We spent today exploring Linz – what a lovely restful day in the sunshine. First a walking tour of the old town, admiring the mix of old buildings with the new. We found the 8th century church of St Martin on top of one hill, which was famed for a Roman oven still within it, which made us ponder a little. But it gave a significant contrast to the new build of the Schloss building, a museum built in very futuristic cubist form across the top of the hillside overlooking the city centre.

Then we headed down to the river crossing, saying good morning to the Danube and then entering the Ars electronic centre, a really excellent exhibition about the history and current developments in electronics. It was better than it sounds. It expanded on my understanding of WWW, the internet, Wikipedia, and reminded us of pioneers in communication over the last 100 years. There was a section about transport, so I put in a bid for my personal jet-pack, which I remember was described in the 60s as being the transport of choice by the year 2000. Not yet it ain’t, we’re still using bicycles round here mate. Then we entered a film theatre and donned 3D glasses to see a presentation on the universe. It was great, pitched well and done in German and English. A really good place to visit, with enthusiastic staff who kept our interest around the place, though the beer I had in the bar was probably my favourite bit, looking out over the city views.

In the afternoon we took a tram up to the top of the main hill overlooking Linz, the Postlingberg, and again admired the view from the cafe.

My first Sachertorte tasting, and the best cafe soundtrack so far on the trip, not that that says much. (It is something of a torment that I notice background music so much, as evidenced earlier in this blog, obviously. If I hear Blinded by the Light one more time I shall scream…etc.)

We have found Linz to be an interesting place, not afraid to portray difficult periods in its history, like the photos of Germans arriving in victory in the 1938 Anschluss, for example, and well geared up to English speaking visitors, rather more than southern Germany. So we have piled up the calories again and now plan to get the remaining 230 km done to Vienna in the next 4 days, during which we may not have wi-fi access.

Helen’s track of the day: Earth, Wind and Fire, After the Love because this was one of the tracks I heard in the funky cafe at the top of the Linz hill tram route.