Grein - Linz

We arrived the following morning to the frosty coated village of Grein. There were three different options of how to spend your time in this port. Included was a walking tour of Grein and then sailing on to the city of Lintz or optional excursions to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic or a trip into Upper Austria to the Austrian Lakes District in the foothills of the Austrian Alps. Our group split today, some enjoying Grein and Linz while others went to the Austrian Lakes. Even though we had a very chilly 30 degree start to the day the sun came out and we all enjoyed a beautiful day. I went to the Lakes District where we visited 4 of the 76 lakes that make up the district with lake colors varying from turquoise to emerald green along with visiting the very quaint villages of Sankt Gilgen, St. Wolfgang and Traunkirchen.

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​We did a walking tour of Sankt Gilgen seeing the home where Mozart’s mother was born and lived as well as his sister who spent the majority of her life there as well. Mozart’s sister, Maria, who was also a very talented musician was born before her time as females were not recognized for such talents at that time.

St. Wolfgang was a very charming, picturesque village where we enjoyed many panoramic vistas and had lunch overlooking one of the lakes with the Austrian Alps providing a fabulous backdrop. We had a quick stop in Traunkirchen for a walk up to the Parish Church which sits on a peninsula overlooking the lake. This church was rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fire in the baroque style. It is very well known for the famous Fisherman’s Pulpit which was carved in 1753 by an unknown artist.  The pulpit is a very detailed sculpture depicting the miracle of the rich fish catch by Peter with apostles James and John in the boat dragging the nets filled with fish. Time to venture on to Linz and meet our ship. Tonight our dinner was a beer pairing dinner for the special theme event of the day.

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