Chapter 26St. Thomas's Monastery, near Feldkirch, Austria
Sofie Meyer, sitting in the passenger seat of Richter's classic 1971 Mercedes, was entranced by her first view of the Monastery of St. Thomas. Richter had phoned ahead and Brother Michael, the Abbot, had agreed to meet them at eleven that morning.
Now, they approached their destination, and Emil Wägner, seated in the back, asked,
“Impressive, is it not, Sofie?”
“It is,” she replied. “It reminds me of something out of a Disney fairy tale.”
The monastery had come into view as they rounded a bend in the road about a kilometre from their destination. Set in rolling countryside, surrounded by lush green fields, some filled with grazing cows and others with newly sheared sheep, the grand monastery stood on a hill that rose gently fro
