melk.

Monday began our last full week of classes for the semester...how WEIRD? After class, we headed back to the hotel to drop off our books before heading out for a daytrip to Melk, Austria. President Lowery had arrived that morning so we got to converse with him for a little bit before leaving for the train station. He will be in Vienna for a few days (with his lovely wife) examining the Lipscomb in Vienna program and familiarizing himself with our alluring city! Erin, Cari, Sarah, Morgan, Ricki, and I made the quick hour and a half journey to Melk for the day. This city, located along the Danube, is quaint and classy. Melk is most well known for its monastery named Stift Melk. We had a good 4 hours in Melk, which was spent walking around the old city, exploring the Monastery and its chapel, hiking up to enjoy a beautiful view over the city, and strolling through some wooded paths that made us all nostalgic for Tennessee! I'm so glad we had the opportunity to take this daytrip. Melk only has a population around 5,000, so you can imagine how peaceful the entire city is!

We arrived back in Vienna around 7, and headed straight to the Schonbrunn palace to spend time at its Christmas Market! I enjoyed this even more than the one at the Rathaus because it was more symmetrical, quieter, classier, and less populated! I made a few good purchases at this market that will make for great souvenirs! Upon returning to the hotel, I spent some nice quality time with Cari and Sarah before returning to my room for a late night ab workout, blogging, and a little organizing of my luggage!