We caught the tram to the station in Innsbruck only to find that, shock horrow, our train was delayed by 15 minutes! The surprise expressed by the locals is a sign of how rarely this happens. It didn’t really affect us it just meant we will see 15 minutes less of Munich.

We had a lot of things to sort out when we got here and we started by booking all of our trains up to Brussels. Unfortunately there were no couchettes left for that journey so we will be spending the night in a normal seat – proper backpacker style.

After this we did washing and booked up our accommodation in Berlin and Brussels – not much left now! Internet was by far the cheapest yet at 80 cents per hour.

By this time we were pretty hungry so headed towards Marianplatz – the city’s main square – for something to eat. There were plenty of restaurants just none in our price range. We did however have a taster of some of Munich’s sights and very nice they are too! The beautiful Rathaus dominates the main square even thought the main tower was, not unusually for us as a building of interest, covered in scaffolding. We also passes the Hofbrauhaus, Munich’s most famous beer hall – we will definitely visit there again. We also passed the city palace  surrounded by very expensive shops and car dealerships such as Bentley, Lambourghini and Aston Martin. We definitely weren’t going to eat around there!

In the end we headed back towards our hotel only to find that the business district only ended about one block away from the hotel so we had come back to where we started! Finally we found an interesting Oriental restaurant which was empty when we went in but sooned filled up with locals – always a good sign – who also helped us decipher the menu as the waiter could not speak a single word of English. I had Thai Rat-curry which I really hope was chicken red curry and not rat. I have my suspicions. It was very nice though.

I really like Munich a lot, it has a really nice relaxed and friendly feel and displays the German demand for cleanliness and efficiency, two things which definitely are not bad!

Not a lot to say today really as it rained all day somewhat limiting our options! It wasn’t a bad day though and it was nice to take it easy for a change. We had a lie in and then went to get breakfast from the supermarket. Next we spent an hour on the internet checking e-mails and updating the blog.

As something to do in the rain we visited the Swarovski shop which is the biggest in the world and has a few exhibitions too. I’m glad it was free beacuse I wouldn’t have paid to see it! We spent the rest of the afternoon bimbling around the town trying to avoid all the tourists who had the same idea.

For dinner we went for a curry – just to see what it was like. Actually it was very nice and probably much more authentic than a British restaurant. It was cheap too.

I think on the whole I prefer Interlaken to Innsbruck. There is more variety in Interlaken with the lakes, waterfalls and rivers as well as the trees and mountains. Also the villages are more picturesque. I don’t have a bad word to say about the Austrian’s though. They are very friendly and always helpful.

Today can be summed up in 3 letters – wow! We started by booking up Prague as we were conscious that it is now mid-August and we do not have much time before we are there now.

After that we caught the bus up to the cable car and decided to splash out and buy a ticket right to the top of the mountain (two cable cars altogether). It was well worth it – the views were astounding and the scenery amaying. The peak of Hafelekarspitye sits above the valley at 2334m and it was quite dizzying to stand at the edge and gaye out over Innsbruck and the Alps.

We walked around at the peak and then again one level down at the top of the ski-slopes. It would be amazing to come here in winter. The sheep and cows provided added entertainment.

Back at the bottom the clouds began to roll in – we made it to the bottom just as the peak began to disappear. By the time we walked back to the hotel the rain had set in. Then it thundered too. The heavy rain unfortunately put a premature end to our planned lantern walk, laid on by the tourist board for free, as there was no way we could walk in this weather. Never mind.

We ate in the hotel and then relaxed and watched the storm. I am just glad we got to see Innsbruck in all of its glory at all. The weather forecast is rain again tomorrow.

Again the train journey was beautiful and provided panoramic views of the countryside between Salzburg and Innsbruck. Innsbruck is nestled between huge mountains on both sides. The sun was shining and in every direction the view was a picture-postcard.

After dropping our bags at the hotel we went for lunch, another Wienerschnitzel, next to the gold tiled roof in the old town. After lunch we walked back to the hotel via the cathedral and city park.

After a short rest we embarked on what was supposed to be a short walk. It turned out to be about 8 1/2 miles. The route along the river and around the airfield gave wonderful views all the way round.

Another blister gained and sore legs too and we eventually got back absolutely exhausted. I hope the weather is as nice tomorrow.

Today we had breakfast and then set out for the old town again, a little more focussed than yesterday. We started at Schloss Mirabel, a beautiful palace with lovely grounds which also featured in the Sound of Music (apparently). The atmosphere was lovely and was made even nicer by the live Mozart concert taking place right in the middle.

We next went to Mozart’s residence (although he didn’t live here for long the whole of Salzburg is Mozart mad)! We didn’t pay to go in but had a drink outside. We followed a nearby road up a very steep hill to a monastry which had lovely views of the city.

After descending back to ground level we had lunch in a small café and then visited a church we had missed yesterday with a very well kept and photogenic graveyard.

Next we walked up the steep hill to the fort overlooking the city. It was too expensive to go in but the views were very good. We continued to walk along the hills which gave us even more good views.

Back at ground level agian we had a really really nice hot chocolate which was almost like drinking melted chocolate. Emma had mint chocolate and I had coconut – yummy!

On the way back to the hotel we revisited the Schloss Mirabel gardens and enjoyed the walk back along the river.

Salzburg is very nice even with all the tourists. It really is an Austrian version of Stratford with Mozart instead of Shakespeare!

We left the hotel after breakfast to head for Salzburg. As usual in Austria the train awas exactly on time, as was our connection.

Once in Salzburg we caught the bus to our accommodation. This time it seems to be university rooms in halls not that dissimilar to those at Warwick. The room is very nice and airy although it is a bit of a walk to the old town. It wasn’t really what we expected as the most expensive place we have stayed but it is fine.

We headed straight for town to find it very busy with tourists – it is a Saturday after all. We walked around the town, after having some lunch from the supermarket, taking in the cathedral, rathaus and other old buildings. We then went up to the convent from the Sound of Music – it excited Emma anyway!

A pleasant walk back along the river followed and then bed.

Breakfast today was what looked like a roll but turned out to be sweet and filled with jam, After this we went to book up the Vienna accommodation – very easy – weŕe getting good at this!

We then headed up to Heroes Square along the tree-lined Andrassy ut. The square contains a large monument constructed to honour the millenial anniversary of the Magyar conquest of the Carpathian Basin (apparently). It also is surrounded by beautiful buildings which house the Museum of Fine Arts and another few museums.

We walked up through the square and had lunch at a cafe. We then walked into the city park and through the grounds of an enormous castle which really did look like something from a Disney movie!

After this we walked back down Andrassy ut to the Terror Haza ( House of Terror) which, despite sounding like a theme park ride was anything but. The building houses a museum in dedication and memory to all the torture and atrocities that took place from the German occupation during WWII through the Soviet influenced regime right up to 1990. The building was the headquarters of various secret organisations including the ÁVH. Generally the job of these organisations was to terrorise anybody who attempted to resist the government of the time and to generally be excessively violent and inhumane in the process. The museum contained a reconstruction of the cells that were within its walss. It is truly disturbing to think that this kind of brutality continues in the modern world.

It was very interesting to gain an insight into Hungarian history of which I previously had no knowledge. Hungary has certainly come a long way in 17 years but its history is still evident in Budapests mixture of Eastern-block buildings and Western metropolitan lifestyles.

After the museum we head down past the opera house to the chain bridge where there was some form of jazz festival. You really can´t beat live music especially in such lovely surroundings with such a nice atmosphere. After enjoying the music we headed to the Parliament buildings. These would give Westminster a run for its money but all was very quiet around the area as it is in a commercial district and it is a Sunday.

We headed back and got ready for dinner. Pizza again!

Budapest is a very nice place and its charm means so much more when you know what itś been through to get where it is today. Buda tomorrow.

Today was a long day’ We got up very early at about 5, packed and got ready. We went to pay and the hotel even got us breakfast ready early. We managed to get to the staion in plenty of time and boarded our train at 7.20.

Unfortunately this train was not as good as the last and was very hot with no air conditioning. It also had very little leg room for an 8 hour journey and the toilets were disgusting.

Anyway we arrived in Budapest at about 3.30 and immediately took out some money as we had none. For some reason the machine would only let me take out 20000 Forints (about 55 GBP) but we needed a lot more than that to pay for the room. I would just have to explain when we got there!

Next we went into McDonalds to use the toilets and get a drink (we were stupid and took very little on the train). When I came to pay though I only had a 10000Ft note. This seemed to shock them and the manager had to sort out the change. Not only was this embarassing but also confusing. Had I taken out way more than I thought? Was I out by a factor of 10? If so, oops! I turns out that I was right after all but it was a bit of a daunting start.

We made our way to the guesthouse which is fine and in a good location. We then went back to the station to sort out Vienna tickets but were told we didn´t need to make reservations – hopefully this will be OK!

Budapest does not seem like any city we have visited so far and seems a lot rougher around the edges. The people seem like that too. The men are very tall and broad and they are naturally angry looking. Their body language is quite aggressive but I think this image is quite misleading as they seem nice to talk to.

Dinner was interesting and very nice. After choosing goulash and being informed that it is in fact a soup here and not a stew as it is presented everywhere else in the world I chose to try their gnocchi. Emma even tried it too! It wasn´t really pasta but more like potato dumplings and was covered in a pesto, chicken, bacon and paprika sauce – yummy.

We will try to experience some of the nicer parts of Budapest tomorrow.

Zagreb is quite small as capitals go so today was quite relaxed and slow-paced – a bit like Croatia really. We got up and had breakfast at the hotel before heading off into town.

Zagreb centre is split into two areas, upper and lower. The upper is older and contains most of the sights while the lower is much more modern and contains most of the restaurants, shops and businesses.

First we went to the cathedral which was unfortunately covered in scaffolding. We also saw another couple of churches and the government buildings before getting a drink in a quirky little Tolkein themed bar. A little out of place in Croatia we thought!

This seemed to complete our tour of Zagreb´s sights except for the museums which were either not of interest or not in budget.

We spent the rest of the day walking around, sitting in the park, having an ice cream and using the free internet at the hotel.

Dinner was delicious at a pasta restaurant. We had gnocchi (mine was with mushroom, salmon, shrimps and a tomato and brandy sauce) which has to be a candidate for best meal on the holiday so far. And it was only 49 Kuna (less than 5 pounds)!

We went back to the hotel to sleep before our early start tomorrow.

Today we travelled to Zagreb and it took most of the day. Our train was at elevenish so we got up and packed our things at a leisurely pace returning our key to the jolly, plump landlord.

As we walked to the station we picked up breakfast (pain au chocolat) and another piece of yummy chocolate cake for the journey.

The Croatians are obviously proud of the Split-Zagreb train as we were greeted and shown to our seats from the platform. We were then informed that a free coffee and sandwich were included in the price of the ticket, which, for us, was only about 70p anyway!

The train took 5 1/2 hours but the scenery was great! Sweeping valleys, huge mountains and evergreen forests. As we got further north the scenery got greener and greener – in places it could have been England. We also saw the Danube in all its blue glory against the lush countryside.

The coffee was interesting. A Nescafe instant coffee with powdered milk and sugar all mixed into the sachet. For someone who likes his coffee black with no sugar it was a little disgusting to say the least. Free though!

The sandwich was fine – we even got a choice of ham or cheese. Digestion was not aided however by the fact that the train was of the tilting variety but it was nice nonetheless. Britain really has a lot to learn about public transport and I am surprised to say that it need look no further than Croatia for an example of how to do it properly.

We arrived at Zagreb at about 4.30 and made our way to our hotel. A 15-minute walk into the business district and we found our hotel. It is very nice – 2/3-stars again with breakfast and free internet - not bad at all! And we can stay an extra night!

We headed into Zagreb to book our Budapest train – 7.20am so an early start but it takes 7 hours so we don’t want to leave it too late.

Dinner was pizza (again) -  a giant seafood one for me and a ham and paprika one for Emma. With a beer and a coke the bill came to 84 Kuna (about 8 pounds)!

We then returned to our nice air-conditioned room for a good night’s sleep.