When you think Austria, you probably think immediately of beer. Which is the right connection to make, but what you might not realise is that Austria also has a flourishing wine industry. Grüner Veltliner is the dominant white grape, producing dry whites, but there are multitudes of other varieties, from red to white to sweet to dry and beyond.
Moving overseas is an adventure! But it is also a lengthy and difficult experience, and along with all the emotional ups and downs, there are plenty of annoyances and bureaucratic processes that you have to deal with, usually when you least expect them or have time to deal with them. This post might not be much fun, but if you want an idea of some of the more practical things you should try to do before you leave your home country, keep reading.
My Austrian experience started with a student visa, progressed onto a red-white-red skilled worker’s visa and was now ready to move on to the big one – the family visa. In comparison, this visa is fairly easy to obtain (assuming of course, you are family) and requires only proof of marriage and passing of the A1 German test.
Pretty easy, we thought. Well I guess it was. But being a visa, it was still fraught with fun complexities and extra challenges that we hadn’t originally anticipated. Read on for the journey into my (hopefully) last visa in Austria.
In September/October, Austria and Germany go beer and sausage crazy. I realised it was that time of the year again when I opened a piece of junk mail from a local supermarket and found it absolutely plastered with different kinds of sausage and beer.
Doing things like spending the weekend in Italy seems almost effortless when you live in Austria. With the weather cooling down we decided to visit a friend who currently lives in the small Italian town of Cittadella. I had never heard of it before (and neither had anyone else from what I could tell), but Cittadella is a charming, walled Italian town, in the vicinity of other charming little-known Italian towns, and only a stone’s throw from Venice.
Austria has plenty of great food – let’s get things straight right away that I am definitely not complaining here! All I am doing is bringing attention to some of the ‘stranger’ quirks I’ve noticed when it comes to Austrian people and their food. Read on for my most memorable ten.
Foreward
In 2011, I officially caught the travel bug. My first solo adventure started in Egypt and took me through the Middle East and into Europe for four months. During that trip, I was lucky enough to be able to travel through one of the most amazing countries I have visited so far – Syria. Fast forward to a couple of months ago, I wrote a travel story for a competition, and my entry was included in their recently published book. I thought it might be an interesting read for some – so here it is!
(you can visit http://www.stringybarkstories.net for more info on this competition)
Now that I’ve been in Austria for almost two years, I’ve managed to adapt… mostly. But at this point, it feels like there are still certain things that I am struggling to get used to. And given that I’m two years in, perhaps I never will! Read on for my top ten!
I love wandering around in the mountains. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to do it when the weather is suboptimal – if it’s excessively freezing, windy or raining – but otherwise, it really is the ultimate way to get some fresh air, exercise, and of course some traditional Austrian food!
Being landlocked in Austria can sometimes give me a hint of cabin-fever, however it’s reassuring to know that if I really need to get to the coast for some salty, sea air, it’s only a couple of hours away… and as an added bonus… it’s in Italy.
