The day dawned foggy, but the forecast was for a quick burn-off of the fog and a bright clear spring day.  After breakfast, we debarked the ship for a brief bus ride to the top of the hill and the Melk Abbey – fantastic 900 year old Benedictine Monastery and school.  The grounds and gardens are immaculate – supported by the revenue generated by the tourist trade.  And by the time we arrived at the Abbey, the sky was clear and bright!  Today there are only 40 Monks who are part of the Abbey and only one of those teaches at the school, which supports about 800 students.  The remainder of the teachers are lay people from out in town.  After the tour, most of us walked down into this picture postcard town of small shops and cafés and then back to the boat – a short stroll through a tree lined roadway.  After an early lunch, we departed for the six hour trip to Vienna where we will be spending the night.  The voyage through the Wachau valley is as spectacular as you get on the River.  Quaint towns with abandoned castles dotting the passing hillsides filled the early afternoon with postcard moments.  After the valley you can see the switch from villages to the more industrial area surrounding Vienna, and after transiting through two sets of locks, we moored at a mecca for riverboats – lining the riverbanks, almost as far as you could see.