We left Vienna this morning and drove west to tour Melk Abbey in Lower Austria. The Melk area has a long history, beginning with Bronze Age settlements and surviving numerous times of war, reform, reconstruction, and changes of ownership. Today the abbey remains an active monastery with about 30 Benedictine monks who, among other things, teach about 900 local boys and girls.
We performed an impromptu concert while in the church!
After a tour of the abbey and a quick lunch, we were back on the bus and heading to Salzburg. Once there, we checked into our third hotel, and after a break to freshen up, we headed to dinner at a local restaurant. There we met three other choral groups from China, Canada, and the United States visiting Austria for the Rhapsody International Music Festival! Each group was called up to introduce themselves, sing a song, and answer some trivia. While this was one of SACS’s final evenings, these groups had just arrived and were beginning their respective tours through Europe. We also met Nita and Valerie from Classical Movements, who helped to plan our whole tour.
-Megan : )
If there was one place that stood out to me as helping to experience the richness of Austria's landscape, it was Melk Abbey! What beautiful buildings!! The gardens were so lovely.!! The view of Salzburg from the balconies were truly amazing!
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