Hallo Alles 🙂
On my last update, I talked about how I have become less of a tourist and more like a resident here in Graz. Recently I traveled to Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, an Eastern European city with a coastline along the Adriatic sea. It was only a 3.5-hour trip by bus from Graz. In Zagreb I was reminded once again what it is like to be a tourist in a new city. For this update, I also want to talk about my experience with my first holiday here in Graz: Fasching!
Traveling around Europe is significantly cheaper than traveling to a different state in the United States (thank you Europe for your compact Geography!). When I first arrived in Graz, one of the most popular questions was: “How long did it take you to get to Austria?” followed by “How much did it cost?”. I quickly learned from my friends who lived in nearby countries that my journey here often cost +$1,500 more than my counterparts. One of my friends from Finland spent maybe $200 flying, and other friends from Slovenia or Slovakia spent a measly $40-60 bucks. The jealously I had was sky high.
This brings me to my next point, TRAVEL AROUND EUROPE WHEN YOU’RE HERE! Obviously, money & time will be a factor, but I quickly realized that if I wanted to go to any European Country (Traveling to Switzerland is my kindheitstraum “childhood dream”) then the time to make it happen is when you are studying abroad in Austria! It’s the heart of Europe, and being in Austria makes going to locations like Zagreb (30 Euros Round trip) cost effective & worth it. Leider, muss ich Geld sparen (Unfortunately I must save money) but being in Austria gives me a geographical advantage to live out my wanderlust.
One thing that is great about Zagreb, is that you can discover the city on foot without ever needing a tram ticket (Just bring really comfy shoes!). In Graz, I feel like I’m at home, but when I was in Zagreb I quickly felt like a Tourist again. I could not read anything or say basic phrases like introducing myself or asking for directions (Next time I’ll look some up beforehand). I quickly realized I knew a LOT MORE German than I ever realized. While I felt lost, and it was the case that I often was, I felt happier knowing that in a German speaking country I could navigate, shop, talk to locals, and dine without much problem. +10 points for multilingualism! The trip to Zagreb was a lot of fun, I saw different cathedrals, went to morning markets, museums, parks, saw a pre-carnival parade, and spent the time getting to know other international students who came on the trip with me! (Countries Represented: Finland, Sweden, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Israel, Czech Republic, Canada and different regions of the USA) It was a great time learning about other countries, and becoming friends with students who are also here on an exchange.
Lastly, I want to talk about my first holiday I experienced here in Graz. First came Rosenmontag on February 27th. That day I had my German intensive class, but my teacher brought us Krapfen as a treat (google it! It’s delicious!). The next day was Fasching, these two holidays come before Lent. Sometimes Fasching is called  Fastnacht, or Karneval. On Fasching there was a HUGE parade in the main city center: Hauptplatz. Everyone was dressed up in various costumes, as it is typical, and everything was closed so everyone could come party before Lent. There were many floats, live music, and enough confetti to fill up a house! The partying did not end! After the main parade in Hauptplatz, everyone paraded their way to another square and there was a gigantic dance party. It was such a great experience to take part in a holiday in a different country, and I’d love to come to Europe during Fasching again.
I will leave you guys with some photos from my trip to Croatia, and from Fasching. This weekend I am going to Maribor in Slovenia with ESN, and then next week I will go to Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana to get my Austrian Visa. I will update about these experiences & anything exciting that happens next time!
Bis Später!
Stephanie