Haus des Meeres

This weekend we discovered Haus des Meeres, an Aqua Terra Zoo just up the street from where I live. It’s 9 floors full of various fish, underwater animals and some species of reptiles, birds, monkeys and even bats! It’s really cool if you have the chance to schedule your visit during feeding times – information for which you can find on their website- so you can experience firsthand how sharks, fish and alligators devour their food. Rawr!

 

I really loved the giant turtle that I’ve seen there – it was a first experience for me – and enjoyed the slow but elegant way they move and twirl amongst the water bubbles. The whole place is very well kept and the animals seem good taken care of.

Aside from the beautiful things that you get to see, there is also a cozy rooftop restaurant, with a spectacular view over Vienna. I spent the better part of an hour admiring the near and far buildings of this beautiful city that I have moved to.

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Café Sperl – an incursion in the past

Down the street from where I live, on Gumpendorfer Straße 11, you can find the famous Café Sperl. This traditional establishment is really old, founded in 1880, and you can feel the vintage atmosphere as soon as you set foot in. All the original furniture has been preserved, the tapisteries from olden ages, and a visit at Café Sperl is like a dive into the history of Vienna.

It is said to be the scenes of many artists and writers over the years, Franz Kafka for instance, and it has also been used for many scenes from movies. Here you can find traditional foods and drinks, including many varieties of local coffees and of course the famous Apfel Strudel. What do you say, would you be curious of such a traditional outing and incursion in the Viennese past? Let me know in the comments below.

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Pretty houses of Vienna

It was a day like any other and I was returning from shopping at the Nashmarkt, standing in line and waiting for the street light to turn green. I look up and suddenly see something that makes me smile: a house with intriguing flowery design, unlike any I’ve seen just laying around in a city.

Next to it was another beautiful house, this one with amazing golden finishings. I thought to myself “What a pretty city I moved to, where one can just encounter such houses on the street, on a regular day”.

I did a bit of research and it seems the flowery house is also called the Majolikahaus and they were both designed by Otto Wagner, an Austrian architect and urban planner who lived here in Vienna and contributed to many beautiful landmarks. Looking forward to seeing more!

Stammtisch – Let’s get together

Jolly night, greeting the weekend!

Yesterday evening we went to Stammtisch, the monthly get-together event for the Deutsch Akademie, and my very first! We went together after the last German class of the week and was a very fun and memorable night. I got to know the other students in my class better, have nice chats with them and the teacher over a good drink at Gangl.

There were some contests as I could understand, where you could win books from the Deutsch Akademie, but that was already over by the time we got there from class. Nonetheless, the night was very much enjoyable and I got to learn about everybody’s cultural background, why they decided to move to Wien and even got a few nice tips over new places to visit. I really recommend this type of event, the mood was light and the people friendly, and it is also a good chance to put your spoken language skills into practice.

The most interesting aspect of the evening, however, was something that I hadn’t anticipated. Up until now, when I was in social situations and German was spoken, I had a hard time understanding and was very easily getting lost. This time, I was surprised by how much I could understand and express in return, towards staff, students and even native speakers. It was as if I had been under water for a long time and now all of a sudden, everything was starting to make sense. It’s made me very eager to continue my studies and see even better results!

I must apologize for not documenting the evening better photographically, but we were really having such a nice time that it completely slipped my mind. I promise to make up for this in the future.

 

the Schönbrunn Palace gardens – a thing of beauty

One of the most magical afternoons of this summer, while the weather still allowed it, was the visit to Schönbrunn Palace gardens. Since its opening in 1779, it has attracted and amazed tourists from all over the world. There is a unique beauty in the stillness of the grass statues which blends perfectly with the neatly cared for flower walkways.

The Botanic Garden is a thing of beauty and all the gardens were artistically designed by landscapists employed by the royal family, at one time or another. Over time, the park was extended and articulated by a maze of avenues, which intersects with walks and vistas, and is meant to be an external continuation of the beauty inside Schönbrunn Palace.

When spring comes and weather allows it again, I will definitely go back and explore some more, or maybe just spend hours on a lazy afternoon laying on a blanket, admiring the sites.

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New challenge – moving to Vienna!

Meet Andra, a decisive and energetic marketing professional, with an eye for fine-touch details and a bundle of creativity. Since she was a girl, she discovered she enjoys playing with words and tinkering with turns of phrase, into such a way that intrigues the reader and feeds his hunger for further knowledge.

What does she do when she’s not at her desk, hamstering at the keyboard? Well, as any good writer will tell you, in order to be a writer, one must first be a reader. She enjoys literature, losing herself in the shoes of a fictional character for a few good hours on a quiet afternoon. She has developed a passion for painting as well, and very much enjoys how the rest of the world goes quiet when she’s holding a brush. The fictional characters, world of games and lots of daydreaming so frequently slip into the themes of her paintings.

A forever adventurer, this autumn she took a new challenge: moving to Vienna. Taking on a new city and exposing herself to a new culture will hopefully take her career at the next level as well as help her grow on a personal level. Stay tuned to find out more!

 

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Last class!

Hey guys!

I didn’t tell you, but this Thusrday was the last day of the German course! 🙁
I can’t express how much fun it was and how greatful I am for the amazing four weeks that I spent there with great people!
I’ve already done an A2.1 course with this school in May and the reason why I came back was simple… it is not only effective but also FUN 🙂 I absolutely loved my group and our teacher!
During our last class we were first having fun in the classroom playing games and revising adjective declension, and then we went out to a cafe to have a nice chat.

Why am I not continuing with the next level? I feel like I want to take time to digest everything I’ve learned so far and perhaps start practicing. I might consider a conversation class in the near future 🙂

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and I am wishing you all the best for your German language journey!

Follow me on instagram isakova.j 😉

Lots of love!

– J.

Beach Volleyball

Hallo Leute! 🙂

Today is Saturday and it’s super hot. What to do in Vienna during a heatwave? You can of course go to the Donau Insel, have a picnic there and maybe even swim… OR you can go to the women’s beach volleyball final!!! 🙂 Germany against the US!
Do you like volleyball? I personally love it! But this was my first time ever watching beach volleyball, and I must say, it’s even cooler!! 😉
Because it was a final, the stadium was already packed by the time we got there. But there was also public viewing and we just chilled on the grass 🙂
It was fun to cheer for Germany, as they were a great team! If you’ve been there, you would understand that Laura absolutely rocked the whole show and it was really cool to watch!

WE <3 VOLLEYBALL

Until next post!

– J.

Albertina and Egon Schiele

Hey guys!

Do you like art? Because I absolutely love it. In this post I would like to share with you my latest visit to Albertina! Still haven’t been there? Right opposite the Opera House. 🙂

Why do I appreciate art so much? I’ve asked this question myself several times and I must say: it is amazing how paintings talk. Every painting has its own message, and through the painting we communicate with the artist and get in tune with their emotions and thoughts at that point of their lives. It is amazing how through art people get to leave their emotions so far into the future.

Besides Gustav Klimt, one of my favorite Austrian painters is Egon Schiele. He was actually a protégé of Gustav Klimt and one of my favourite expressionists. His works impressed me the most!
If you are into art, pay a visit to Albertina, Kunsthistorische Museum, Leopold museum or the collection at Belverede Palace. 🙂

Until next post!

– J.

Have you been to Krakow?

Hey there guys!

Have you already been to Krakow? I decided to dedicate one post about this beautiful city!
Not so long ago we visited Krakow, a beautiful and energetic city in Poland. Why would I recommend to go there? For food. Its simple 😀 In particular for pierogi.
What’s that? Simply dumplings boiled in water, filled either with something sweet like jam or savory. My favourite are the ones with potatoe and cheese filling. 🙂

Besides food, visit an typical Polish bar at night, one of the most popular among tourists is Bania Luka. You absolutely MUST try all the special shots there. Party like a Polish.

And of course, go up to the Wawel Castle!

Untill next post! 🙂

– J.

Tiergarten

Liebe Leserinnen und Leser! 😀

I hope you are doing well! As you might have noticed I love giving tips about Vienna in my posts and this one will be about the Viennese Zoo! Which is, by the way, the oldest zoo in the world and dates back all the way to eighteenth century!!!!
It is situated in the Schönbrunn garden and it is an awesome plan for an afternoon that will fill your day with smiles! After all, how can you be indifferent while looking at a baby panda! 🙂

It’s hard to say which animal we didn’t see there… from baby elephants to cutest giraffes and funniest monkeys. But I don’t want to tell you too much, just go and check it out! 😉

Here is a picture of me finding it hard to breathe at the tropical house with a super humid climate! 😀


Keep exploring Vienna!
Until next time!

– J.