October

We arrived back on Canadian soil on October 11th...

Thanksgiving weekend.

The sun came out to welcome us on our drive home.

We may have missed the end of summer...

but were thankful to catch the beauty of the fall while the leaves were still on the trees.

'The green, green grass of home'!

It is always good to be back.

Front porch view one morning.

...and back patio view the next.

They were paving Prairie Central Road...

while trucks hauled gravel into the Blank farm...

resulting in traffic congestion in every direction.

I rode my bike up Marble Hill one day to visit Dot...

who had hip surgery while we were away.

Prepping sandwiches for Anneliese and Herb's 50th anniversary party in Lovella's kitchen.

The party spread.

A beautiful buffet!

The guys on the patio.

Creekside!

By the end of October it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Also this month...Heidi and Lucy were in Nepal for two weeks. 

When the got home...

Lucy was busy with volleyball.

We went to watch several games.

They defeated Unity to win the Eastern Valley championship title.

The leaves came down and a few roses lingered...

...as the sun set on October.

Durnstein and Melk

As we approached Durnstein we could see the ruins of a medieval castle on the hill.

The castle was built in the 12th century...

and is where King Richard the Lionhearted of England was imprisoned for some time.

 

The blue bell tower is part of Durnstein Abbey.

We walked to town ...

...and took a little detour to check out the grape harvest along the way.

It was drizzling but the work must go on!

Their narrow tractors and wagons were made for the cobblestone alleys.

We joined other tourists in the old town.

Cobblestone streets...

...and the aroma of fresh baking!

The region is known for its apricot products...

...as well as wines and chocolates.

The main street...

...with its beautiful buildings from the past.

Overlook with a view of Wachau valley and the Danube.

The remains of the Weissenkirchen Tor...

with the arched gateway still visible at house #43.

Many of the houses were (and still are) built right into the rock wall.

Where did this stone path lead?

We checked it out and found a beautiful cemetery.

The ruins of the castle were right above us.

The family plots from through the centuries were well cared for.

At one end of the cemetery is the surviving part of the Kunigundenkirche...

the tower was erected in the 13th century.

 Once we were back on our boat...

we sailed through the Wachau Valley which is the heart of the wine country.

We docked at Melk...

...another UNESCO world heritage site.

We set off with others on a tour of the 11th century Abbey.

The baroque Benedictine abbey sits on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube.

We stayed with our tour group until we couldn't absorb any more historical facts...

...and then wandered on our own.

We walked through the gardens and followed the road down the hill...

...and through the town of Melk.

Who knew I had a salon in Austria?

We found our way back to the Emerald Star and before long we were sailing down the Danube again.

PS I should add a note about one unfortunate event that happened on this day. It was still drizzling when we returned to the Emerald Star at Durnstein.The gangway was metal and 'very slippery when wet'. Elmer took one step onto the metal ramp and wiped out. His ankle took the brunt of his fall and for the remainder of the trip...it was an issue!