Last leg on the way to the Maribor Music Festival

Looking towards Graz

Looking towards Maribor

I arrived at the border crossing between Austria and Slovenia by S-Bahn this year and once it had trundled back towards Graz I was alone on the platform.  I had a 30 minute wait and it was so quiet that if I hadn't made this crossing before I would have wondered the station had been abandoned. It isn't long ago that this border was between the capitalist west and Communist East, but you would never know it now.

Eventually the Slovenian train arrived and I hoisted my bag up the steep steps of one of the 3 carriages. There must have been a waiting room in the station because two other people clambered in as well. When I saw one of them stash two musical instrument boxes next to the seat I knew I was on the right train. Off to the Music Festival!

Stashed musical instruments

Wet wet

Green, green and wet

It is raining in Hamburg. It is raining and cold everywhere in northern Europe as a low over Sweden brings polar air and rain.

I will be spending most of the next two days on trains, travelling towards warmth (hopefully). Today I take the train from Hamburg to Salzburg, which has affordable accommodation within easy reach of the station. Salzburg is one of those rare cities where the area around main station is pleasant rather than seedy so it is a good stopover point. (Munich is also pleasant but absurdly expensive.)

On Monday I take another train, this time Austrian and climb over the Alps to Graz then on to Maribor in Slovenia.

The whole train trip is costing the grand total of 45 Euros - a 'Slovenia Special' offered by German rail. (www.bahn.de is a great site to use to plan your travels). The ticket allows for stopovers of 48 hours so you can take a break.

The Maribor Music Festival begins on Tuesday. With luck the rain will have passed by then.