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Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Where Am I?

Friday's cruise along the Danube River ended at the town of Krems.  The last leg of my multi-ticket excursion was by train from Krems back to Vienna.  However, I was free to take whichever train I wanted.  There were departures throughout the afternoon and into the evening.  As the boat approached the dock, the town looked quite intriguing so I decided to do a bit of exploring before heading to the train station.





Heading in the direction of the church towers, it didn't take me to long to reach the Old Town.  The streets were picturesque, but eerily quiet.  Occasionally a person or two would pass on bicycles.  There are some cars parked along some streets. Sometimes I could hear a television from inside a house, or smell dinner cooking.  But it almost seemed as if I were in a beautifully preserved ghost town.






I reached one of the churches whose towers I had seen from the boat.  The door was ajar, I stepped inside, and no one was in the church.





A sign outside the church written in German and English said that it was the St. Nikolaus Parish Church.  The parish dates back to 1263, but the present church was built in the 15th century in Gothic style.

There is another taller church tower that appears to be practically next door.  But I could not find the street that leads to that church's entrance.



A short walk from St. Nikolaus is the town square.  Oh, look, there is actually a person sitting on one of the benches.






I was beginning to feel as if I were in the Twilight Zone.  It was time for me to go to the train station.  There was a sign pointing me in the direction of the "Bahnhof", back in the direction from which I came.



I continued following the signs, and I emerged from the Old Town into a modern district where there is activity... people on the sidewalks, traffic on the streets.  I kept following the signs for the train station, but then they stopped.  After more walking I found myself in what appeared to be another picturesque Old Town, although this one is very lively with busy sidewalk cafes.  Normally I would be taking pictures, but I needed to find the train station.  I don't where I am.  Am I in Krems?  Or have I walked all the way to another town?  I asked a fellow on the street where the train station is.  He gave me directions, and after about 10 minutes I fiound the station.  

When I got back to my hotel room in Vienna, I looked at Google Maps to figure out where I had been.  That seemingly deserted Old Town where I was wandering was not even Krems.  I was in the adjacent town of Stein an der Donau (Stone on the Danube).  Anyway, Krems looked nice.  If I ever return to Austria, I will have to go to Krems and take some photos.

2 comments:

  1. Just the kind of adventure I like!

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    1. I generally enjoy what I call "get-lost-trips", although this time I was starting to worry if I would ever find the train station.

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