This is my version of our visit to the infamous Melk Abbey, located on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube River in Austria and dating back to 1089. Believe it or not, Leopold II gave one of his castles to the Benedictine monks. First it was a school for monks and then later evolved into a monastic library, known for its extensive collection of manuscripts (especially musical compositions.) This was in the time before books were printed (Gutenberg 1440).
Today the abbey (rebuilt between 1702 and 1736) is Baroque in style, which means fancy and ornate.
That's what Dan and I notice when we first arrive. It is immense. It can be seen for miles, it's decorated with statues and gold, and you face a giant courtyard.
I can't resist taking a video:
a fire in 1297 (the monks saved the manuscripts)
a Turkish invasion in 1683
another fire in 1702
another fire in 1974 when it was restored from 1978-1995.
We are promised a tour of the inside, and it is dazzling. No photos allowed, of course, but you can bet there are statues and murals and ceilings that overwhelm you. Opulence is the word I'm using here.
Theo can care less. He is a reluctant visitor to this fabulous abbey. Imagine no excitement or exuberance. One painting is like any other. We surreptitiously let him sniff what we can, but who knows what he's thinking.
This is Theo's version of his forced visit to Melk:
"I didn't want to go. Meow. Meow. They made me go, see? Who cares about an abbey? Who cares about thousand year old statues?"
"Theo, there must have been something you liked."
He pauses and rests his head on his beautifully defined paws.
"One thing," I urge him.
"Oh," he says, lifting his head up, "the birds."
What? And then I remember. As we are touring around this wonderful place (my words, not Theo's), we step out of the abbey into a courtyard in the middle of the castle/abbey. And there are birds. No, we're not talking ostriches or eagles. Just regular birds.
And those birds make Theo's day!
