BELTING OUT TUNES IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF BURG

Salzburg, Austria.
Home of Mozart and the setting for ´The Sound of Music´, factors that probably result in the 'singing bridges' that have classical music emanating from hidden speakers as you walk over them, whilst gazing at the amazing view. Yep, it's all mountains, lakes and greenery here and it makes a nice place for me to unwind a little bit. Along with all of these beautiful phenomena are some rather grandiose buildings, as well as various Mozart statues dotting the naturescape.

The town centre is ridden with tourists, and thus it´s here I venture to on Wednesday morning after a precious day off from busking (busses, trains and trams from Amsterdam as well as little sleep meant I was kind to my body and took the whole of Tuesday 'off work'). I busk illegally on the main walking street for almost two hours, though I´m unaware of the lawless nature of my actions until a friendly magistrate kind of guy approaches me and tells me I´d be much better off playing near the Cathedral. I´ve made a good fifty Euros however so decide to call it a day. As I´m packing up I talk to a Scottish man from Fyfe about the similarities between Salzburg and Edinburgh - both beautiful, touristic and slightly posh to be honest.... though don´t think I´m complaining. I do find a great, cheap and healthy food joint called 'Indigo' that does amazing veggie / vegan curries for only €3.70. And that´s a bargain!!

The following day it rains, and rains, and rains... I end up watching ´The Sound of Music´ which plays daily at my hostel (probably to the dismay of all those who work there). I get so caught up in the music I end up staying another night instead of heading to Hallstatt, but I don´t mind so much as it's nice to do nothing and just listen to the rain sometimes...

Though its threatening to rain on Friday morning, I go out regardless and play for an hour beneath a nice cosy wee arch. The acoustics are beautiful and I make use of them by playing only slow soaring songs which have people stopping to listen for a while before making for the next tourist attraction. One fair headed fellow hides behind a pillar for the entirity of ´A Case Of You´by Joni Mitchell before handing me a Five Euro note - always a nice present, thanks! Two Austrian / German girls stop and listen for a few songs before I hand my spot over to a Croatian violinst - apparently the busking slots are an hour long each in this town, as there are so many hopefuls here trying to make a buck on the streets.

I don´t mind leaving though, as to be honest both my instruments need some kind of fine tuning - my throat is sore from the cold (not owning a pair of shoes doesn´t help) and my guitar is in dire need of a string change. So I pack myself up, stop at Indigo for a last cheap vegan curry, walk over the singing bridge one last time all the while gazing at the same view Julie Andrews sang so operatically about, and make for the station to get the next train to Halstatt.