It’s pretty exciting (and scary) facing the prospect of driving legally at 130km/h. I have to admit it took me a couple of weeks before I was comfortable but now, I am just like everyone else – hating slowing down to 100 to go through the tunnels.
So here’s a few tips I’ve put together if you ever get the chance to drive the Austrian autobahn. Continue reading
Are Austrian work Christmas parties any different to Australian ones? I found out last year – and rest assured I’ll do a better job this year!
I was full of nervous excitement about my first Austrian work Christmas party. Excited because it was a night of eating good food, drinking and dancing, nervous because I’d only been with the company a month, and my German was not quite ready for drunken conversations.
Around the middle of 2014, job seeking became my main focus. To be honest, I wasn’t overly motivated, and I wasn’t really expecting to find a job in Austria. I sent off a letter maybe every few weeks, and very few of those job ads were actually in English, so consequently, the return rate was very low. Actually, it was pretty much non-existent. I had the skills, but without the German language, I was pretty much useless to most companies. Continue reading
Lucky as I was to actually land myself a bona fide job here in Austria before my visa ran out, I have been extra lucky that the company I am working for has a culture that not only fits in with my working philosophy and personality but also provides a number of perks.
If you’re going to read on… be prepared for some major job-envy.
Following on from last week’s post about the foods I’m missing from Oz, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t also share a little about some of the amazing foods in Austria that can’t readily be found in Oz.
So here’s just a selection… my top 5… oh I mean 6 🙂 Continue reading
Food plays a very important role in my life. Not only do I need it to stay alive, but I love to eat it, I love to cook it and I love to read menus! After a few months living in Austria (remember, small town) I found that most things I knew existed in some way, shape or form… it was just a matter of translating and hunting.
But more than a year in… there are still some things missing. I’m not talking about the classic Cadbury chocolate, Tim Tams or Vegemite, I’m talking things you wouldn’t initially think about. Here’s my top five:
I know what you’re thinking. It’s happened before: you check into a ‘double room’ in a hotel only to find out that they’ve simply shoved two singles together, there’s an annoying gap in the middle and the beds gradually move apart throughout the night. But seriously, when it’s done properly, there are benefits you wouldn’t even think of.
I love Ireland and I’ve been there twice but I’ve never quite managed to get to Scotland. Luckily, Thomas is a big fan of Scotland so for our main trip in 2014 we spent 2.5 weeks in the UK. I was very much looking forward to all the ‘normal’ food I would be able to find there as well as exploring old country towns and castles.
Austrians don’t really do dessert on Christmas Day, but that doesn’t mean they miss out.
For the entire month of December (and as long as they last after) Austrians bake truckloads Christmas cookies. They are everywhere – in shops, at work… and especially in people’s homes. Be prepared to be offered massive platefuls wherever you go. Continue reading
When Thomas asked me if I’d like to take ballroom dancing classes with him I practically choked with happiness. Who would have thought, a guy who likes to dance? I’ve danced all my life, enthusiastically, albeit not necessarily well. Ballet, jazz and finally tap dancing where I found my greatest love.
