Vienna Day 4! Today I'm grateful for the fact that I didn't bike 24 miles

Day trip today! Our first stop was Melk where there is a very pretty abbey. There was a super beautiful library, where allegedly there is an original Gutenberg bible but nobody I asked saw it, so that was kind of sad. There was also an absolutely breathtaking chapel. The abbey is extremely Baroque, and there was gold everywhere and it was just gorgeous. There weren't any pictures allowed so that was super sad, but look it up if you want to see! There was also a cafe separate of the actual abbey, but still in a super beautiful building, and pictures were allowed there! However, the food options were not great and they only took cash haha so I didn't get anything.

After the abbey, we drove like 10 minutes to a bike rental place, where the plan was for everybody to do an hour and 38 minute bike ride to a medieval town. However, it was raining, it was cold, they told us it was completely optional, so Audrey, McKinley, and I said no thank you. It was so funny watching them all get ready, Rob had gotten everyone yellow ponchos and they looked like little ducklings. We stayed on the bus with the Hegstrom/Pratts, and it dropped us off at the little town where the biking people would end. It sprinkled a little bit, but for the most part it was dry. We got some delicious crepes with homemade apricot jam, saw the only blue chapel in Austria, and just saw so many gorgeous views and cute houses.

The biking people were supposed to be back at 5, (they left a little after 2), so we got back on the bus around 4:30 to get warm. The first bikers showed up at 5:30... the last bikers showed up after 6. I guess there was some confusion with directions, some people ended up on the wrong side of the river and had to take the ferry, and overall everybody just had to book it straight to Durmstein to make it on time without stopping. I was feeling a little bit like I should have just gone on the bikes after it stopped raining, but everyone who got back seemed kind of miserable haha. And they didn't really get to stop and see anything, which is why I would have wanted to go anyways. We got to see the whole town, stay dry, not kill our legs, and still see pretty Austrian countryside, so I was feeling good about my decision.

After we got back to Vienna, I did in fact go back to get more five guys. I have no shame, it was so worth it. I also stopped and got my new favorite candy at Billa, which is Trolli sour strawberries, which I don't think they have in the States so I am going to have to stock up because they are GOOD. Yay Vienna!