HALSTATT, AUSTRIA - LAND OF ALPINE MAJESTY

I sit in Karly's kebab shop, listening to wonderful Turkish music on his discman and gazing up at the incredible view. It threatens to rain but I've finished my set and have just celebrated it with a vege kebab on the house, so hey! I'm content... Along with some fizzy peach flavoured water gifted to me as a busking present by three Korean travellers, it's a fine end to a perfect busking day... What a place! Halstatt has amazed me with it's beauty.

Arriving by train a day earlier in the pouring rain, I took the small ferry across the calm clear lake and was silenced almost straight away.. the sheer magnitude of those Alps, the vast amount of greenery prevalent everywhere you look... unbelievable. It's definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, and reminds me of New Zealand a lot...

Anyway, back to the busking... it's Saturday morning and the sky rings clear as a bell, so I take a place at the other end of town near the bus stand (ten minutes away from Karly's kebabs which I'll come to later...). Before I even start to sing, a nice German tourist has taken pity on me and put two whole Euro's into my case. Perhaps she just feels sorry for me standing out like a sore thumb, because what follows is a hell of a lot of strange looks from those just descended from the big yellow tourist vehicle... Tired of being ignored, I decide to change tack. I move across the street to a park bench and begin to sing / fingerpick only the quietest of my reportoire - I'm getting better at sensing what songs are best to play on particular occasions, and though I make less than most days, most people end up looking my way with at least half a smile ...

When I take a break at 2 p.m I remember Karly's offer of free food if I play at his place and decide to keep on playing, only at the other end of town... I don't think it will be a very profitable place at first, but geez am I wrong! I trundle on down, he sets me up his best high stool and I set out my case as per usual. I've changed my strings the night before and my voice must be resonating with this fine mountain air or something, because people begin to respond straight away and it ends up being a fantastic place to play. Yep, I end up rocking the joint! he he, sorry for the blatant self-aggrandisement - just wanted to slip that in...

I'm happy to stop an hour later when Karly brings out a 'vegetarisch' kebab. Unfortunately it's smothered in mayonnaise so that's my veganism out the window, for a day at least... having this diet in Europe is proving more difficult than I thought. I eat it anyway and listen to music before the sky opens and rains down on suspecting tourists.

My work for the day done, I walk into the foothills of these amazing hills, forget which country I am in for a minute... My highlight of the day is seeing two wild deer running away from the sound of my footsteps, and while I'm relatively alone in this place, I feel like I've touched the real Austria somehow... such a gift.

Beauty aside, two nights is enough for me here. SO after I've filled my cup back up, been woken up by my Korean roommates at 6 a.m (why so many plastic BAGS??) I hightail it for my next port of call, my next place of trial and error... Graz.