Blog 1 von Weronika

Hi! My name is Weronika, I’m a 20 year old Polish student, who loves to travel, meet new people, read and write, and learn new languages. Although I am from Poland, I have spent the majority of my life living abroad in places such as Ireland, Malta and Saudi Arabia. I am currently learning German at the DeutschAkademie in Vienna. My current level is B1.1, but by the end of my time here I will have completed all of B1.1 and B1.2, as I’m only staying for two months in total.

I started learning German quite a while ago at my middle school, but (at least from my experiences) learning a foreign language at school is difficult and usually isn’t very successful. So, I properly started learning German around 2 years ago with private lessons. Last year, I went to Berlin for an A2.1 course and this year I am in Vienna.

I’ve been in this city for around 3 weeks now and would love to share some interesting places I’ve been to, some tips on what you could spend your weekends doing, some of the best restaurants and bars I’ve been to and some overall tips and ideas on how and where you could spend your time here.

Blog 8 von Anna

We should do it more often

There is a beautiful French girl in our DeutschAkademie group. Her name is Laura and she is from France. Once she had an idea that all of us can meet and go out after the lesson. I created a WhatsApp chat for our group. We discussed this idea and all of the group mates agreed to go for a lunch today. The most interesting thing about this gathering is that we are all from completely diverse countries. Additionally, we all are of different ages and we come from a different background. But we can share so much and also learn a lot from each other.

For example, we can teach each other some new words, we can tell about our cultures and experiences we had. It is truly so interesting and so enriching. I love making new friends and I always enjoy when people tell me about their motherlands and cultures. It’s like discovering of a new world. I know, that we will not become best friend with all of the people, which I got to know in Deutch Akademie, but I will remember good times we had together and stories that they have told me. After we finished eating our lunch at Va Piano in 1 district, we were still sitting and talking for hours. And while saying goodbye to each other all of us agreed, that we should do it more often.

Bis Bald,
Anna

Blog 7 von Anna

Teatime in the Garden

Yesterday was an intense day, so today I decided to stay at home and to cook something nice. I invited one of my friends and promised that I will make something delicious.

And I want to share a receipt of my favorite Austrian dessert.  As I am lactovegetarian and I don’t eat eggs, the most secure way for me to eat something which I will like and enjoy, is to prepare it by myself.

Apfelschlangerl

Ingrediens for the dough:

1 topfen (250g) (also known as Quark)
a pinch of salt
1 butter (250g)
1 glass of flour (120g)

30 ml vanilla sugar

Ingredients for the filling:

600 g apples
120 ml water
30 ml lemon juice
5 ml butter
50 g sugar
1 ml cinnamon

Preparation:

Firstly, the dough has to be prepared. In order to do this, mix the flour with vanilla sugar, salt and topfen cheese to form a dough. Afterwards, add the cold butter, cut into pieces and knead everything into smooth dough. Put the dough in the fridge for half an hour.

Secondly, we need to create the filling. Peel and wash the apples and cut them into thin strips. Put them in a saucepan with the water, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon and steam for 10 minutes. Once this is completed, drain the apples in a sieve.

Our next step is to roll out the dough and place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Now we place the apples on one half and put the other half of the dough on top.

Prick the cake a few times with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (top/bottom heat) for about 35-40 minutes.

This receipt was shared to me by one wonderful Austrian woman, mother of four children.  I am sure that you will find Apfelschlangerl amazing because it’s easy to cook and really delicious. On my deserts I usually strew some sugar powder on top, but you can decorate it as you like.

Mahlzeit und bis Bald,

Anna

Blog 6 von Anna

What is above the Rooftop Restaurant?

This day was really amazing. Nataṡa, a girl whom I got to know on my previous German courses in Deutch Akademie, suggested to visit Haus des Meeres. The idea seemed very nice to me and we met after lunch next to the entrance. We had a lot of wonderful impressions.

I adored looking at all the fishes and underwater magnificence and I realized how much I missed diving. After a couple of hours of observing the beauty of nature, we decided to go for a drink to a rooftop restaurant in the Haus des Meeres, which is called 360 Ocean Sky.

360 Ocean Sky

Unfortunately all the tables on the terrace were booked, so we had to sit inside, where the atmosphere is still very pleasant and enjoyable. But we badly needed to go to the terrace and make some cute pictures with this great panoramic view on Vienna.

The unexpected photo shooting

While we were striking the poses and looking for the best perspective for the photo, an intelligently looking young man approached to us. Furthermore he asked if we want to participate in a photo shooting for one advertisement. Basically, it will take place in one hour here on a roof above the restaurant. I thought: “Why not?”

Finally, we agreed on time and place where we had to meet. One hour later we were standing on the decorated roof of the edifice of the House des Meeres, holding cocktails in our hands. As the photographer and a cameraman were making pictures and videos for the advertisement, we were dancing, having fun and drinking cocktails with the people that we have just met.

Overall it was not a boring shooting, but an interesting party. A wonderful evening, isn’t it? Yes it was.

Additionally, during the shooting one more ex group mate, Alix, called us and asked if we wanted to meet. Of course we wanted to meet and tell her about our spontaneous and interesting experience. As the night goes on, we go to have late dinner to a Museums Quartier.

Alix is impressed by our story and I am asking myself, why all this interesting experiences are happening to me?

Conclusions of the day:

#1 Both the House des Meeres and 360 Ocean Sky if definetely worth visiting. However, if you plan a visit the restaurant, book a table next to the window or on the terrace in advance.

#2 If your intuition says that you have to do something, as a matter of fact, just do it! And if life offers you an opportunity – take it.

Bis bald, Anna

Blog 5 von Anna

Behind the Splendor of the Palaces

Today after the classes I went to Shönbrunn. I have met with my friend at a main entrance. We have taken a ticket for entering the museum, and our turn was in one hour, so we went to explore the garden and the fountains. And, of course, we have taken a lot if pictures of each other. We were trying to imagine, how life of the nobles was when they were walking in these gardens centuries ago.

Then we went to the castle and were following the audio guide during the whole excursion. I can say that during this almost 2 hours I forgot about everything. I was in a completely new world, which was opened to me in this castle. This was the world, where your happiness is not a important, even if you are king, the priority – is what is good for your State, and this is how all the decisions are done. Including those, whom to marry and get children with. Being royal was never easy, although it might seem so attractive and privileged. I have a lot of respect to those, who have to rule the whole countries and on whose decisions depend destinies of a lot of people.

Next time I will look at the grandiose palaces from a completely changed prospective.

Bis Bald,

Anna

Blog 4 from Anna

Nachdem ich ins Museum gegangen war, studierte ich

Today it was a turn of the Museum of Art History. It is one of the most important art museums in the world. And I feel very lucky, that I have time and opportunity to visit it in an awesome company of my friend.

This museum has a very reach collection of many famous paintings of Renaissance and Baroque pictures of the Italian, French, Spanish, German and Flemish schools.  In addition to its many famous paintings, Kunsthistorische Museum contains collection of Egypt and Middle East, collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, Kunstkamera, Numismatic cabinet and Scientific Library.

I enjoyed beautiful tapestry assembly as well as fascinating western European Sculpture. Magnificence of the ancient Egyptian art was breathtaking. Basically I loved everything about the Museum of Art History. Not only the galleries, but everything there. Even the walls, the ceiling and the staircase, Cupola of the museum and the statues inside and outside. All are unique and precious works of art.

In conclusion I will definitely visit it once more and recommend to all of my friends.  It is an amazing experience and I realized once more how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful city.

My staying here will be even more interesting and full when I will fluently speak German. So I go to study now. Hopefully the next week will be as exciting as this one.

Bis Bald,

Anna

Blog 3 from Anna

Je mehr wir lernen, desto erfolgreicher können wir werden

Today was one more beautiful day in Vienna. The weather was awesome. It was sunny, but not too hot. So, as I promised, I visited one more museum.

Firstly I met with my dear friend from Ukraine and we went to the Museum of Natural History. It’s one of the most important natural history museums in the world. And it is definitely worth visiting. I made a lot of pictures and videos, where I wanted to capture the beauty of this place, its exhibitions and majestic architecture. But no picture can convey the mood and the atmosphere of this place.

Once you are inside, a completely new world opens to you, immersing you in the history of our planet and glorifying the diversity of Nature. As a person who believes in God I am always amazed by the imagination of the Creator, when I see how many different species there are on our planet.  And each of them is so detailed, beautiful and unique.

This is a real miracle! It was astonishing to see fascinating ceiling paintings, especially “The Circle of Life”, which is above the grand staircase. I have spent more than 3 hours in the Museum of Natural History, but I still didn’t see all the exhibitions. One year wouldn’t be enough to explore everything, what you can see and learn there; what to say about just three hours?!

Now I am at home and I am full of impressions from this amazing day and the visit to the museum.

I can’t wait to see what is inside the opposite building. But now it’s time to learn German and go to sleep. So what was the home work for tomorrow?

Bis Bald,

Anna

Blog 2 by Anna

Think what to do in Vienna

Today was my second day of the B1.2 course at DeutschAkademie. I really enjoy the classes. We have always different tasks, not only learning Grammar and new words. For example today the home work was to describe a picture we like and the feeling we have when looking at it.

I could not think about any specific famous picture. So I decided to go to some museum and chose one particular work of art, which will be interesting to describe and which will resonate with my emotional state. Hmm… It is easy to say, but when I started checking out the museums in Vienna, I realized that there are so many exhibitions, which I wanted to visit, that I was lost.

I am excited of how many opportunities Vienna has to offer. I have promised myself that this week I will visit one museum a day.

Finally I made my choice. Today I am going to Belvedere. I have visited its gardens a lot of times, but I never went inside. Today I will do it and I will describe the picture, which will impress me the most.

Belvedere

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belvedere was very spectacular today.

Firstly, there were not so many tourists as I expected. I was amazed by its majestic beauty indoors and outdoors. But I remembered that my goal was to find a picture, which I want to write about. And this was a challenge for me.

From the very beginning of the exhibition in the upper Belvedere I liked every picture. I could stand there for hours looking at each of them. Which picture is the best? There is no answer, because beauty and art are relative. It depends on the mood and on the way one perceives the world in this specific moment.

I can honestly say, that I loved a lot of works of art in the museum, but there was one which made me think the most.

It is called “Zur Schule” by Edmand Krenn.

Two girls and a boy are painted there. It’s raining, one girl is holding an umbrella and they are going to school. Barefoot… I started to reflect about the difference in life nowadays and back then in 1883. How many excuses can one have not to go to school and to skip lessons!

And my grandmother was missing school because there was just one pair of winter shoes for 6 siblings. So let’s appreciate what we have and try to do our best in all the circumstances. This is what I want to write in my essay, when I will describe the picture.

The most difficult part is to put all my thoughts in German words and to write the sentences correctly, but this is why I am here in DeutschAkademie – to study and to become good at explaining myself in German. And I know, I will reach my goal.

And at the same time I am enjoying wonderful city of Vienna, visit museums and let my breath be taken away by the beauty of this architecture.

Bis Bald,

Anna

Blog 1 from Anna

Hello!

My name is Anna. I come from Ukraine. First time when I visited in Vienna was Christmas 2018 and I fell in love in this beautiful majestic city and …. in one of it’s citizens :)) but that’s another story.

So when the war in Ukraine started and I had to leave my country l, I needed to choose a place where I could finally feel safe. And I have chosen Vienna, because it is the place where I felt at home, where it was safe to go out at 1 am for a walk, where I have met a lot of wonderful people from all over the world
in DeutschAkademie, when I started learning German.

 

 

 

 

It is a city where „Die Stadt gehört dir“ (thanks to Wiener Linien“) and I feel it. So here I am starting a new chapter of my life, ready for new adventures and of, course, where I will definitely make a lot of friends with whom I wil explore the city and Austrian culture.

Today is THE day. 15 exercises in 1 hour and a half: 4 of vocabulary (food and drinks, family relations, kitchen tools, and garbage), 8 of grammar (Indefinitpronomen, Direktionaladverb, wenn, Konjunktiv II of können and sollen, weil, Wechselpräpositionen mt Akkusativ and Dativ..), and 3 of communication with neighbours and in a restaurant. Again, I don’t want to jinx it, but I think it went well. Except for the vocabulary which you know I hate.

The interview later went fine. I really like this position and the work the company does, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I went for a run right after, and I was lucky to get out to see the sunset in time – what a beauty!

I’m lucky to live this close to Schönbrunn. It’s a great place to go for walks and runs in any season. I heard they actually change the flowers and floral patterns in the gardens every season, so it’s always a new feeling every time. And the way you’re able to immerse yourself in the forest, and forget you’re in a European capital… you gotta love Vienna.

Day before the first test, today! Yes, tomorrow we have a small mid-way test for the teacher to see how everyone is doing and if we need help or to revise in something specific. We review the topic of the Imperativ which we saw in A1.2, with verbs like “machen”, like “arbeiten” with “t” or “d”, like “lesen” or “sprechen” that change their “e” to “i”, and like “fahren” with the “ä”. Then the teacher introduces the modal verbs “sollen” and “können” in their Präteritum form: sollte, konnte.

As tomorrow is the test, we spend the second part of the class after the break that we always take at 10am, to revise the topics that we have done in the past classes, in this case the topics of the first 4 units of the book that we are using.

After class I rush home, cause I want to have lunch and I have to prepare for the test of tomorrow, but most importantly because I have to research a company… because I was asked to join (tomorrow afternoon) an interview for the application that I sent during the weekend! I’m over the moon but I don’t want to jinx it. Will follow updates. I leave you with a beautiful commercial that I see on my way home from school, and that leaves me in awe every time.