Blogs from Carinthia, Austria, Europe - page 2

Thus far, my entries have all related to specific events or otherwise temporally oriented phenomena. I would, at this juncture, like to pause this chronological pattern and interject with the pretense of a gourmand. Succinctly, I want to talk about food. And beer. Though more about food. So here we go. You know that one, irritating question that every fan of food, every devotee of delicacies hates? Yes, you do. “If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?” How the fuck am I supposed to pick just one, you idiot? Don’t you understand my relationship with food? I’m a whore. I eat everything. I love everything. Well, almost everything. I could live without sauerkraut. But the answer is surprisingly simple. Pizza. It’s delicious, it’s versatile, and it ... read more

Above the front door is a life sized beer tap handle. It has to be good. As I cross the threshold of Wirtshaus Josef I step into another time. Almost. The interior is polished wood and old brick. The modern constructed on top of the aged. It is immediately apparent that the building is old and retains much of its original state. It smells faintly of smoke, overridden by the more dominant smells of beer and slow roasted meat. There is a quiet ambiance of German conversation backed by even quieter American music. The pale yellow lighting granting stark contrast to the dark wood and faded brick. The booths are wood, coated in resin, and built into brick alcoves. The table is large, a single piece of similarly fashioned wood. There is little space be... read more

The first three days are over, culminating in a party last night for the Copa del Rey soccer game featuring Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao. Thus far, it's been a tiring adventure. I only acquired the key to a bike from a neighbor last night meaning I have spent the entire three days exploring the city on foot. It's only about a 10 minute walk to the city center, but the walk to the University takes an hour. My first goal upon arriving was to see what was in the near vicinity of my flat. So I went for a stroll. The only real points of interest nearby were the small bank branch, a small grocery store and, a few other useless stores (for things like mattresses, vacuums, and cars). So I headed to the bank, I ... read more

It was a dark and stormy night. Seriously. I stepped out of Vienna International Airport around 8pm on Tuesday, May 22nd into a quickly darkening sky obscured by darker clouds. Fortunately I got to head underground almost immediately into a warren of tunnels crisscrossing the city with almost no distinguishable pattern. But which tunnel to travel down? Oh, hey. There's only one. Let's hope I pick the right direction. Success! Now I'm at Vien Mitte, one of the central subway (S-Bahn) stations in downtown Vienna (Wien). I know that the train departing from Wien to Villach leaves from Wien Meidling station. So let's head that way. The hostel I looked up is nearby and said I could take the S1, 2, or 3 lines to Wien Meidling. Except none of them actually seem to go there. ... read more

All good things come to an end, and this year in Hainan has definitely been one of those 'good things'. I can't believe the amount of crazy experiences I've had, the amount I've learned about China (or at least two bizarre corners of it) and Chinese language, and I'm returned home safely from it all to my family and dog. Thanks for following this blog and I hope you enjoyed it! The last entry is a bit of a twist in the story: Literally the day after I arrived back to a very much unchanged East Worldham home, I flew straight back out to Austria to start a ski instructor course. Strange in July, yes, but this glacier had the remains of snow even now. Can I describe for a minute how strange it was to ... read more