After 600 kilometers of non-stop walking across two countries, our last six days spent in Salzburg and Vienna were a welcome reward. We still walked but now it was a casual, slow movement, exploring nooks and crannies, walking in circles, not following a set line from A to B.

Salzburg was our first aprés-walk city, delivered here by train from the end of our trail in Vienna. It was a rain-filled two day visit that saw us take in the twin powerhouses of Salzburg tourism, a Sound of Music tour and a visit to Mozart’s two residences. Those necessary tasks completed, there’s window shopping to be done along the Getreidgasse, Sacher Torte to be devoured in it’s namesake hotel and, most remarkable for a city with a mere 150,000 people, the Museum der Modern to be visited, a spectacular brutalist hulk built high on the bluffs looming behind the city. Here was a more challenging diversion from the tourism below, very current art presented in a suitably modern gallery. Not to be missed was the gallery restaurant, its terrace hanging over the cliff walls with panoramic views of the entire historic city below. How fortunate that the sun should break through as we sat down at the best table in town for our modest 14 Euro “Business Lunch”.