Blogs from Austria, Europe - page 250

I woke up to a long, rough tounge scraping across my cheek. Kaya, the dog who belongs to our hosts, Rene and Steffie, chose to wake me gently...with her saliva. Yuck. Today is the day that we get to go sledding in the Alps! Steffie generously offered to take us with her to meet her parents for a day on the mountain. I sometimes have to remind myself where I am. "What country did I wake up in this morning?" Austria. Innsbruck. Im Couchsurfing with a mountain guide and her rock climber boyfriend, I mentally take note. We packed our poles, snowshoes, borrowed ski pants and jacket, boots, thermal socks, gloves, extra rope, doggie treats, leash, water bowl, sunscreen and hat in preparation for the day. It reminded me of getting infants ready for a ... read more

Unfortunately our arrival in Vienna has coincided with me getting the flu. Not only am I feeling achy and snotty, there is also a sense of frustration at not being able to make the most of the few days we have in a wonderful city like Vienna. While managing to fight the urge to simply curl up in bed, we have had to limit what we´ve been able to see and do in our three days here, which is abit sad really. Our major accomplishment in our time here has been attending an Opera at the State Opera. Having never been to the opera before, we had no idea how to go about getting tickets, nor what to expect if we even managed to get tickets in the first place. The simple thing to do would ... read more

The Austrian home of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Graz is a beautiful city nestled in the foothills of the Styrian Alps. It is Austria’s second largest city, and has a lot to offer. We decided yet again to make use of the 11 euro Saturday train tickets and make our way south. After a beautiful train ride that winded through the mountains and into long tunnels, we were finally there, and choose to spend our day like most other day trips; walking and sitting in the sun. Our hike through town led us into the main square, which crosses past the awesome river front. The best view of the city was had on top of the cliff, which houses the towns’ big clock. From there, you can see the whole city, and the mountains in the distance. The ... read more

Its not the hills that are alive with the sound of music, its the streets of Vienna. If you ask the Viennese about their city, they will undoubtedly mention, "QUALITY of life". Vienna, Austria is said to have one of the highest qualities of life of any city in the world. From environmental consciousness to cultural opportunities and workplace logistics, the residents of Vienna seem to have it made. As a city known for music, is has produced an incredible amount of talent. Famous musical talent that has sprung from Vienna include Josef Haydn, Wolfgang Mozart, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, and even Beethoven for a time, despite his near-deafness. The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud lived here until the Nazi occupation in 1938. Today, Vienna still boasts of its musical talent, among other things. I saw ... read more

My Year in Asia had always seemed to stretch endlessly out before me, all the way to the distant curve of the horizon and into the vagueness beyond. So it was with a sense of real disbelief - as well as sadness - that I realised I only had three weeks left after returning from Burma! And these three, already inadequate, weeks passed by ridiculously quickly - a loud, fast-forward blur of parties & dinners, cramming for final exams, nights out on the town with good mates, and all the inevitably bittersweet 'Lasts' that come with leaving a place... The Last som tam from the chatty ladies opposite the IC, the Last lazy afternoon at the Rangsit public pool, the Last truly-unbelievably delicious bag of grilled pork from the street-vendor I'd visited almost every day, the ... read more