Date
Friday 4th October 2019
Holy Places Visited
- Basilica, Maria Taferl
- Pfarrkirche [“Parish Church”], Klein Pöchlarn
Morning Mist in the Valley 
Trail Signs 
“Pilgrim’s Way” 
Parish Church 
Walking Beside the Danube 
Woodlands West of Melk 
“Melk Benedictine Abbey”
Distance Travelled
Approximately 19 km (12 miles)
Route
A thick mist filled the lower part of the Danube valley below us in the morning; it was both very unexpected and visually impressive.
I joined the 10am service in the Basilica and then set off walking towards Melk. I followed the Pilgerweg [“Pilgrim’s Way”] route back down the partly-forested hill into the town of Klein Pöchlarn, where I visited the parish church.
I then walked for many kilometres alongside the Danube, heading eastwards and downstream, before crossing to the south bank over the lock (Schleuse Melk) and hydroelectric dam, the Donaukraftwerk Melk [“Danube Power Station at Melk”], which generates clean, green and renewable hydro-electricity.
I walked on through some woodland to the town of Melk, which has the impressive Benediktinerstift Melk [“Melk Benedictine Abbey”] on a hill overlooking the town.