Nothing went as planned and that's how I wanted it

When I woke up on Sunday, a black cat purring on my chest, thinking some of these typical morning-thoughts like "What am I going to have for breakfast?" and "It seems sunny outside"; my mind wwent through the sudden invasion of the idea to go to a medieval fair, that took place that weekend. It was not really a  decision yet, more a "what if"-situatuation, pondering wether I wanted to spend my day on the road or not. Originally I had wanted to go on Saturday but things didn't work out as planned so feasting in the forest it had been.
Still in my bed, I lazily started to search for good public transport connections, just to literally hurl out of bed just a couple of seconds - the next really good train would leave very soon and I had half an hour to be at my bus stop, and my decision had been made.
One does not simply miss out on a medieval fair in one of their favourite castles.

Behold, the ruins of Aggstein, Austria

It was quite a fine bit of running I did that morning as I just missed my bus and had decided to not give up just yet and just keep running to the trainstation. Luckily everything just worked out and I could relax and have some breakfast on the train, as well as braid my hair out of my face - it would become a very sunny day.

Getting off the train at Melk

And on the bus, ready for an adventure!

"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall..."

I was greatly enjoying the beautiful view from both the trains and the bus afterwards - I am someone who is not that bothered by public transport, in fact I greatly enjoy to lean back and watch the outside-landscapes fly by.
Once at my destination, I was left with the decision of taking the shuttlebus to the castle or climb the little mountain on my own. It wasn't really a question to be honest.

The trees look like they are forming a tunnel - I almost went there to find out where it might lead to..

The faint markings to ensure one is still on the right path.

It took quite some time to get all the way to the top and I was glad that I am someone who always wears proper shoes to medieval fairs. Sandals wouldn't have been that funny

Blacksmithing is something really fascinating! Did you guys know I did a wee bit of smiting at Castlefest? I have to check if I included a photo in my report, if not it will be added here later on as a bonus!

But before I started to mingle and stroll about at the fair, I claimed a piece of land to sit on and enjoy a cup of mead and some lunch in the shade

Then the discovery of the ruin and the castle took place: first the battlements, towers and other things high up

 Gosh, these stairs much be the horror for everyone afraid of heights!

*fanelfing*

 The obligatory sElfie to let my family know what I was up to; if you follow me on Instagram of Facebook, you have already seen this thehe

The castle also had an adorable and beautifully made exhibition about the Nibelungenlied, or "The Song of Nibelungs" (oh my it is weird to see this in English). It is the tale of the adventures of Siegfried (the one who bathed in dragon-blood to become invulnerable, but missed out on a wee spot on his shoulder, where he later got stabbed nd died.

Some more food and a lot of explorations of both market and castle later (I saw piglets, how cute!!), I looted some handmade soap (gosh it smells delicious!) and then slowly start my journey home. It was already late afternoon by then and because I've had over an hour in Melk to spend while waiting for the train, I could fit some more explorations nd also more food:

Future home?

Have you noticed I have a thing for old churches?

HAVE YOU?

Charming view in the streets; you can see the abbey Melk is famous for (the yellow building in the back)

Nothing is better than some of your favourite soup whilst watching a soft rain fall whilst enjoying the view on nifty old buildings~

Why do poeple always take sElfies in the bathroom? Maybe because there is good lighting.

My journey home took a wee bit longer as expected - there were problems with the train and we had to take rail replacement bus service for quite the part of the route.

I was a happy and tired Elf once I was back on the train and about two hours later in my bed again, little Ginni purring and complaining where I had been and demanding his snuggles.