Good morning!

Yesterday I finished my intensive course and today is the last day of the speaking club. Everything looks so empty and deserted now.

It is always hard to say goodbye and pick the right words to express the feelings. My experience at DeutschAkademie has left only a positive impression and great emotions. This school has allowed me to spend vacations with benefit, improve my German skills and enjoy the process of its studying during this month. All the goals that I pursued while the selection of German courses were realized and I got a great pleasure from my choice. I would like to emphasize once more that the greatest advantages of studying the language at DeutschAkademie were the learning atmosphere, the friendliness of teachers, the unconventional approach and the variety of teaching methods. I would like to thank the school and teachers for that great time and efforts they make for students.

I would definitely like to come back to DeutschAkademie to achieve the higher German level. Wish you good luck with your studies. Have a nice time in Vienna!

Best wishes,

Anna

Hi everyone!

As the majority of students at DeutschAkademie is young people today I would like to focus on the night life of Vienna. My friends and I have visited some good places here and these are my short reviews of them.

Prater DOME

I was impressed with that club because of its originality – the space is divided into several areas and floors where each hall has distinguishing design and music. So you can move from hall to hall to find your personal atmosphere there. We visited the place during the special night when drinks before 12 p.m. were free, however, we need to buy something for 3 euro in order not to pay for the entrance.

Chaya Fuera

The entrance is quite expensive for whose who has no EBN card, however, at the first Friday of a month vouchers for drinks are provided and some special events for young people are organized. Music, atmosphere and the audience there is really worth the entry fee – 8 euro with the student card, however, I won’t advise to go at on a constant basis – it may seem boring after several times.

Ride Club

The cheapest and greatest place for students in my opinion. The club was recently modernized and prices became higher, however, it is still a really nice place to go with friends. Dancing radio hits and special birthday presents are the effective motivators that the owners use to attract the young audience. Monday is considered to be the worst day of the week but with parties at that club arranged on Monday evenings you’ll reconsider this opinion.

Make not only days but also nights in Vienna memorable!

Best wishes,

Anna

 

Good afternoon everybody!

Vienna is magnificent city characterized by impressive cultural heritage – art, music and theatre – which are considered to be integral parts of the capital of Austria. This post is devoted to the component that hasn’t been discussed at my blog yet – ART.

Welcome to Albertina! One of the most famous Vienna museums owning about 900 thousand graphic arts of Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Klimt and other famous painters and about 50 thousand drawings and watercolors masterpieces. The peculiarity of Albertina is the grandiose coverage of the time period – it stores works that have been created since the Gothic era untill the present days.

The founder of the museum is the duke Albert (that’s where the name of the museum came from) and his work was continued by his adoptive son and grandson.

Besides exhibition halls there are a library with a reading room, a store with souvenirs, books about paintings, picture catalogs and surprisingly – jewelry and a restaurant. Tourists can visit perennial expositions combining classical modern and contemporary art, photography and architecture – 20 luxurious living palace rooms revealing the culture of the Habsburg dynasty and classicism style as well as thematic exhibitions.

The sumptuousness of the building and breath-taking art attracted me as an admirer of French Impressionism and specifically my attention was focused on the masterpieces of my favorite painter Claude Monet. The cultural heritage from around the world will touch your soul and leave a deep impression in your heart, believe me.

Best wishes,

Anna

Hello there!

I have already told about my experience at DeutschAkademie, namely, about the participation in German intensive course B1.2. However, there is another course I have chosen at the school – speaking club which is organized every Friday for people who want to improve their speaking skills.

It seems to me that such Fridays are a perfect complementation of the intensive learning during other weekdays. Throughout the class we have played such games as Bingo and analogue of English Alias, told spontaneous stories and discussed various themes such as sport, housekeeping and hobbies. A student can never get bored or stay silent during such process of learning and that is the main goal of both teachers and German learners.

Speaking may be quite difficult to improve, however, this club is an ideal tool for overcoming uncertainty and the development of spontaneity while speaking German.

Best wishes,

Anna

Good morning!

Everybody has heard about Vienna’s most famous desserts – apple strudel and cake Sacher. However, I have just recently found out about one more delicious flour dish of Austrian cuisine to be tasted. It’s called Kaiserschmarrn. According to the legend, it was named in such a way due to the fact that it was the favorite meal of the Emperor Franz Joseph I and thus the words Kaiser (emperor) and Schmarren (a scrambled or shredded dish) were combined. There are many legends how the meal was created. One story states that sometimes sweet pancakes beloved by the emperor became too thick or torn during the process of cooking and the cook had to give them to servants as a dish called Kaisershmarrn, because they were not appropriate for the emperor’s table (A Schmarrn des am Kaiser zu servieren – nonsense or rubbish to be served to the emperor). Another legend says that Franz Joseph’s wife was a poor cook and couldn’t flip pancakes efficiently.

You can order Kaiserschmarrn nearly at every restaurant or café in Vienna. I tried it in Mozart café where it seemed to be so tasty that I found the receipt to cook it at home for my parents and friends.

In case you would like to do the same for the preparation of 4 portions you need 1,5 cups of wheat flour, 150 ml or 0,625 cups of milk, 8 chicken eggs, 6 tbsp of sugar, 4 tbsp of raisins and a pinch of salt. The eggs are divided into yolks and whites. Beat the latter until stiff, mix the yolks with flour and then add milk, washed raisins and salt. Beat the mixture until the formation of peaks, gently mix in the dough and add sugar. There are other options of extra ingredients such as almond petals (4 tbsp) and cinnamon (2 tbsp). Moreover, the raisins can be soaked in rum (2 tbsp) after washing.

When the dough is ready it is poured into a pan and fried until the underside is ready. Then the dough in the grilling process is separated into small pieces and fried until a crispy crust is formed. Kaisershmarrn is usually served with vanilla sauce or plum/apple jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Bon appetite!

Best wishes,

Anna

Hi there!

Let’s continue the theme of travelling. Today’s post is about the possible trip to Brno.

Have you been to Prague before? It’s also really close to Vienna, however, if you’ve visited the Czech Republic before I bet you’ve chosen the capital of this country and not its so called economic center – Brno. This gothic and great city is situated on the hilly terrain what complements its gratitude and magnificence. According to my experience Brno is quite small to spend there more than one day that is why my advice is to buy one way and return tickets via goeuro.com to come to the city in the morning and leave in the evening.

For one day we have worked out a route around the city which covers all sights necessary to be seen. Starting from the bus station and going to the north of Brno you can observe several main churches: Church of St. Josef, the Church of St. John, The Ossuary of St. James’ Church, The House of the Lords of Lipá and Plague column.

Further in the north Koliště Park is placed where the Christmas market was organized. Nowadays, there are only small shops to buy some sweet treats and an ice rink. If you turn to the left you will see one of the famous Czech Republic educational institutions – Masaryk University. It has several faculty buildings which are quite close to each other. Near the Red Church tourists can change the direction of the route to the south making a circle and go to the favorited by all city visitors sights –  Špilberk Castle and the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

These places are definitely worth to be seen as in my opinion they can be considered as two most peculiar and distinctive places of Brno. The excursion may be ended at the Vegetable Market Square from where it is easy to get to SKØG Urban Hub or Nok Nok where the dinner and drinks can be ordered. The latter offers national Czech soup which is scrumptious (experimentally tested) and the profiterole of the incredibly huge size. Do not forget to buy famous Czech waffles at any supermarket (they are extremely cheap there) and try Trdelnik of any delicious tastes at Trdlokafe.

Overall, Brno can be viewed as a perfect addition to Prague, which might help you to form more complete perception of the country. Furthermore, if you are a fan of the Gothic architectural style, this city will be certainly remembered by you for a long time.

Best wishes,

Anna

Hello everybody!

It’s been quite a long time since I’ve started this blog however I still haven’t mentioned the most obvious Vienna’s treasure – musical heritage. Today’s post will rectify the situation.

There is a significant number of articles guiding how to buy cheap tickets to opera. I would like to share my experience of going to Musikverein.

The musical philharmonic of Vienna is situated at Karlsplatz and appeared to be a majestic building of soft pink color. The interior of the building is magnificent as well. The most luxurious decorations characterize The Great Hall of Musikverein, which is also called the „Golden Hall“. Antique female figures, Apollo and muse amaze the visitors, meanwhile the acoustics of the room is famous all over the world. A multimillion audience can watch the New Year concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra which is broadcasted from the Great Hall.

Besides the Golden hall there are four more but smaller. My friend and I visited one of these halls and listened to the concert of Viennese virtuosos. Without exaggeration I can say that the sound was magnificent, and the performance took us to the 18^th-19^th centuries and made us think about the eternal, immaterial and beautiful of this world.

The program of concerts is published on Musikverein website where you can also buy the tickets and book the places.

Despite the positive impression I advise you to choose pieces of music you know because it was quite difficult to distinguish the composers even when we were acquainted with their main musical works.

Best wishes,

Anna

Hello there!

More than 2 weeks of my German classes have passed and I want to share my experience and the overall history of studying the language.

I started learning German at my previous university in Russia as a second foreign language. In order to obtain the opportunity to attend the course free of charge I needed to be ranked among the top 10 best students out of our faculty rating. During the first year I tried to achieve this goal and at the third semester I became one of new German learners. The language was liked by me from the first word that our teacher pronounced. The vocabulary seemed to be similar to English in some ways and reading rules appeared quite easy for me. Throughout the studies we reached B1 level and then I continued learning grammar on my own. Despite the fact that rules can be memorized at home and practiced with exercises the break in speaking affected my progress and led to the gap between the passive knowledge and the ability to use it orally.

Master degree in Vienna gave me the opportunity to continue German studies and my friends advised me DeutschAkademie as the school combining fair prices and good quality. Following their positive reviews I found out that the school provides such advantages as flexible time schedule, different types of courses and groups in account of students’ knowledge and problem areas and opportunities to visit external events such as Stammtisch. That is the reason why I have started the course there and I’ve never regretted my decision. The best things I have experienced so far at DeutschAkademie are the friendly atmosphere, language learning in complex, thematic division which helps to focus on particular vocabulary and the teacher’s help in any incomprehensible aspect.

German is not only important for my everyday life but is also crucial for professional and personal development and these reasons motivate me to study harder. I would like to continue studying at DeutschAkademie during next holidays to finish B2 level of this complicated but at the same time beautiful language.

Best wishes,

Anna

Good afternoon, guys!

This post is devoted to all readers who have a weakness for sweets, chocolate and cakes and those who are interested or eager to learn a part of the Vienna’s culinary history.

Demel is a pastry shop at Kohlmarkt 14 established by Ludwig Dehne in 1786. The original name of the chocolaterie is the surname of the founder’s journeyman Christoph Demel who bought the pastry shop after the death of Ludwig Dehne. The place is also titled Hofzuckerbäcker due to the fact that the shop was chosen as a supplier of the imperial court. Nowadays candied petals of violets which were delivered to Vienna’s imperial family are the most favorable treats of tourists.

Besides them you can also buy typical Austrian apple strudel and Sacher there. However, Demel’s Sacher is different from others as it has no middle layer of apricot confiture in contrast to one baked in Hotel Sacher. The thing is that Franz Zacher’s cake recipe was supplemented by his son during his training program in this confectionery what led to the conflict regarding the rights to the name between Demel and hotel. Thus, today they use different recipes. An innumerate number of other cakes, sweets and famous gingerbreads is also provided for guests.

Furthermore, every time you come there you can see how cook assistants are working on the creation of delicious desserts through the glass panel separating the cafe room from the kitchen.

Enjoy not only the taste but also the process of Demel’s cakes and sweets preparation.

Best wishes,

Anna

Good morning!

Today I would like to talk about Vienna’s architecture, as you have probably noticed there are several different styles represented in the Austrian capital. We are not at the lecture at some school of art so I would like to mention the main features briefly and acquaint you with my favorite creations. So, what architectural styles can you observe at the streets of Vienna?

• Gothic – southern tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, St. Marie am Gestade church
• Baroque – Lower Belvedere, Schönbrunn Palace, Karlskirche 
• Biedermeier – multi-storey and multi-apartment houses, private buildings
• Vienna Secession – the main building of the University of Vienna, Museum of Art History, Parliament building
•  

Certainly, in the 20th century new trends that were reflected in modern laconic structures appeared, for example, pay attention to the buildings of the Museums Quarter. However, I would like to highlight one architect whose outstanding work is unlike everything you’ve seen before.

You might have heard of Friedrich Stowasser, who uses the pseudonym Hundertwasser, and saw his creation – the apartment building located in the third district of Vienna.

In the north of it Vienna House of Arts is situated – a furniture factory restructured by the architect, which now gives visitors the opportunity to plunge into the world of creative architecture, to get acquainted with the works of Stowasser and visit temporary exhibitions.

The main features of the ingenious architect, which you could have seen observing one of the most famous buildings of Vienna – Hundertwasserhaus, are mosaic, golden or blue domes-poppies, spirals, minimization of flat surfaces and multicolor. Stowasser believed that it is impossible to live in house-boxes, so everyone should lean out of the window and paint the wall of the house in one’s color as far as the length of the hand allows. He also considered that in order to restore the damage that the society causes to nature it is necessary to plant trees on the roof and the balcony that is why grass and trees are the integral part of his creations.

It is such a coincidence that the windows of my dormitory are looking at the less famous creation of Stowasser – Boiler house Spittelau and every time I pass it by I can’t help to admire the imagination and originality of this talented architect.

Best wishes,

Anna

Hi!

Today I would like to tell you about one of the liveliest and the most extraordinary Vienna’s places – Nashmarkt.

Everything is mixed there in the variegated and impetuous flow – people of different cultures and skin colors, glib-tough of sellers in different languages touting their products, all kinds of food from typical vegetables to exotic fruits and treats.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a sophisticated gourmet, a professional home-cook or a tourist, Nashmarkt is definitely worth your attention. What attracted me in particular were cheeses of green, blue and pink colors, a million types of hummus, nuts in yoghurt, chocolate, caramel and other various shells, Asian spices and condiments and fruits from far-away southern countries. Everything is fresh and looks so delicious that it will cause salivating!

If you need to have some rest, there are places to eat cheap and tasty falafels and drink sturm or wine staying away from this bustle.

Moreover, I bet you can’t resist to have a look at a flea market which can be found nearby. Clothes, jewelries, books, vinyl records and more other home stuff – everything for old-fashion lovers or curious people.

I have only two pieces of advice for you: be attentive to your pockets and wallet and try as much products for tasting as you can!

Best wishes,

Anna