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Published: April 22nd 2008
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Welcome to Wien
People get creative with coffee when they are in my room. Ok, I thought it was time I wrote some more about Vienna as although I have done a lot of travelling, and still have a lot more to do, Vienna is still my favourite city and a city that will forever be close to my heart. I hope this entry gives everybody an idea of life in Vienna and what an average week in Vienna has for me. The photos have been stolen from all my friends and hopefully this allows you to get to know some of the people I am experiencing this amazing journey with
Vienna is a city rich in culture with a very laid back lifestyle. Everybody rides bikes and the city is pedestrian friendly. There are an abundance of parks, museums, art galleries, and cafes which makes the city have an unbeatable lifestyle. For a city that suffered much hardship through the wars, the Austrians remain friendly people with a very open attitude. The city is soon to get an even bigger buzz with summer upon us and also the Euro 2008 Football championships being based in Vienna.
I have yet to see everything I want to see in the city but I already
Rathaus and Parliament
In winter they put an ice rink in front of it. Spring it had bike jumps and one of the best parties I have been to inside. have a few favourite places. Donau Island is an island in the middle of the Donau Canal (an extension of the Danube River). This is a giant park that has running and cycling trails, places for BBQ's, beach volleyball, football pitches, and plenty of grass to lay about. Stephansplatz and the city centre are a must see with the haunting Stephansdom in the middles sorrounded by shops, cafes, and pubs. The Naschmarkt on a saturday has all the fresh food, second hand goods, and dining that anyone could want. Schonbrunn Palace would be my favourite place so far with the giant palace, extensive gardens, zoo, and parks sorrounding the area. Climbing to the top and looking down at the palace during a sunset is an amazing experience and there is an even a cafe at the top for a refreshing beer.
It must not be forgotten that I am actually in Vienna to do some study so I must not fail to mention my University. The WU (WirtschaftsUniversitat) is located about 15 minutes from my dorm and has very modern facilities. It is a lot bigger than UniSA and has a musch better student culture. The study here is
Naschmarkt
An open air market that is world famous. Alive on a saturday morning with some excellent food. a lot different than Australia with most classes being an Intensive One Week course. Two of my classes run for the entire semester but have no assignments, just a presentation and an exam. My other three only run for a few days scattered across the semester. This allows more time for sightseeing and travel. Some of my friends have excellent timetables where they only have around 20 days of class.
I am staying in the ultra-cool Haus Erasmus. The 2nd floor has gained the reputation as the party floor with room 212, 219, or the kitchen being the hang out spots. I was lucky enough to receive a good room-mate. Graham Brewster from Vancouver, Canada has become one of my great mates. We have the same sense of humour, personal hygeine, love for beer, and love for music. The laughs are non-stop and I was lucky enough to spend some time with his family a few weeks ago. It also good having another great friend, Michael Pierce from Minneapolis, Minnesota, living across the hall. I travelled through Spain with Mike and now that he stole a couch from the Party Room, his room is definately the chill-out place. James
Schonbrunn
Just one of the spectacular views from the palace. Dixon from New Zealand has become another great mate with long chats about Crowded House and who gets Russell Crowe. I have also become very close with the Spanish girls recently. I now eat dinner on Spanish time, 10pm, and speak a little Spanish. There are a lot more peope I should mention and I will try to introduce them in my photos.
An average week in Vienna is action packed so hopefully here I can describe what goes on.
MONDAY- During the afternoon I have to actually go to the Uni for Business German where I argue for 3 hours with Cal about who speaks the better German out of the two of us. I also listen to Cal's plans for the night where he tries to fit in 4 days worth of activities into one night. He will then ask me if I want to get a kebab with him as he has grown an unhealthy addiction. Monday night may be one of many curry nights where we make a cheap and tasty sausage curry for about 6 of us. The beers come into the kitchen and about 10pm, when the Spanish girls come to eat,
Schonbrunn 2
Looking back at the palace. the music starts and things get a bit rowdy in the Kitchen. At midnight we make our way to the U-Bahn in order to catch the last ride to Ride Club. This club would definately be my most hated place in Vienna. It is over-crowded and the music is bad but I guess drinks are cheap and every exchange student is there which makes it sometimes bearable. Most times I only last one hour there and Mike and I leave in a fit of rage.
TUESDAY- Today I have nothing to do, maybe catch up on some Uni work but most of the time I just go from room to room chatting about the night before with everybody. There are no parties on this night so it is also named recovery night.
WEDNESDAY- I have Uni in the morning where I listen to Sam Parris from Sydney talk about the Austrian girl he likes in the class. I also have football training this night with the Vienna Kangaroos. It is a lot of fun trying to teach Austrians, German, Irish, and French guys how to play footy. Early May I will be officially representing the Austrian National team
Conchin at the Zoo
I took Conchin to the zoo and all she wanted to do is touch African looking things. Things got a bit hairy when an African man walked past. in Zagreb, Croatia which is something I guess nobody else can say they have done. In June a tournament is held in Vienna which should be great as all my friends can come and cheer us along. The Champions League soccer is shown at the bar on the corner on a Wednesday night. The bar is called Kriterium but for some strange reason we all call it Frankensteins. We have our own table, the beer is cheap, and you can get a Berner Wurstel (sausage wrapped in bacon with fries) for 5.90. We then go back to Haus Erasmus for one more beer in my room and sing either "Hurricane" or "I held the gun, she pulled my trigger". We then make our way to the club Loco where wednesday is Erasmus Karaoke night. This is excellent fun with some good and bad music. The cheap drinks and bad singing make the night great. We usually stumble to one of many Kebab stands at 5am then make our way back to Haus Erasmus. It is crucial not to ride a city bike back home at this hour as you may wake up like my pal Graham Brewster with ripped jeans,
Fu Long
The star attraction of the zoo. a bloody knee, and no certain idea of the location of the bike.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY- Once again I have no Uni these days so they can be filled with a city walk or a trip to Schonbrunn. These nights normally end in drinks somewhere, sometimes there are even dodgy Serbian/Turkish parties downstairs in the Party Room.
SATURDAY- Recently saturday has become the day to go watch Cal Habayeb from Miami and Robbie McTernan from Ireland strut their stuff on the rugby pitch. We take a case of beers and a footy with us which makes it a lot of fun. Saturday night could end up anywhere. My personal favourite is Chelsea which has the best music in Vienna and the girls think I play in The Kooks.
SUNDAY- This is recovery day where we head to a park, Donau Island, or just watch a movie. It is very rare for anybody to be moving before midday on a sunday.
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