My Erasmus Semester in Austria

 HUNGERBURGBAHN:   Innsbruck's input to modern ARCHITECTURE.  The Hungerburgbahn Funicular also known as The Nordpark Railway Station is part of a hybrid funicular railway in Innsbruck, which links Innsbruck's district of Hungerburg to the city centre at the foot of the Nordkette mountain range. The 1.84 kilometre (1.14 mile) route is designed for cable cars and has 4 stations: The Congress station, The Löwenhaus station, The Alpenzoo station and by far the most spectacular, is the Hungerburgbahn station at Hermann-Buhl-Platz. The stations were designed in 2007 by Zaha Hadid. an Iraqi-British architect who as well as The Nordpark rail station, had previously left her mark in Innsbruck with her redesigned Bergisel Ski Jump which opened in 2002. Hadid describes the design of the stations to have a "Shell and Shallow" look. Which is made obvious by the stations distinct, smooth rounded edges with a ripple affect.  In 2004, Hadid became the first woman to be awarded the w

Buchteln -   Everything you need to know and more about the unknown Austrian treasure.   What are Buchteln?  When I think of Austrian cuisine, the first things that comes to mind are the world famous Schnitzel and Käsespätzle, not Buchteln. So how come one of the country's most famous sweet treats has been kept such a big secret to the rest of the world?  Buchteln are "pull apart" style yeasted buns, characterised by their light, fluffy and buttery texture. They are not overly sweet as they only contain a few tablespoons of sugar and are typically served fresh out the oven. Originally they were filled with plumb Powidl jam, however now a days they can also be stuffed with jam, poppy seeds or a vanilla cream. Typically Buchteln are accompanied by a sweet white wine.   Buchteln also known as Wuchteln originated in the Czechia region of Bohemia and eventually the recipe spread throughout Western Europe and they are still commonly enjoyed in Hungry, Austria and Slovenia today

                            Die Weihnachtsmärkte -                      Salzburg Christmas markets .                           IMAGINE THIS: The pandemic is over. You are walking around the Christmas markets in a big jacket with a warm Glühwein in your hand. There is a strong smell of cinnamon and marzipan in the air and the bright colourful lights, lining the wooden stalls catch your eye. You can hear church bells ringing and carols singers singing "Oh Tannenbaum".  The markets are  bustling with busy shoppers, excited children and tourists, making the most of the Austrian Christmas traditions and doing some last minute shopping. Does it get any better than that? Christmas in Austria is definitely at the top of my bucket list, especially after a lonely, cold Christmas in lockdown last year. What can be better than spending the festivities in a winter wonderland full of cosy Christmas traditions and good food. One tradition that has always caught my eye has been the Austria

                                                                          My  Experience as a   German Language Learner -  Battling the Stereotypes!   "What languages are you studying?" "I study  Italian and German" "Wow..  Italian  is such a  beautiful  and  romantic   language,  I  would love to be able to speak it... but... why are you studying German? It is such an angry sounding language and all the words are  really  long and complicated- it looks really hard" Every German language learner will have had this conversation at some point in their German speaking life. Many people have the assumption that German is an angry language, which is impossible to learn and sounds nothing like any other language. However, over the years, I have come to realise that German is actually a beautiful, flowing language. Which makes me think, could German actually be easier to get a grip of than other European languages, due to its rigid syntax and logical grammar rule