The table

I finally got an Erasmus Student Network card which offers discount on drinks in certain bars and allows entry to ESN events in night clubs. Until now I had been running with the “I left it at home, but I really am a student, and I’m poor” plea, but I hadn’t realised just how easy it would be to get one; assuming I would need a student card from a universities here, I was waiting until I had enrolled at the Technical University. Speaking to my flatmate Marco, however, assured me that the “I’m registering tomorrow, but I want to go to an ESN event tonight” tactic would work. As it happens, I just walked into the Freihaus at Karlsplatz, went to the ESN office, asked for a card, and they gave me one without asking any questions or checking any identification! It just costs €5 and one passport size photo.

Last Wednesday Loïc, Guillaume, Federico and I went to the Travel Shack, an Australian bar near Westbahnhof, to shoot some pool. It wasn’t the best example of a pool table – very odd proportioned pockets and pool balls for the size of the table – but Guillaume making up rules as we played was definitely more frustrating! The bar served Cider though, so overall I was a happy man. I’m still searching for the Viennese equivalent to the Honest Politician back in Portsmouth, but I’m starting to think it may be a forlorn hope! After Travel Shack, we headed to Dick Mack’s in Schwedenplatz to meet up with some of the French girls.

Thursday saw the usual pre-party at Molkereistraβe followed by Prater Dome, and then on Friday the Business University (Fachhochschule des BFI Wien) launched an ‘International Dinner’ event where each guest was encouraged to contribute some food to represent their country of origin. All day my mind was plagued with the question of what food I would take (which actually wasn't that long, as I woke at 2pm). The decision was made extremely difficult by the limited facilities in our halls; our kitchen has a microwave and hobs, but no oven – the principle tool for English cuisine! My mind eventually slow walked me to an epiphany, and I remembered the 4^th Earl of Sandwich! Although credit for the invention of the sandwich may be disputed, it was good enough for me!

At the dinner we were each given sticky tags on which to write our name and nationality - some had opted to draw their country’s national flag, so I followed suit and drew St. George’s Cross instead of simply writing ‘England’ – surely people know that, right? Wrong; apparently nobody realises England has its own flag aside from Britain’s Union Flag. My patriotic pride took a bit of a dent, but was soon restored by a Balkan girl fawning over my accent.

On Saturday a large group of us got together to visit a vineyard on the outskirts of the city, and taste some of the wine. On the way there, my passion for climbing overwhelmed me, and I did my first bit of Viennese urban climbing at the train station – I really need to find a local climbing hall! That night a girl in the Gästehaus Molkereistraße booked the basement party room (€150 deposit), for her birthday celebrations – needless to say I got absolutely trolleyed! Unfortunately for the birthday girl, the party got out of control, some people wrote on the walls, and she lost her deposit. Then on Sunday we visited the Belvedere Museum for the Klimt and Hoffmann exhibition. The exhibition also included pieces by other artists and designers, but I was particularly interested in the work of Austrian Architect Josef Hoffmann which included hand drawn plans, sections and elevations of his projects.

On Monday we went to see Carmen at the Wiener Staatsoper (State Opera). We bought standing places for €3 per person but the performance went on for four hours – fortunately however, some people with seats left halfway through and we sneaked into their places. Then on Tuesday I enrolled at the Technische Universität Wien, and collected my student identification the following day – basically a piece of coloured card with your passport photo stapled on, and stamped… very professional indeed!

You don’t have to be rich…

On Saturday we went to Flex, a club on the side of the Donaukanal near the Schottenring station. Although I hadn’t heard of him, the DJ headlining was, Madeon, a 17 year old from Nantes, France, with whom Guillaume was familiar. They played House/Electro – not something I would usually listen to, but I’m not too exigent with music so, despite the whopping €12 entry, it was a great night. The main hall soon got extremely hot so the French girls began fanning themselves with flyers whilst dancing – it actually looked pretty stylish! Next to the main dance hall, was a (free entry) drinks lounge called Flexcafé with sofas and a bar. The music there was mostly indie and the atmosphere is a lot more relaxed - definitely somewhere I’d go back to for a few laidback drinks.

On Sunday I met up with Federico, who I had met in the halls, and we went to Schwedenplatz to have some drinks with his Italian friends. Then on Monday, our final flatmate, Marco, arrived back from a trip home to Italy. I realised that day that I was almost out of money; I had brought euros over with me, but as yet have not transferred any money to my Austrian account. I therefore faced the decision of whether to stay in and conserve my last 10 euros – not knowing when I would get money through – or to go out to the Erasmus Lounge again. I made the sensible decision and decided to go early to the club and take advantage of the 50-cent-a cocktail offer. Arriving at the Ride Club, I cursed myself for not yet getting an ESN card (required for free entry), and proceeded to ‘explain’ to the girl at the desk that I had ‘left it at home’.

Once in the club we proceeded to knock back as many drinks as we could before the price change at 8pm. We met a few new faces and I had a fun time asking people to guess my nationality if they asked – unbelievably not one person has guessed English first time – I’ve even had people guessing Belgium, Austrian and Hungarian. With a Polish girl I even hinted ‘I’m speaking impeccable English, so where do you think I’m from?’ – to which she replied ‘America?’. 

The next day we decided to go to the ESN Carnival Party at S-Club near the Karlsplatz station. Due to my lack of money, my costume was Lei for €1 and some Hawaiian shorts I thought I’d only be wearing in summer. Marco went as Comandante Schettino and we made a last minute costume out of some cereal boxes for Guillaume. The club was good but absolutely packed!

[In this picture i am talking to Marco - NOT kissing him!]

I can see clearly now

On Wednesday four of us accompanied Charles to pick up his scooter, which had been truck delivered to Hungary, and we took the opportunity to visit a nearby town, Győr – I must say, not the greatest place I’ve ever seen; the town was quite small and it seemed fairly dead in the commercial centre. Furthermore we hadn’t really thought about the currency (Hungary uses the Forint) and so finding a place to drink was a bit of an adventure in itself. We eventually found a place which accepted Euros – an outdoor café (of all places in freezing weather!).

The next day, we met up with a large group of other Erasmus students to go ice skating in front of the Rathaus. After dishing out €10 for entry and skate hire we hit the ice. The rink was fantastic; a network of narrow, sweeping channels connecting two large skating areas.

Later that night, a couple of flats in our halls threw open their doors for pre-drinks before going to Prater Dome. It was pretty packed and I met so many people that I remember absolutely none of their names! Unfortunately some killjoy must have reported a disturbance, because the police came knocking. It was hilarious watching the Americans instinctively panic though – a far cry from the lairy British mentality towards the authorities! After the party broke up I found myself in a lift full of American girls – quite amusingly my handshake with one had me pulled out of the lift and towards their room, where we drank a bit more and then headed to the night club. Located in the middle of a funfair, getting to Prater Dome at night, was like a scene out of a horror movie. Needless to say, my suggestion to split up and find the club was rejected!

On Friday we (the French and I) went to the Kunsthalle in the Museum Quarter, where we saw some very peculiar contemporary art installations, one of which - an audio track - I can only assume was a pioneering new form of torture. We then visited the Leopold Museum to see yet more deranged art. On a brighter note, the snow here is practically all melted now, and the weather is getting a lot more tolerable!

Ça plane pour moi

On Friday Loïc and I met up with a group of his friends from Dijon (also on Erasmus), and we went to visit Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) and explore the surrounding area. The Cathedral, rebuilt after severe damage from World War II bombing, is the culmination of successive alterations and additions throughout the centuries. The Gothic edifice stands on foundations which date back to 1147, but the earliest surviving features are the Heidentürme (Heathen Towers) and Riesentor (Giant’s door) from the 13^th century.

In the evening we played a game of Kings before heading out to find a pub (fairly cheap drinks). We altered the rules for the game a little; now ‘heaven’ has a distinctly Austrian flavour. In ‘word association’ Anne played a cunning game and chose ‘French movies’ – unfortunately for her, I had a few Audrey Tautou films up my sleeve and the plan backfired. At the pub we met with other Erasmus students and I demonstrated my inability to play Foosball, before being accosted by some locals for talking to the ‘wrong girl’.

The following day I went back to Stephansplatz, this time remembering my camera, and spent more time exploring the cathedral. I met up with the French again and we spent the night in Lutz der Club, where the drinks were extremely expensive – thankfully the Jägermeister shots were a more reasonable €2.50. I’d like to point out that it didn’t seem so when we were there, but having just looked at the website pictures, it looks like it may be a gay bar?! We will have to make sure it’s not before we go back – I blame the French!

On Sunday evening we all went to the Zwölf Apostelkeller Restaurant (Twelve Apostle’s Cellar), to try Schnitzel, a traditional Austrian dish of boneless meat in breadcrumbs. Then on Monday we headed to the Erasmus Lounge at the Ride Club which had awesome prices of €0.50 for a cocktail/mixer between 1900 and 2000, €1.90 between 2000 and 2100, and so on, getting progressively more expensive. The idea being to drink as much as possible early on; I was in Whisky-Coke heaven!

The morning however, had me repeating Witek’s experience of last year. I woke to the sound of alarms (our very odd doorbell) and thinking Guillaume or one of the others must be at the door, chucked on some boxers and opened my door to see two startled cleaners! I promptly shut the door and put more clothes on.

What’s my name?

After sorting out an Austrian bank account, I stopped back at my halls where I met a French student who was just arriving. I introduced myself “I’m Andy”, to which he repeated to himself “Ihymandy” (brilliant). When asked if I could help him find his room, I was surprised to note we would be living together. I hadn’t supposed the previous residents might have just left items when they moved out – I will soon find out when the final person arrives/returns.

After a brief chat, I stuck to my plans for the day and ventured out once more to find Hofburg Palace. The Hofburg is a historical complex which was formerly Vienna’s Imperial Palace and is spread over a considerable area within the city centre. I suppressed an incredible urge to build a snowman in the centre of Heldenplatz (didn’t have the right gloves for it) and took to photographing the equestrian statues and the Neue Burg which borders the plaza to the southeast.

Passing beneath the impressive dome of St. Michaels Wing, my journey took me to the burggarten where I happened upon the palm house. Completed in 1905 the palm house was designed by Austrian architect Friedrich Ohmann, who had studied architecture at the Technische Hochschule in Vienna. Ohmann designed the Palm House in the style of the Viennese Secession; a spectacular Jugendstil iron and glass structure, part of which houses the schmetterhaus - the imperial tropical butterfly house.

Aside from a pleasant stroll through a tropical rainforest environment, the entry fee (€5.50) was well worth the chance to defrost. The hot temperature inside was great but frustratingly my camera was near frozen and the lens constantly steamed up, ruining some great shots. After circling the small route a few times, I ventured back outside and once again the freezing weather has forced me to retreat home.

Now for some tea!

Baby, it's cold outside

This morning I loaded up Grooveshark (some old-school Rhythm and Blues) and properly unpacked all my things before heading out into the cold (about -10°C) to register at my local Municipal District Office, Karmelitergasse 9. A walk across the street took me to Erste Bank where I intended to set up an Austrian account. The girls at the reception told me I’d have to come back tomorrow – although they did take me to say hello to the person I’d be seeing - so I booked an appointment and went back to Molkereistraße.

Back at my apartment, I chucked my camera in my bag and got the U-Bahn to Karlsplatz to see the Art Nouveau (or ‘Jugendstil’) Pavilions designed by Otto Wagner in 1899. The pavilions were formerly used as a Stadtbahn Station before the construction of the U-Bahn in 1981. Fortunately a public outcry halted their planned demolition and the pavilions were converted for the U-Bahn. I took a stroll through Resselpark and arrived at Karlskirche (St. Charles’ Church, completed in 1737). Initially I was shocked that such a building was adorned by an insensitive array of portakabins placed around the pond to its front. On closer inspection, I realised each had been adapted into an art installation.

From Karlsplatz I made my way to the Belvedere, a complex housing the Belvedere Museum, which consists of two Baroque palaces (Upper and Lower). Completed in the early 18^th century, the Belvedere was commissioned as a summer residence for Prince Eugen of Savoy, with reward money for his victories during the Spanish Succession. The Upper Belvedere façade especially, was a fantastic example of Baroque style and, I expect, is made even more impressive by the ornate parterres leading down to the Lower palace. The gardens, however, were blanketed by thick snow, and the bitter weather soon forced me to retreat home. On my journey back to Karlsplatz I bumped into a small group of compatriots who were travelling Europe. On hearing that I was here to study, one of the girls asked if it would be at the university nearby - a building with which she had evidently fallen in love! Admittedly I didn’t know, as there are two universities in Vienna, but back at my apartment I was pleased to note that it is.

It feels slightly bizarre living at my apartment still not having met my flatmates. I expect they should soon arrive (they have food in the fridge) but I’m curious to meet them; what nationality, what they study etc. One good sign so far is the alcohol in the fridge!

Oh, Vienna!

Nearly two years ago I visited a close friend who had moved to Barcelona on the Erasmus Programme. Just a short stay there and I knew the experience was for me; exhilarating; socially multicultural; and independent. The bond between that group of students, from various countries brought them together later when we celebrated the New Year in Paris (albeit with foie gras and frogs legs on the menu!).

Studying architecture, I never considered I would get the chance to ‘go on Erasmus’. However when Paul Cashin and Niall Bird gave a presentation on their Erasmus Exchange in Vienna, Austria, I was determined to seize the opportunity. Initially I strongly considered studying in Trondheim, Norway, but the realisation that I would be skiing far too much to do any work struck me, and I settled on Vienna. Paul and Niall had strongly recommended Vienna, and being immersed in a German speaking country, the theory goes that I would remember everything from GCSE German (some 7 years ago now), and might get nearer to learning a foreign language.

So the location was set, now I had to sort it all out! A plethora of different forms had to be signed; some before I went, some taken to be completed on arrival, others to be completed when I return. Accommodation was extremely easy to sort out, as one company, OeAD control all Student Halls in Austria… you just have to throw a lot of money at them. €700 is the deposit they ask for, which wouldn’t be so annoying if UK banks didn’t extort you to ‘send’ it over there (I think it had its own seat on the aeroplane). It was helpful too that we had some Viennese girls arrive to study in Portsmouth during the first semester, with whom I could talk. Witek Hewanicki and Leanne Todd in the second year of Diploma had also been to Vienna on Erasmus and were great help for giving advice and reassurance.

Spending all day in A&E a couple of days before flying out with the concern of another pneumothorax wasn’t the best of omens, but the Russian doctor told me I’d be okay – ‘more drink and more climbing!’. Upon landing I took the City Airport Train (CAT) into central Vienna (Wien Mitte/Landstraβe), and continued on the Metro to the Rathaus and proceeded on foot to the OeAD Housing office to pick up my keys. For the CAT I tried to be a bit cheeky and bought a reduced ticket (for which you need a student ID), but got caught out by the ticket man and played the innocent tourist (just €1 extra in the end anyway). Admittedly the first day very nearly ended me in bit of a pickle; the Housing Office closes at 1600 and after leaving the Metro, I had only a few minutes to run – dragging heavy suitcases down snow covered roads – to only just make it in (if my parents are reading: I know I shouldn’t be running, but at least I have somewhere to sleep tonight).

Since I didn’t live in student halls during my first year at Portsmouth University, the experience is new to me. My residence is the Gästehaus Molkereistraße, designed as a passive house, in Leopoldstadt - the second district of the city, and is just a short walk from the Messe-Prater metro station. I arrived expecting to meet my new housemates, but disappointingly they must be away. A walk down the hallway however, let me poke my head into a couple of rooms to say hi to some other students. After heading out to get some supplies and eating (Frosties), I contemplated just going to bed after the long day, but thought better and took the metro into central Vienna for a walkabout. I found a great little coffee shop and sat with my guide book planning for tomorrow.

Now to go to sleep in my ridiculously small single bed, with its gigantic German pillow, in a disproportionately large room!

Bis später!