16.02.11

I found myself waking up to the feeling of ‘Where am I?’ but snapped out of it very quickly as the excitement of being in a new place began. After a good breakfast of ‘Rostbratwurst mit Brot’ I was ready to go! Ellen Leanne and I met in town and ventured into the Erste Bank to set up our Austrian bank accounts. This was one of the first moments were I realised that the basic German that I remember becomes useless once people begin talking back. At this point I made a decision that I am going to have to learn and very, very quickly! Luckily we were sat down with a young gentleman who spoke fantastic English who sorted out our accounts. We left the Bank and I decided to have a quick wonder around the Stephansdom Quarter to see some of the sights. The scale of the buildings and intricate detailing of many of the facades made me realise how different the built culture in Vienna was to elsewhere in Europe and especially to the UK. Even after a short walk, I began to really appreciate the area I was now staying in. Due to daylight disappearing and hunger beginning I headed home.
Later I ventured to the Tigergasse halls where Ellen and Leanne were temporarily staying. The building was clad in a beautiful array of blue mosaiques and had a real urban feel inside with exposed concrete stairs and steel handrails. There I met Leanne’s flat mate Taryn, who told us that there was a bar called Loco where lots of Erasmus students were heading to – so we all decided to head out.
The bar was interesting as it was set punching through the railway arches. The brick vaulting under the arches seemed vibrant with the colourful lights and mirror ball’s reflection working its way through the smokey bar. After a few drinks, I met a few locals and met a few more Erasmus students. One group of Austrian girls found it strange at how hard I found German. One told me she spoke 5 languages, learning 3 at school! Why do British schools not focus more on languages? I understand it’s not all down to the education but individuals but it seems like most people here have a knowledge of at least a few different languages. We left the bar just after midnight and got on the U-Bahn, I had a few changes to make to get home but had not read the timetables so found myself at the Westbahnhof with no trains running my way; taxi time! Overall a productive day and a fun night out!

 St.Stephen's Cathedral



Messer-Prater U-Bahn Station