The Klosterneuburg Monestary

Today we traveled to The Klosterneuburg Monastery just north of Wien. It didn't seem to take long to get there but I had to take the U-Bahn all the way to the end of one line, then we met with Frauke and got on a bus that took us even further north, all the way to Klosterneugurg. The monastery was INCREDIBLE and I actually managed to take some pictures!
























The existence of the monastery was first documented in 1108. Our guided tour included places inside that the average tourist could not gain access. It was pretty amazing looking at a wall said to be over 1000 years old. We saw original paintings of the first-ever depiction of the city of Vienna, eye-glasses and metal. (Artists before that time didn't know how to paint a picture of metal using shading/light, etc.)

Here's a shot of our group in one of the smaller chambers of the monastery. This was definitely one of those places you have to see in person to get the whole feel. The sheer size and attention to decorative detail was astonishing. Needless to say, everyone in our group was blown away!






The area near the monastery is wine country, so of course there was an old winery on-site. We gazed upon the country's largest wine barrel - 56,000 liters!!

From Laura in Vienna, Spring 2009

After we toured the monastery we went to a Heuriger for food. Heurigers are essentially wineries that offer food and spirits. There are many throughout the small towns around Wien because of all the vineyards. Wien is fairly well-known for their wine and now I know why! The wine here is superb!

I haven't been keeping up with my daily postings but I will keep trying! Thanks for reading.