had no idea the Germans celebrated New
Year’s with Fireworks. It sounded like
the war had broken out again! And we had
a baby we were trying to keep asleep!
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| Melk Abbey |
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| New Years Fire Works |
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