Stopover in Linz

I arrived into Linz around 9:30 in the morning and had about a 3 hour layover before I had to board a train for Salzburg.  From the train station, I knew that it would be about a 15 minute walk to the Linz Cathedral so I decided to head towards that direction.  This was my second time in Austria and the only reason I decided to include it in this trip was because of how much I loved it from my first visit.  As soon as I stepped out of the train station, I noticed a huge difference between Austria and the Czech Republic which I had just left behind. 

It was an early Saturday morning and it appeared that most stores weren’t open yet.  When I arrived at the Cathedral, there wasn’t anyone else around, so I just ended up taking a few pictures and then leaving. 

Instead, I made my way to Konditorei Jindrak, a café located just a couple of minutes away from the Cathedral.  Konditorei Jindrak has been in business since 1929 and is most famous for the Linzer Torte, the oldest known cake in the world.  Having something so sweet for breakfast just seemed wrong, but when in Linz…

The Linzer Torte was quite sweet, but the combination of nuts, spices, jam and the extremely crumbly crust made it delicious. It tasted very familiar but unique at the same time.

I gradually made my way back to the train station via Landstraße, one of the popular shopping streets of Linz.  Shops were starting to open and people were starting to gather.  I could see why it would be a popular family hangout place on weekends – it was lively and full of different restaurants and shops.