Inside the Melk Abbey church in Austria. June 15, 2016

A beautiful fresco on the ceiling of the Melk Abbey church of St. Benedict’s triumphal ascent to Heaven. June 15, 2016

A close up of the high altar in the Melk Abbey church in Austria. June 15, 2016

The Melk Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Melk, Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river. Melk has been a spiritual and cultural center of the country for more than 1000 years, first as a castle, then from 1089 as a monastery. June 15, 2016

It turned out to be a gorgeous and I wanted to find and see this statue. It is the monument of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is inside the Burggarten…the Imperial Palace Gardens…in Vienna, Austria. Born 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, Mozart was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. June 15, 2016

This week, in celebration of Gay Pride, Vienna, Austria, displayed the rainbow flag on various buildings including this one at the Vienna State Opera. June 15, 2016

Views along the Danube Valley on a boat ride to the Benedictine Abbey in Austria. June 15, 2016

Views along the Danube Valley on a boat ride to the Benedictine Abbey in Austria. June 15, 2016

A view of the Danube river from the Benedictine Abbey in Austria. June 15, 2016

“The Kiss” by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria. Photos of the original painting are not allowed even though there are stores that sell vases, plates, notebooks, notecards, magnets, etc. with this painting. I found this version on the Internet…hope copyright infringement doesn’t apply. But there was a side room with a large poster of the painting available for those who wanted to do selfies however the coloring of the poster looked nothing like the original. Honestly, no copy I’ve seen, including this one, can duplicate the intensity of the original. The yellows are so bright, they sparkle. The spirals have depth. The colored circles look like Venetian glass and the kiss itself is warm, loving and eternal. June 14, 2016

Inside the Melk Abbey church in Austria. June 15, 2016

The Belvedere, which houses the original Gustav Klimp “The Kiss” painting, was built during a period of extensive construction in Vienna,

My self on the grounds of the Belvedere Palace, home to Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” in Vienna, Austria. June 14, 2016