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All posts from Austria

Gr?ss Gott .AT

Innsbruck, AT (View on map)
Posted 4 May 2008:

More than nine months behind me and less than three more months to go. Austria is country number 22 and the magic number 27 is slowly getting in sight. So, what is there to know about Austria? First of all: it`s not a province of Germany and it has nothing to do with Australia. As the Austrians like to say: there are no kangaroos in Austria.... Read more

Up in the mountains

Innsbruck, AT (View on map)
Posted 5 May 2008:

There are very few places in Innsbruck that do NOT offer a magnificent view on the surrounding mountains. Situated on the banks of the river Inn ? hence the name of the city ? Innsbruck provides a perfect gateway into the Tyrolian mountains. Coming from a country that is almost as flat as a pancake, I am obviously very eager to find out what life surrounded by mountains looks like.... Read more

Austrian hobbies

Salzburg, AT (View on map)
Posted 7 May 2008:

I`m back in Austria after a quick one-day visit to Munich. Now in Salzburg, I am asking young Austrians to tell me about the way they like to spend their spare time. Key ingredients: beer, enjoying and challenging nature, preferably through individual sports. And football..... Read more

Xenophobia in Austria

Graz, AT (View on map)
Posted 8 May 2008:

`Da Heim statt Islam` (No Islam at home), `Wien darf nicht Istanbul werden` (Wien shall not become Istanbul) and `Wir sauben Graz` (We clean Graz) leave little to the imagination. These lines serve as official slogans of the Freedom Party FP?, which can count on almost 20% of the votes if elections were to be held today.... Read more

Austrian Elisabeth

Graz, AT (View on map)
Posted 9 May 2008:

Throughout the `Us Europeans` project, I have found it increasingly easy to just step up to people in the street and start asking them questions. Interviewing people is a perfect way to collect surprising opinions and to learn about how many stories hide behind a single face. Today, I am interviewing Elisabeth (22), a social sciences student from Graz who recently spent half a year in Tanzania and will soon start working as a social caretaker in Austria. Or possibly in India..... Read more

Krocha style

Vienna, AT (View on map)
Posted 10 May 2008:

Writing about youth subcultures is a risky project. Once they are noticed, the trend is usually already over. Austrian media keep writing about `Krocha` these days, a subculture that was born in Vienna a few months ago and quickly spread over all of Austria. What is there to know about these `Krocha` people?... Read more

?sterreich am Ball

Vienna, AT (View on map)
Posted 11 May 2008:

European football fans are counting down towards the beginning of June, when Switzerland and Czech Republic kick off for the first match of the European Football Championships 2008. Sixteen countries will compete for the title. For Austria, it will be the first time they even join this stage of the competition. Along with co-host Switzerland, Austria is automatically qualified this time. Expectations for the overall tournament are high; expectations for the Austrian team seem to be modest to fatalistic.... Read more

Working life

Linz, AT (View on map)
Posted 12 May 2008:

Austria can pride itself in having one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe. The current figure is as low as 5%, although that figure doesn`t mean that everybody is happy about what they are doing, or about how the Austrian system works. Here`s some quick insights on working life in Austria:... Read more

Northern neighbours

Linz, AT (View on map)
Posted 13 May 2008:

For half a century, the border between Austria and then-Czechoslovakia marked the dividing line between the world`s competing ideologies: communist and capitalism. Czechs barely knew anything about what happened on the other side of the border, and the same was true for the Austrians. The gradual disappearance of the Iron Curtain has allowed Austrians to freely travel into Czech Republic, but how much of that opportunity are they actually using? And how much do they know about their northern neighbour from whom they were separated for so long?... Read more

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