Creme de la Krems

If it’s Friday morning, it must be Krems, where we arrived after an overnight sail from Vienna. Depending on how you look at it (upstream or downstream), Krems is either the gateway to the scenic Wachau Valley region, an extensive vinicultural and fruit growing (especially apricots) area, or looking downstream (not our direction on this trip) Krems marks the point where the Danube leaves the Wachau Valley.

Regardless, Krems is a river town. Think like Hood River, Oregon in the Columbia River Gorge perhaps, except it’s been around since at least 995 AD and has a population of 25,000. We explored its old main cobblestone thoroughfare through a preserved gate to the city, had a chocolate making demonstration and sachertorte tasting at the Hagmann cafe and konditorei, and then browsed some of the shops for schnapps (for real) and apricot likor. Also found a little street market with vendors selling everything from pussy willows (used as part of Easter observances by some) to challah (yes, from a mobile bakery truck). Then back to the ship for a topside lunch and our own sail up the Wachau Valley where the weather held out for us until we reached our afternoon destination of Melk (more on both the Wachau and Melk in the next footprints) where we had a brief afternoon shower clearing to a most pleasant Danube sunset when we were “underway” again as our sailor son would say. “Tschuss” as the locals say colloquially, as in “bye” or “see ya,” less formal than “goodbye” or “auf wiedersehn.”Read more