Living the Cultured Life in Austria

Although it is tempting to travel further afield, given the central and accessible location of Vienna, I wish to explore more of Austria itself. There are a host of opportunities waiting to be discovered here and I’m beginning to make my way through a list of some I have noted. 

Places to see in Austria: Linz, Salzburg, Hallstadt, Bregenz, Innsbruck, etc.

Places to report on so far: Villach, Vienna and Linz.

Let’s start with Villach. This was not originally identified as a must-see but it proved to offer stunning views and an unexpectedly thriving nightlife. The reason for going there was not so much for the place itself, but rather to meet with my long-lost-limb from home and fellow traveller, Donna. Villach was the mid-way point, a convenient meeting place roughly half-way between where I’m living in Vienna and where Donna is in Padua, Italy.

We were lucky to have fine, sunny weather on the day we met up, making even the journey there an enjoyable experience. We were staying one night in Villach and we made the most of this night! After exploring the beautiful riverside scenery of Villach, exchanging some well overdue girly chat, treating ourselves to some typical Austrian cake (who could resist!) and making use of our newly-developed language skills, we started searching for a nice place to have dinner.

It seemed a Friday night in Villach is livelier than we thought and even when we found a restaurant where the menu looked good, there were no free tables. So we browsed the menus displayed outside a few other restaurants and found ourselves reading a Greek one (given away by dishes named Akropolis and Moussaka.) Just as we began to walk away, feeling we should eat something slightly more Austrian, a friendly, rounded, Greek man eagerly introduces himself as Theo and before we know what’s happening, he has us sitting in the Greek restaurant with a glass of “halb süβ” (semi-sweet) red wine each. Our decision was made: we would be enjoying Greek food for dinner!

Of course, the food was amazing – we shared a starter platter that included aubergine, fried feta, squid rings, tzatziki and meze. This turned out to be the only thing we paid for. We spent the bulk of our evening in the Greek restaurant, even after it closed and the waiters had changed to their normal clothes to also sit down with a glass of wine. We found ourselves never short of a drink and between the red wine and Ouzo, we were merry enough to have a great night but still manage to leave when we felt like it. Personally, the next day was somewhat of a struggle but for the classic night with Donna and a memorable story to go along with it, it was absolutely worth it! Turns out, Theo must have suffered the following day too because we visited his shop, where he sells natural Greek and Cypriot products, that was supposed to be open 9:00-15:00 and probably wasn’t open at all that day!

After a day to recover and travel back to Vienna, it was time to experience more of the endless possibilities in the capital of Austria. When you’re living here, it’s easy to spend your days on everyday errands rather than living each day like a tourist. This is why it’s good to be conscious of the fact that it’s also possible to “visit” Vienna for a day as if everything is new – because most of the time, everything is new. So the mission for that particular Sunday was to visit Vienna’s central cemetery. Perhaps not the average tourist attraction, but this is no average cemetery. Even better, we genuinely did have a first-time visitor to Vienna with us, Satu, whom I was happy to welcome from Finland. What better way to start your sightseeing on a rainy day than with a trip to the cemetery!

It seemed a rather morbid activity, “morbid” becoming the word of the day. However, we were enlightened by the apparent importance of death within Austrian culture and of course by the graves we went to see – those of the famous composers, Beethoven and Mozart. It seems there is a “cemetery culture” in Austria and it is evident by the fact that people here will take a typical stroll in a cemetery in the same way as we might have a stroll in a park at home. I’m rather fascinated about how different cultures or people approach the topic of death and Austria is a particularly

fascinating place in that regard. The central cemetery is even something of a tourist attraction, featured in guide books mainly because of the graves of famous musicians. Cemeteries can also be great educational outings for school classes, addressing subjects such as history and mathematics (birth and death dates – calculating how old the person was, etc.) Seemingly then, they are places not to be underestimated.

When we are not walking around local cemeteries, we are walking around apparent ghost towns such as Linz. Or it just felt that way because it was a Sunday and many places are closed, sucking the life out of the streets. Nevertheless, the Reisezentrum staff in the train station were very helpful and the three of us Comenius girls invested in a ‘Linz Card’ that cost 10€ each and provided us with unlimited public transport for the day and free entrance to several museums. 

First, we took the Pöstlingberg tramway, once Europe’s steepest mountain railway, to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the enchanting view over the city. Actually, before that, we waited for something special to happen in the main square where we were told to look out for the

Glockenspiel at exactly 11:03. At first we thought it had something to do with the main clock but then we realized at the top of one fancy-looking building there were rows of bells that then chimed several melodies, including part of one of Mozart’s famous symphonies, playing for several minutes. I guess it was worth waiting for as it was something quite unique.

Linz has more to offer than one might first think. After telling a couple of Austrians that I was going to visit this city, which happens to be the third largest city in the country, they replied with, “But there’s nothing to do in Linz!” It’s easy to say that if you are not aware of what’s available. After spending some time admiring the view over the city and taking in the charm of the churches and old town, we put our Linz Card to good use by visiting the Schloss (Castle) Museum and Als Electronica Center (something similar to W5 in Belfast.) 

The Schloss Museum was nothing special and in fact gave off a slightly strange vibe just because there seemed to be a mishmash of items and exhibitions, and in the actual castle section we were the only ones there. I’m almost certain that the staff were so bored that someone checking the cameras saw I was eating an apple and communicated via walkie-talkie to another staff member, “Someone’s eating an apple in the room with weird sculptures!” I hid my apple until we escaped to the next room.

The Ars Electronica Center was much more interesting and interactive and we only wish we had have gone there earlier, not just an hour before it closed. Still, we had time to experience a 3D space room, virtual video-link tug-of-war and to try on cat ears that could detect your emotion and twitch or turn to show if you’re happy, excited or sad. We even upgraded to try on the cat tail that responded to our movements. That felt rather odd but this kind of interactive experience was much more engaging than the previous, more standard museum.

To end our day in Linz, we couldn’t resist stopping at a local café to try out the Linzer Torte, a classic Austrian cake named after the city, and apparently the oldest known cake in the world. It has a lattice, criss-cross design and features nuts such as hazelnuts or almonds. I had tried it before and was instead intrigued by the “Linzerauge” (‘auge’ means eye) which is something like a thinner and smoother version of Jammie Dodger. It reminded me of my favourite biscuit from Switzerland, the name of which now escapes me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

So there you have it: living the cultured life in Austria. Meaning: train journeys, unexpected and strange experiences, morbid days perfectly suited to the month of November, and of course, cake!