Danube Valley at Wachau

Good: I didn’t think there would be anything better today than Melk Abbey with its opulent, gold-trimmed church, but the cruise along the Danube river managed to outdo it despite cloudy skies and occasional drizzles. It was a refreshing and tranquil experience, including the 2-hr stop at the very quiet town of Spitz. And given that I was one of just three passengers on the return trip (boat is large enough to sit hundreds), it felt like I was on a private cruise.

Not-so-good: The cloudy/drizzly day resulted in lacklustre outdoor photos. The cruise could have been so much more picturesque if only the sun had been out.

Noteworthy food/drink: The 2.20€ grape strudel I bought from Spitz and ate onboard the boat had whole grapes in it which were really sweet and delicious. No surprise given that the region is best known for its wines. A minus point for me was that the grapes had seeds, which I just crunched and swallowed as though they were nuts of some sort.