The hills are alive

The last time I went to salzburg was on a holiday with an ex girlfriend. I had a lovely time and it was probably the best holiday in recent memory. This time round i arrived lugging my back pack and got bemused looks from people as a half eaten bag of haribo fell from one of my pockets and scattered across the pavement. I was stuck in two minds with what to do. If i left it i might get tutted for littering. If i picked it up people might judge my dishevelled appearance and assume i was going to eat it. Its funny when moments like that hit you and you wonder whether you have progressed or regressed in life. Im generally quite laid back but im always keen to be moving forward. As I contemplated my dilema I decided that life is like juggiling. Its difficult to be amazing at everything at once. Yes i no longer have a few things i had a few years back but i now know how to do small talk with eastern european truck drivers. Surely that is far more usefull then being in a stable relationship???

Anyway i met up with an old college friend called Ali who i once went to T in the Park with. He has a fantastic job were he travels austria teaching english in a different school each week. Its a great way to travel and get paid for it. He was with another teacher an australian girl called zetty (sp?). We spent a good hour looking for a hostel and eventually ended up in one called the institute of San Sebastion. It was a religious refuge with its own bell tower. Breakfast was also ridiculously early. The alarm was the said bell tower. However it also had the comfiest beds in the world. We set off in the evening for some tea and a few beers. The menu was a bit of a lottery. I went for Wiessbierbeuscherl which had the word bier in and sounded like a safe bet. Ali had wiener scnitzel and zetty had this weird german carbonara thingy that looked like vomit but tasted as good as scoring the winning goal for port vale in a potteries derby against stoke city.

The biers flowed and we ended up in a cavern pub with a lager called zipfer on tap. There was this weird band playing irish versions of robbie williams tracks amongst others. There was also loads of smoke. I woke up smelling like a victorian chimney sweep.

The next day we explored the city of salzburg. It is very pretty indeed. The view from the danube across the aldstadt with the cadtle high in the sky has to be one of the best around. We went for a monster alk up one of the mountains. We didnt sing any sound of music once can you beleive. At 2.30 the largest beer garden in europe opened so we bought some bread and meat and cheeky beer. We played a game called factcents which is where you get given an accent to do and a topic. You then have to tell a fact in the said accent. For example "jamaican and carrots" if anyone laughs they have to drink. Fun times! Anyway it hit about 5 oclock. Ali and Zetty had to get to commute out of salzburg to their teaching locatians. I found a campingplatz in north salzburg at 8.00.

Thats about all i have time for today. Ill update maybe tommorow in budapest and tell you about vienna. I am currently couch surfing at a lovely couples flat called July and Sunny. They have a two cats, johnny and lucky + two turtles. I have also enjoyed coffee at cafe central. Lenin and hitler are rumoured to have played chess there.

love rich x