That’s New Year’s to us English speaking people. The name comes from the fourth century Pope Sylvestor the first. Eventually made a saint by the Catholic Church, his feast day is observed on December 31.Anyway, enough of the history… onto the good part!
This is definitely one of my top meal discoveries from Austria. Traditionally a Swiss dish, Raclette is enjoyed by many countries around Europe and is what I would call an interactive meal.
I don’t think it matters which country you’re in, or what visa you’re applying for… they’re always nasty and turn out to be a lot more complicated than originally thought.
Though we were prepared for the pain and work involved it was definitely still a highly stressful process. Continue reading
From my one Christmas spent in Austria, my impression is that they take it a lot more seriously than we do in Oz. To be fair, I suppose if you have kids it’s a different story, but even without young kids they seem to take it seriously here.
In June we took a mini break to Amsterdam. Neither of us had been there before and we were keen to spot some windmills and try the local… cuisine.
We booked ourselves a tiny room on a canal boat for four nights. We were lucky enough to have a shower in our room, though the toilet was communal (and the paper goes in the bin, please!), but for four nights it was perfect. Following are my impressions of the gorgeous city of Amsterdam.
I faced this prospect pretty soon after arriving in Austria because my German lessons were a 45 minute drive away. Thomas took me out to practice the first weekend so I would be comfortable.
It was not comfortable. It was one of the most frightening things I’d done in a while. Though I knew that in a matter of weeks everything would become automatic, the learning process was very scary. Continue reading
Looking for a job in a small town where very little English is spoken is not easy.
And because my German is not yet good enough (and won’t be for a while) to get a job that requires foreign speaking or writing, I really need to find a job where I can utilise my English.
I’ve been unemployed for over one year. I guess that might depress some people, it might make others go crazy, but I think it suits me.
One of the most frequent questions I get asked is: but what do you do all day?
My answer:
Whatever I want.
I love my life.
I’m talking about Christmas Markets. In Europe around Christmas the streets come alive in the evening with brightly lit markets and stalls squatting out in the cold, snowy streets.
The light fades early here, around 4pm and the temperature drops as soon as the sun disappears, but in European towns and villages, the locals rug up and head out for a night of festivities and celebrations. Continue reading
Local radio really is the same as at home… they just speak in German (not really surprising). And though I’ve always been a dedicated Triple J listener, due to the time difference, a few hours after I wake up in Austria late night music starts in Australia… which is generally not that enjoyable.
I’d like to introduce you to my current radio station of choice, and the somewhat odd songs they choose to play.
an aussie in austria 