Linz was never on our itinerary, so we arrived unprepared. After parking the car, we had only one mission in mind – having lunch. Everything in the first 3 blocks was closed, and several establishments here seemed to have been closed for much longer than since Saturday afternoon. I then spotted down an alley the golden arches and managed to cross the street before the children too could spot their idea of gourmet heaven. However, my wife and I agreed that oxygen alone would not be sufficient to sustain us much longer and agreed that if we did not find anything suitable in the next block and a half, McDonald’s would provide our first meal on Austrian soil. Fortunately, 1 block farther, we found ourselves at the Hauptplatz, an enormous square lined with eateries of all kinds. Most were cafés, but as much as we enjoy these establishments, we had an urge for solid, hot food.

The night before, while strolling the streets of Passau, we were surprised by the number of Greek restaurants. Although we dined in the firmly German Rathauskeller, we fondly recalled a most memorable meal we had a few weeks earlier with my sister in a Greek restaurant in Maldon, England. However, when faced in downtown Linz by the outdoor seating of Restaurant El Greco, we could not resist and grabbed the last free table with clear views of the square.

The menu was standard Greek fare. Around us, everyone seemed to be most satisfied with the food, and every dish being served looked better than the previous one. We settled for a farmer’s soup (€3), a chicken skewer (€8.50), and a chicken roulade (€11.50), the latter two served with rice, potatoes, and a small, fresh salad. Although I was craving a beer, we all stuck to water, as we still had a few-hours drive to Vienna.

One of the joys of traveling with a baby is that food can be so easy. The first 4 or so months you get away with milk, and then things get even easier when all you need to do is open a little bottle – no preparation, no washing up. However, there comes a moment in every parent’s life when they have to face up to reality and break this comfortable baby-bottle food habit. For us, this moment came in Linz; true to form, it was my son’s decision to refuse out of principle anything coming from a bottle at the most inconvenient moment for his parents. I cannot question his venue for choosing so, as the food was cooked to perfection.

After the meal, we were faced with a difficult choice: visiting Linz without having Linzertorte or not finishing a Greek lunch with Baklava. The latter seemed a more serious sacrilege, so we shared the sugar high tempered with well-prepared cappuccino. The total bill including tip came to €40.