Melk, Austria

After 3 days of Oktoberfest, we decided it would be best to detox in a town called Melk, about an hour and a half northwest of Vienna. Melk is a small historic town that sits right on the Danube River. It has a huge monastery that sits up on a bluff - see the picture below. We had a lot of fun walking around the city and relaxing. The highlight of our stay, though, was a bike ride we took along the Danube through vineyards and apple orchards.

We were a little over-ambitious on the ride (43 miles total! on heavy rental bikes!) so sadly we weren't very good at walking the next day. But the fields, meadows and small towns we passed through on the ride definitely made it worth it. We also managed to stop halfway through for some good sausages and local wine, and had a big dinner when we finally returned to Melk. Austrian food has never tasted so good! P.S. - Please check out how ridiculous we look in the last picture. Yes, those really are gardening gloves on our hands - it was the best we could find!