We spent a weekend with Murphy and our friends Nina & Dave in the Wachau, blooming beautifully in spring. An invitation to a Social Walk along the Marillenwanderweg from our trainer Sandra gave us the idea to make a whole weekend of it. A holiday apartment was our base, giving us complete flexibility to plan our days as we pleased.
That it was exactly one week after Che's passing was pure coincidence. He was supposed to be there too...
The change of scenery and the glorious weather did us the world of good, drawing our attention back to the beautiful things in life. The dark Frenchman would have wanted us to keep exploring "the world" (or at least Austria) with Murphy!
The Wachau.
The picturesque stretch of the Danube valley between Melk and Krems is known as the Wachau. This region of Lower Austria is famous for its outstanding wine and delicious apricots. We had just missed the sea of blossom from those sweet fruits — but that didn't matter, as the Wachau still had plenty of colour to offer. Spring had arrived, and we were right in the thick of it!
The Holiday Apartment.
A trusty search engine led us to the Apartmenthaus Bergern website. The charming ground-floor apartment in Unterbergern ticked every box: a spacious entrance area, a modern bathroom, a pretty bedroom, a well-equipped kitchen, a generous dining table, a cosy little seating nook, sofa beds for our friends, and even a wine cellar accessible directly from the living area.
There are two larger meadows nearby, perfect for leisurely walkies (we always cleaned up after ourselves, of course). There are several Heurige (traditional Austrian wine taverns) in the village — on our first evening we chose the Winzerhof Haiderer and were treated to a delicious meal.
Both at the Heuriger and on our walk home that night, we noticed that an awful lot of cats live around here! Very exciting and stimulating for Murphy :)
A few dogs also call Unterbergern home, and all the ones we encountered were very well behaved.
Ferdinandswarte.
On the first day, as the sun was setting, we strolled from the apartment to the Ferdinandswarte. A paved road (with little traffic) leads from the village towards the Dunkelsteinerwald forest, eventually turning into a gravel path. From there, the viewpoint is only a short distance away.
We walked for about half an hour before reaching the wooden pavilion. From 370 metres above sea level, we were treated to a stunning panorama over the Danube valley bathed in evening light.
The Social Walk.
Sandra & Gaby from "Spirits of Life" were responsible for organising and leading the Social Walk (THANK YOU!!!). They were the reason the Wachau was our destination this time! Little rascal Murphy was out and about with 9 other dogs of varying ages and personalities.
The loop along the Marillen Erlebnis Weg leads from the Weinhof Aufreiter through various orchards and lush green vineyard landscapes, framed by Stift Göttweig, Schloss Wolfsberg and views over the town of Krems. The route is 4.5 km long with around 120 metres of elevation gain, making it suitable for families too.
How did Murphy hold up? Brilliantly! And so well behaved! After a little initial excitement, he settled into the leisurely hiking pace and explored, sniffed and marvelled at the surroundings alongside us and the other four-legged walkers. We are so proud of the little scamp!
Dürnstein.
We reached the picturesque village across from Rossatz-Bach by ferry. The crossing to the other side of the Danube is quick and runs on demand. In Dürnstein, in glorious sunshine, we enjoyed a late lunch on the terrace of the alter Klosterkeller.
Afterwards we strolled through the narrow little lanes of Dürnstein, and for a moment we toyed with the idea of hiking up to the castle ruins — but we had something else planned (see below). So instead we admired the historic buildings in the village centre and made our way back to the ferry.
The Island.
Just outside the village of Rührsdorf lies an island in the Danube that is currently undergoing a revitalisation process and forms part of the "LIVE Auenwildnis Wachau" project. The floodplain forests along the remnants of the old river arms are being restored and expanded, promoting the preservation of wildlife and nature.
A stunning nature reserve greeted us and cast its spell on us! The evening sun did its very best to show off the incredible variety of plants in the most beautiful light. Murphy was either carrying his ball around, sniffing along the forest floor for tracks, or trying to catch waves.
After our little hike across the island, we were treated to delicious waffles back at the holiday apartment, and soon we fell into bed exhausted and content. Sunday morning meant a leisurely shared breakfast, taking our time to pack up all our things, and a short walk in the woods.
My favourite person, Murphy and I spent Sunday afternoon relaxing on the sofa at home, while Nina & Dave were still out and about in the Wachau. They went on a hike from the Ferdinandswarte and rewarded themselves with an ice cream in Dürnstein.
That's the life!
The lush green spring in the Wachau did our souls the world of good and gave us a whole new perspective. It was a wonderful weekend where everything simply fell into place.
For more great dog-friendly tips for the region, check out the Donau Niederösterreich website — well worth a look!
