Good morning!

Only a half of my German course is left – time flies really fast. The intesive course really means so as it always keeps you ‚German fit‘ and in tonus what I like the most. During our effective classes we cover all important aspects of the language – grammar, reading, speaking and listening. The first two I personally prefer more for the reason that they are just easier for me to be implemented, however, the complex impact is very important, so I continue to work over the last two components.

I bet you know that feeling when the lesson is over and you feel like you can perfectly communicate using German language, however, in the morning your confidence begins to fluctuate a little bit. That is why usually I try to do the tasks in the evening after classes, however, as they end quite late more time is necessary to cover all the learned material. Thus, the day after I start with the check of the completed homework and new words translation. To my mind the crucial thing is to learn new words in a timely manner. I use collinsdictionary.com or lingvolive.com to translate the word, de-online.ru/ to clarify grammar rules (for Russian people) and www.linguee.de to check correctness of word collocations. Then I write up every word into a special notebook and start memorizing them. At the end of the week I repeat all words I’ve learned to keep them all in my memory. However, stay critical while starting learning new words and evaluate their need in the future.

It is better for me to do the homework at home as I have a special working place and motivators for that, nevertheless, many students prefer libraries or cafes.

I’d like to try these options too, but usually postpone this from day to day 🙂

Have a nice time with German and stay prepared!

Best wishes,

Anna

Hello!

Monday is the hardest day so let’s think about something pleasant – travelling, for instance. As Austria is situated in the center of Europe it is considered to be its heart. That is the reason why it would be a crime not to visit neighboring countries while staying in Vienna. I would like to tell you about some inexpensive and entertaining opportunities for students. Today’s post is a guide for your trip to one beautiful and easily affordable city – Krakow. I went there several weeks ago and was completely surprised by its attractiveness. 

There are two crucial things to start with – transportation and residence. The cheapest tickets can be found at Polski bus website however it’s better also to check goeuro.com because it combines the most suitable variants of different bus operators. We bought a route starting at Vienna Hauptbahnhof at 5 am and ending in Krakow at 12 am. The trip may seem quite long so I advise you to take a bottle of water and a sandwich with you. The bus station is placed 10-15 minutes from the inner city of Krakow so you won’t get lost. Regarding the living place, we found a gorgeous hostel for students called Roller Hostel. We paid 26 euro for two people and it took us 25 minutes to get to it from the bus station and 10 minutes from the central square. The only thing is that you should pay extra money for towels but they cost almost nothing, meanwhile free tee and all kitchen and bathroom facilities are provided.

Now let’s move to the excursion part. If you are a fan of historical information, you can book a free route in advance or just join them spontaneously as we did. As I mentioned they are absolutely free except for tips for the tourist guide however it’s up to you whether to pay or not. The biggest advantage of Krakow is its lay-out resembling chessboard, you can always understand where you have already been and what else you should see. The main sights are St Mary’s Basilica, City Defence Walla, Church of St. Barbara, Cloth Hall, Basilica of St Francis, Church of St Anne and Jagiellonian University. Seeing everything in the light of day is to my mind impossible as it is getting dark early in winter, so I advise you to stay for two days to visit Wawel Royal Castle and The Old Jewish Quarter – Kazimierz during the second day.

Now the urgent questions: where to eat and spend the evening. For a satisfying dinner you can visit Milkbar Tomasza, to drink wine with snacks go to Bistro Charlotte, we found wonderful homemade desserts at La Baguette and traditional Poland dishes at Restauracja Starka. Those who like nightlife can go to the street Szewska. The unexpected discovery for us was the place Pizzatopia. Only for 6 euro you can order a rectangular handmade pizza with ingredients of your choice. You can add as many types of cheeses, hams, vegetables and souses as you want too! At the end it will be a masterpiece I promise!

 

Overall, Krakow won our hearts by its prices (in contrast to Vienna) and simple beauty of the inner city.

I would definitely like to return here in spring or summer to capture this beautiful city in greenery.

Best wishes,

Anna

Hi, guys!

The weekends are very close, so today I would like to recommend you some spots in Vienna where you can probably spend great time in case you haven’t been to this city before or maybe just haven’t heard about these places yet.

Let’s start with the beginning. You wake up later in the morning and want to have a nice breakfast – go to Ramasuri. There are suitable for students prices and plenty of different dishes with eggs, ham and salmon as well as with bakery products and fruits. Both vegans and people having a sweet-tooth (as me, see the photo) can find there something good for their taste. The cafe is quite small and hipster (as it’s popular nowadays) and it’s biggest advantage is that breakfast is served till 16 p.m.! 

However, don’t spend too much time on food. As the cafe is situated close to the city center you can go for a walk nearly everywhere. If the weather is sunny, I recommend you to choose the direction to Stadpark where you can always find calm and nature-friendly atmosphere, feed the swans and take a photo of Johann Strauss Monument.

As it is quite cold in February I advice you to visit some museum to get warm and learn something new about Austrian culture. No, typical places such as Albertina, Belvedere, museums of arts history or natural sciences can be found without my help. What I did discover interesting is Vienna Calling exhibition organized at the building of Wien Museum Karlsplatz. It won’t leave you indifferent, when the brilliant implementation of new technologies opens the world of Vienna’s most famous and influencial musicians to you.

And finally after a break for recovery you can go to Beer Street bar to try any of 50 types of beer (inc. sider and fruit beer). The barman will give you a trial shot to help you decide on a choice. I was there at a goodbye party for my exchange friends and really liked it.

These were some tips for you. Have great weekends!

Best wishes,

Anna

Hi there!

Yesterday was the first day of my German course and I would like to share the impressions with you.

In my opinion the main thing in studying foreign languages is never to lose enthusiasm and faith in yourself. No matter how difficult it can be sometimes to learn a completely different way of ideas expression and how many mistakes you make, if you are passionate and hardworking you will achieve success.

That is what I felt when I met my teacher and group. The teacher Mona who not only inspires us to work hard but also keep our interest and motivation and nice students of various nations, ages and professions but with the same desire to do their best in German.
We studied, laughed, communicated and shared ideas. Today all students received a creative group project and I’m looking forward to work on it.

Have a nice week and never give up in studying German! Remember it can be also fun if you do it with passion and if people around you inspire you!

Best wishes,

Anna

Hello everyone! My name is Anna, I’m 21 years old and soon I’ll become one of the students of DeutschAkademie in Vienna.

My motherland is Russia, but I moved to Austria to study my Master degree in International Management at Lauder Business School.

I have already visited this city of magnificent palaces, beautiful gardens, known for its art and classical music and situated at the heart of Europe before. During my first visit to Vienna I did typical sightseeing and tried traditional cuisines, meanwhile today being not a tourist but a citizen I have found out about more unusual and interesting places, traditions, national holidays and cultural peculiarities.

   

German is my second foreign language that is why while I’m living here I would like to achieve higher results in my language skills. DeutschAkademie is a perfect chance for me to develop them, find new friends and learn even more about Vienna and Austria.

I would like to share my experience with you and make the blog versatile and helpful for students of DeutschAkademie. See you in February!

Best wishes,

Anna