Graz, Austria

This Sunday, I woke up not in Graz, but rather the Italian resort town of Jesolo on the last day of a vacation quite different from any I have ever taken. On Friday my exchange student and I along with Olivia and Meli (her exchange partner) drove to Jesolo, which is outside of Venice, through Southern Austria and the Alps.  My favorite part of the drive was experiencing the culture of the Italian Autogrill in the mountains. The closest equivalent in the US is a Sheetz or rest stop, but at the Autogrill there were good meats, cheeses, and pastas for sale, and people bought espressos and stood at the counters drinking them with a pastry, or in my case a fresh orange juice–at a gas station on the side of the highway! It was the beginning of a much more relaxed vacation for me; on Friday I slept in the sun on the beach. Even though we went into Venice on a Saturday and toured St. Mark’s Basilica, it was never too stressful – we stopped for gelato multiple times, sat outside and drank Orangina or mineral water at cafes, and eventually took a boat to Murano to look at the glass and have dinner. The cafes were the newest experience for me–we didn’t rush to the next attraction, but took our time getting to them and paused for snacks throughout the day instead of eating lunch. It was so nice to be able to slow down, especially in the middle of the crowds in Venice. Today, we spent our day in the same manner: when I heard we were going to drive to the Italian seaside city of Trieste and then going home, I assumed we would get up early. Instead, we got to sleep in, eat breakfast, and ride bikes on the beach before leaving for Trieste. Once there we went to the Austrian empress Sissi’s summer palace and had another mid-afternoon meal in a cafe–it was the most relaxing day I’d had in months. We drove home through Slovenia, and after getting stuck on the Autobahn in traffic took the prettiest detour I’ve ever seen through the Slovenian countryside – even if it took twice as long, I think it was the perfect way to end a long weekend that gave me a feel for how it is to vacation as an Austrian.  ~Hope

Venice

Venice

Venice

Sissi’s palace in Trieste

Venice

Countryside

Countryside

When asked by my parents if I was adjusted to the time zone on Thursday, I responded by saying “Yes – which means it was still hard to get up at 7:30.”  Today was the first day that I woke up with no alarm set, finally able to sleep in. Once awake, I ate some Muesli (cereal) for breakfast before getting into the car for a trip around Steiermark.  I was flabbergasted by how beautiful and green everything was. We walked over to the Slovenian border, and Lilli’s parents pointed out the newly built fence meant for keeping immigrants out. Unfortunately, in a beautiful sea of green, the fence seemed so unnatural. This led to an interesting conversation comparing the difference and similarities between Austrian borders and the Mexican border. Walking back from the border, Lilli’s mother pointed out a pretty white plant called Hollunder and said that they used it often to make juice. When we sat down for a late lunch, I was able to try it. Although I’m not a fan of juice normally, I gave the Hollunder juice a try and found it to be quite sweet. For lunch, we ate an assortment of bread, cheese, meats and spreads which, as Lilli’s father pointed out, wasn’t as common a lunch in America as in Austria. While we ate, I was asked what I knew about Austria as a land which led to a conversation about the political climate and how it had been shaped by the Second World War. In turn, they asked me about the politics of America and the upcoming election. It was strange for both of Lilli’s parents that we really only have two major political parties in America and it was similarly strange how many parties Austria (and Germany) had. After this lengthy discussion, we returned to Graz. To top the day off, Lilli and I watched Mean Girls (but in German).  Since it was a movie I’m familiar with, I was able to understand it very well while picking up German words. Overall, it was another beautiful day where I was able to learn a lot of Austrian culture and German language.    ~Georgia

wine country

wine country

wine country

wine country

Slovenian border

Slovenian border

Austrian border

a little TV

As I write this, feeling very Austrian watching the European champions league championship game, I think back on my day.  Today I went to a Buschenschank. Now, the part of Austria we are in is a wine region. So, wineries have little restaurants were they have food along with wine. Even though we cannot consume wine, we can go and eat at the restaurant. These places are special because, much to my surprise as it is different than in the US, all the food is served cold. Imagine a cheese board appetizer. But all of the  food is produced by the winery. It is all handmade. The US doesn’t have anything that can really compare. Even the oil is different. In Austria they use an oil produced from pumpkin seeds; it has a green color but it is tasty. None of the water here has ice. And almost all of the water is carbonated. I guess they also carbonate the water at the winery, but I’m not sure. They have homemade juices. Apple juice and grape juice. So the Austrians mix juices, juice for me, wine for them, with the carbonated water. The result is bubbly juice. In hindsight it is less earth shattering than it was at lunch time. They have different spreads, and cheeses and homemade Wurst.  Es schmeckt mir gut!  I went to lunch with my host family and some of their family friends. Everyone is very friendly here, and no one is in as much of a hurry as in the US. After lunch my exchange student, her little sister, and I went to a family friend’s house with their son. We all ate together and grilled, the same way we grill in the US on a charcoal grill. It was very good. And for dessert, two different kinds of Austrian chocolate cakes and Eiskaffee.  Eiskaffee is so different from US iced coffee. It is coffee, but with two big scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.  Sehr lecker!  -William

Styrian wine country

A Buschenschank

Brettljause (Styrian coldcuts plate)

Styrian wine country

Eiskaffee

Graz

Graz

The day started out like any other on a long weekend. Waking up at a reasonable hour, turning on the tv, and then eating breakfast. But today wasn’t like any other day I had experienced. I was waking up 6 hours ahead of American time, watching German TV, and eating an amazing european breakfast. However, the true fun of the morning lay in the fact that in four hours, I would be traveling to Croatia with my exchange student, Franka, and her father. Not only was I ecstatic, but a little nervous. What if I didn’t know what people were saying to me? What if I was unable to say anything comprehensible back? However, all my fears vanquished when we started out journey. It was not only because of the freshly pressed strawberry juice my host family had made during lunch, but because of the scenery I passed along the journey from Graz to Croatia. We passed deep green valleys and mountains that seemed to roll on over the hills. Blue rivers that merged into greater bodies of water snaked their way through the green, and the air became exponentially more fresh as we journeyed. Throughout the 5 hour trip I learned of a Croatian mountain that is famous for being the location for a difficult ski competition. The winner of the competition dons a gold crown and is hailed king of the skiing event. Similarly, I learned more about Nikola Tesla and where he grew up in Croatia, even though I was temporarily asleep during that part of the ride. However, nothing on the journey compared to the true joy I felt when meeting Franka’s extended family members in the town of Otok, Croatia. The air was cool and the light of day still retained itself in the sky, without doting upon the fresh air that assimilated through the hills. Meeting Franka’s Croatian family members and learning more or less one Croatian word was not only a fulfilling experience but one that I will always remember. I had the opportunity to eat a dinner with a warm Croatian family, as well as talk to them in German and listen in on their conversations in Croatian. At the end of the day, Franka and I retired to sleep, at the house of her aunt and uncle, to reflect upon the day on the couch, munching on biscuits. Seeing multiple generations of a family residing in the same village was a wonderful thing to be a part of. Franka’s cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandfather on her father’s side all reside within walking distance of one another, and I am amazed to see a large family that is so close. While the exchange trip was one for simply seeing Austria, I am glad for the opportunity to have seen Croatia as well.   ~Rachel G.

Croatia

Croatia

Croatia

Croatia

Today was our first full day with the exchange students, and with no school, we could do whatever we wanted. With a trip planned for tomorrow, we decided to just stay in town and hang with friends. After a casual breakfast of bread and butter we went to tour the city, specifically the old part of it. Valerie, her parents, and I saw the Graz government building, her school, a few churches, and I also learned about some of its history. In general, everything here in Graz is much older than anything in Cary. Then, we got lunch at a place right off of the main road. The food lived up to the rest of the Austrian cuisine and was delicious. Soon after we met up with Alex, Luke, and Chris and their exchange students. We bought some snacks at a shop and went back to our house to hang out. We swam in the pool and played ping pong while enjoying food and each other’s company. We had lots of catching up to do after not seeing each other for 8 months. After a few hours, Alex and Luke left and Chris and I went to dinner with Valerie, Anto, and Anto’s parents. We tasted actual, authentic Italian pizza and attempted to understand their conversation in Italian with the restaurant’s owner. We stayed at the table for quite some time as I got to know Anto’s parents. Around 10 we left and went back home to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for an early start tomorrow morning. What surprised me the most was the freedom the students have here, because I know personally I do not have that much at home. I think it is just a different culture with different expectations and it is cool to see how theirs differs from ours.   ~Leo

Report #1
For our second day in Vienna we focused on the arts within the city by visiting some beautiful architectural sites and learning about significant movements and the artists involved in them.   Firstly, we visited the Hunderwasserhaus.  The building was an apartment home designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.  Even though I had already visited the site before I was still amazed by how abstract and colorful the building still is!   After that we hopped on the tram again (we had to learn to buy our own tickets using the machines here) and headed to the the Karlskirche, a baroque church designed by the architect Fischer von Ehrlach.   The church is hands down one of my favorite places in Vienna, not only because it’s a breathtaking sight but also because it reminds me of my father!   In his teenage and young adults years he studied in university just around the corner from the church, which we actually passed on the way to the museum that focused on the Secession movement.   I was really astounded at the Secession museum when Mrs. Burgbacher told us that the artist Gustav Klimt looked to use REAL gold in all of his art pieces during the movement’s time period.   Following that we walked to the Museumsquartier where we got a choice to go to another museum and/or have some free time to walk around and eat some lunch.   Aly, Brett, Olivia and I decided to get some lunch at a Turkish place and then get some ice cream that I recommended.   We then headed back to the hotel by subway and boarded our charter bus for Graz.  We now have a long weekend with our host families and I think everyone will have a fabulous time.  It was great seeing everyone from Graz again.  ~Athina

Report #2
The day began with my roommates and I waking up much later then we had expected. We were told to have eaten breakfast and have our things packed by 9:45, but none of us woke up until 9:52. We rushed to pack our things and get downstairs, so that we wouldn’t hold up the whole group or get left at the hotel. After leaving the hotel, we bought tickets for the Strassenbahn and rode it to one of Hundertwasser’s buildings. It was very odd to see a building with so many strange curves, and I wished we could have seen inside one of the apartments. Next, we visited the Secession building. Before we got there, we saw a very grand white church, with large steps and a wide pool of water in front of it.   The architecture that I’ve seen so far in Vienna amazes me, as it’s very different to what I’m used to in the US.  This was again exhibited in the Secession building. The art was very neatly portrayed in rooms with white ceilings and walls, and it was very interesting to observe the different art pieces. Afterwards, we walked to the Museumsquartier, and we ate at a restaurant near there. This was the first time that my friends and I had to properly order food at a restaurant in German. Though the waitress talked a little fast for us, we were all able to order what we wanted and pay for the meal without too much trouble, as the phrases we learned in German class proved very useful.   Around 3:00 we returned to the hotel and were soon on our way to Graz.  The ride to Graz was filled with beautiful landscapes of mountains and castles, which you never get to see in Cary, NC.   Finally, we reached Graz shortly after 6:00 and I met my host family.  ~Shaan

Buying tickets for street car

Street car stop

Boarding street car

Hundertwasserhaus

At the Hundertwasserhaus

Karlskirche

Secession

Museumsquartier

Relaxing at Museumsquartier

Relaxing at Museumsquartier

On to Graz

A hearty welcome from our host teachers in Graz

Report #1
As I began to recall today, I turned to something that’s been with me through it all: my Fitbit.   Today, in the eyes of the Fitbit, my day has consisted of 26,071 steps, 49 flights of stairs and 10.84 miles. My Fitbit highlights the amount of traveling by foot we’ve done. While both my feet and back are sore (from carrying my backpack), the amount of joy I felt when I reached the 10,000 mark is only comparable to the joy of finally reaching Austria! We did a lot of walking today mostly for a purpose. Rather than taking a bus or the subway, we walked from stop to stop. Our first stop after breakfast was the Stephansdom. After touring the catacombs, we went up 300+ stairs in a spiral staircase to get to the top of the south tower. I would definitely say the Stephansdom really added to the stairs for my Fitbit.   After the Stephansdom, we had free time for lunch where I personally went to a smaller cafe and got freshly squeezed orange juice with a buffet, topped off with a macaron. Everything was very tasty! Following lunch, we went on a tour of the Parliament.   Besides having a great front for pictures, the architecture within the Parliament was also very pretty. Then we went and saw the Hofburg (Imperial Residenz) from the outside, as well as other buildings on the Ringstrasse. We decided to give our feet a bit of a rest at the Cafe Central, where we sipped some nice tea and nibbled on cake. Both were very rich in flavor! After we fueled up, we had some free time for shopping. It was quite interesting to people watch, especially in the stores. Austrians act a bit differently than Americans do just in walking and having conversations. There were lots of stores in downtown Vienna that we have back at home; however, their clothing selection varies a bit. Finally, we finished with dinner (Schnitzel) and some ice cream. Overall the day was fun! While we did our best to speak German correctly, I’m pretty sure all the natives could obviously tell we were American. Regardless, they still spoke to us in German and even helped us out by teaching us some typical Austrian things.  We also are pretty adjusted to the sleep schedule now, which is nice after our full 12 hour day of touring today!    ~Aly

Report #2
Today we woke up at 8am and had breakfast at the hotel.  After that we went to go visit St. Stephan’s church and took a tour of the catacombs beneath.  After, we trekked the stairs to reach the top of the tower.  When we returned we were given free time to explore the area and eat lunch.  Upon our return, we ventured through the city to the Volkspark (public garden) and then the Ringstrasse (ring street), where we had a tour of the parliament building.  We continued to look at other government buildings and then returned to St. Stephan’s, where we were given more time to roam and explore.  We then went to the Bastei Beisl and had a delicious meal and returned to the hotel for the night.  ~Luke

Stephansdom

Catacombs in the Stephansdom

Stephansdom

Free time around Stephansdom

Free time around Stephansdom

Carriages at the Michaelertor

Parliament

Parliament tour

Parliament tour

Parliament tour

Ringstrasse

Hofburg

Nationalbibliothek

Rathaus

Burgtheater

Cafe Central

Cafe Central

Cafe Central

Cafe Central

Cafe Central

Cafe Central

Cafe Central

Stadtpark

Johann Strauss memorial

Bastei Beisl

Dinner at Bastei Beisl

Dinner at Bastei Beisl

Dinner at Bastei Beisl

Dinner at Bastei Beisl

Ice cream on the Schwedenplatz

Ice cream on the Schwedenplatz

Ice cream on the Schwedenplatz

Hello everyone.
After a long overseas flight and a 4-hour layover in Amsterdam, we have finally arrived safe and sound at our hotel in Vienna.  We just finished a group dinner at the hotel and are now settled into our rooms for some much-needed sleep.  Tomorrow our adventure will begin in earnest with a full day of touring in this beautiful city on the Danube.

Viele liebe Grüße aus Wien!
~Frau Greene

Amsterdam Airport

Vienna Airport

Hotel Meininger

Dinner buffet at hotel

Dinner buffet at hotel

Dinner buffet at hotel

der Kaiser

Dinner

Dinner

Dinner

Dinner

This blog has been created as a record of the 2016 Cary Academy student exchange trip to Austria.  We hope that you enjoy following along on our adventures as we visit our friends at the Akademisches Gymnasium in Graz.