You only see what you know (Goethe)
On the tracks of a former narrow-gauge railway between Ruprechtshofen and Wieselburg one have the chance to drive a draisine now. On a line of about 11 km one drive through a small area of swamp and after overcoming a little hill and having a break there one can dashing down to Wieselburg.
In an exhibition at Stift Geras (Geras Abbey), I saw this steam-powered fire pump dating back to 1911. The fire brigade of the Austrian city of Horn used it many years ago.
At Geras Abbey, I visited a workshop for creating handmade paper. While having a break, I discovered this sundial in the abbey court. I wonder what the name of the depicted castle is.
The hotel is split in two buildings. One building used to be the granary, the other one the dairy farm of Geras Abbey. Actually I had an excellent view of Geras abbey from my room at the former granary. The hotel is also linked with Geras Abbey by offering a lot of workshops in the rooms of the abbey.
In Geras Abbey (Stift Geras), I visited an exhibition about the history of fire brigades. There, I saw this Volkswagen Type 181. It was built in 1974 and was used as a service car for the fire brigades in Lower Austria. Reading the history of this car makes me smile: Was this car really called “The Thing” in the US?
This view from my hotel room in Geras shows Geras Abbey (Stift Geras). I stayed on the first floor of a former ‘Schüttkasten‘. A Schüttkasten is a building for the storage of corn in earlier times. Inside the abbey, I took a lesson in producing hand-made paper.
A sundial seen next to the railway station Mistelbach – Stadt. The sundial placed at a private building depicts regional agricultural produce. The German phrase ‘Nuetz die Zeit!’ reminds people to use their time carefully.
Interesting mural seen at an abandoned building next to the railway station of Deutsch-Wagram. It shows a train dating back to the first days of passenger trains in Austria. On 23rd November 1837 the first steam train of the Austrian empire started to run from Floridsdorf to Deutsch-Wagram.
Memories! Many years ago, I used to write with a travel typewriter. Tonight, I came across such a portable typewriter at my hotel in Dürnstein. Ha, I wonder how I could write a whole article without using copy and paste and auto-correction.
At the Rosenhotel in Zwentendorf, I joined a lesson in decorating a cake. The lesson was given by the owner, Mrs. Helga Fidler-Himsel. Besides that, the area is also interesting for industry buffs.
I took this photo on a train journey from Vienna to Linz. The church located in Lanzendorf (Böheimkirchen) was first mentioned in 1248. Interesting detail: The tower is tilted. I am also impressed by the fact that one can still see this pretty old church on a free field next to a high speed railroad.
After climbing up and down the hill of Dürnstein Castle I was ready for this relaxing room at Hotel & Winery Pfeffel. The room even offered a view of Dürnstein Castle so I was able to put down these notes while looking at the castle ruins.