May 18, 2024
Making our way further down the Danube towards our next stop in Krems, it’s easy to understand why Niki is so proud of his heritage. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful place, and history is everywhere you look. This is Austria’s white wine region. Wineries cover the hillsides, and every other nook and cranny where they can fit them.
There are castles all around us, and Niki recounted stories and history faster than I could take notes. But one I do remember involves King Richard the Lionhearted and Robinhood.
As we passed the town of DĆ¼rnstein, Austria, Niki pointed out the castle where Richard was held captive by King Leopold, Duke of Austria. The year was 1192, the two men had served together in the Third Crusade, and Leopold suspected Richard of having his cousin killed. The pope excommunicated Leopold for imprisoning a fellow crusader, and Leopold eventually turned Richard over to the Holy Roman Emperor, who continued to keep Richard imprisoned until he was rescued by Robinhood three weeks later. You’ve all seen the 1938 film “The Adventures of Robinhood,” right? Legend has it that King Richard met Robinhood during an archery match when the king and his men dressed up as friars to compete. After seeing Robinhood and his men shoot the king revealed his true identity and offered Robinhood and his men a place in his service and he accepted. Good thing for the king that he did!
Niki tells us you can take a ferry across the river for about the price of a half loaf of bread.
Our final stop of the day was Krems, Austria, where several of our fellow passengers were scheduled to do a wine tour. We had opted out of the tour and planned instead to check out the town. It was just beginning to rain as we left the ship, a rain we though would pass quickly. The longer we walked through the Old Town, the harder it rained, so we eventually called it quits and headed back to the shuttle bus. Of course, as soon as the bus drove away it quit raining. š
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