Today I spent the day exploring the area between Dürnstein and Spitz. I had planned to do more, but it was hard not to stop in each little village to wander around and take pictures.
I’m tired after all of my walking yesterday and my hotel room is impossibly hot for sleeping, so I was in no hurry today. After breakfast, I headed south to Weißenkirchen, the next town south of Dürnstein.
Weißkirchen is slightly larger than Dürnstein, but carries the same amount of charm in its buildings and vineyards. The rolling hills of the vineyards provide a pretty backdrop to the colorful homes that line the narrow streets.
After walking around town for a while, I stopped at Cafe Elisabeth for a cold drink. I tried Almdudler (twice) in Vienna and loved it. Almdudler is an Austrian herbal lemonade soda, and it is delicious. Sitting on the patio and watching the boat traffic on the Danube across the street was the perfect mid-morning place to enjoy another bottle.
My next stop was in Wösendorf, another small village along the Danube. There are only a few small streets and a small Marktplatz (market square) with a church (sadly not open).
I immediately spotted the church in St. Michael next to the road heading to Spitz. St. Michael is another tiny town with just 13 homes. The fortified church was built in the 1500s. There is a small round tower next to the church and the door was open when I arrived. Of course, I had to go in to see what it was. As it turns out, it is just a lookout tower today, but was originally part of the fortifications of the church. There are a series of levels connected by staircases, and you can go all the way to the top where there are views of the church, village, and river. The church itself was pretty, but the round tower was my favorite part.
Once I made it to Spitz, I followed the signs for Hinterhaus, the ruins of a 12th century castle towering over the city. It was about a 10 minute climb up the hill to the castle. It reminded me of Ireland because you can just walk right up and wander around the old ruins. From the top, there are views of the valley in every direction.
After the castle, it was time for my afternoon snack, in the form of two scoops of ice cream (white chocolate and stracciatella) and a Coca-Cola Light (Diet Coke, but they use different sweeteners so it tastes different). Ice cream here is very similar to gelato and very cheap. Most places, a scoop is €1,50 (around $1.50 with the euro pretty much on par with the US dollar right now).
Fed and watered, I headed up to the church. While the tourist office was closed when I arrived, I am grateful to the nice woman also looking at the map outside who pointed me to the historic area of town.
It was mid-afternoon by the time I finished walking around Spitz and I was ready to head back to my hotel. I stopped at Spar (one of the grocery store chains) for a couple of sodas to bring back to my room. I always enjoy looking around local grocery stores when I travel to see what they have that is different from home. Fortunately, there is also a Spar (and Billa, another grocery store) at the Vienna Airport, so I can stock up on some European treats before I head home!
As much of an expense as the rental car is, I’m happy to have the freedom to drive around and explore at my own pace. Plus, the car has air conditioning. 🙂
Wiener schnitzel was on the menu tonight, this time at Dürnsteiner Hof, a little garden just off the main road through Dürnstein. It was good, but not as good as what I had at Figlmüller in Vienna. Since I already had ice cream today, I couldn’t rationalize dessert. Instead, I enjoyed a piece of the candy bar I got in Vienna once I got back to my room.
Traveling with Laura 