One of the first sights we are greeted with (once across the Danube (Donau) River is the Abbey at Melk. The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks. A monastic school was founded in the twelfth century and the monastic library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection. Throughout the years, the abbey has endured numerous fires, waves of the Black Death, and famine. The abbey seen today was built in 1702 (though it caught fire again in 1974). A few kilometers later, we happen across a magnificent ruin (later I will learn it is Ruine Weitenegg) in the setting sun.
We are chasing the light and we must find our destination in the fast fading light.