In November I went to Austria for a weekend to see my father sing in a concert. He sings classical music in a choir and at the concert they sang songs by the German composer Carl Orff. He sang in this building in Vienna called Musikverein in a room called the Goldene Saal (Golden Room). The room was gorgeous and packed full of people and they all seemed to enjoy an absolutely amazing concert.
For most of December I went back to Austria for Christmas to see my relatives. The last time I was in Austria was 10 years ago when I was 10 years old. I remembered bits and pieces, like the houses my relatives lived in, but not how to get around (which provided a challenge while I was driving). I remembered some of the people I met, while others it felt as if I was meeting them for the first time. I drove past the kindergarten where I went to school and saw how it has changed a lot. I don't remember the surrounding areas very well but according to my mom, everything has gotten a little more populated. I also don't remember there being so much fog during the winter, which there definitely was this time around. Having access to a car and being able to drive around Austria for the first time was also a new experience. Driving there is very similar to Ottawa, with the only huge difference being that you are not able to turn right on a red light and they have radar machines everywhere.
It turned out to be a bit of a fight between my relatives to see who gets to do what with me. It started out with driving up the “Hohe Wand” which is a mountain that has one of the greatest views. They also have a petting zoo where I was able to pet a goat and see some more animals. There were rock climbers and paragliders flying down the mountainside. I was told that they have an average of 20 paragliders take off every day.
The next big adventure was a hike up the Schneeberg (which is the snow mountain). I tried hiking up the mountain, but didn't make it the full way. There was not a lot of snow on the ground at the beginning, only the last half an hour consisted of snow. It was great to spend so much time outside and take in the views.
Then there was Christmas, which consisted of visiting a lot of relatives and eating a lot of food. I also went to my first Austrian movie theatre and watched a movie with my aunt and cousin. It is an English movie with the voices dubbed over in German. After the movie, I went bowling with my cousins and their friends, which was a blast. On New Years I competed in a race with the same cousin. It was a 3km race and my cousin, who I raced with, is currently training for triathlons so he inevitably sped past me. I would describe myself as an "off the couch" runner, meaning I run when I feel like it and to no set schedule. Before the race I had not ran in roughly three weeks because there was a lot going on with school in Brussels and I didn't have time while I was in Austria, so I was a bit out of shape. But overall it was a great experience and I am so happy I did it.
I also went to Vienna and saw Schönbrunn Palace, which is where the Habsburgs used to live. They were the ruling family of Austria back in the day. I was not allowed to take pictures inside but it was amazing.
I also ended up going to the province Burgenland and see the Lake Neusiedler. It is about one meter deep and is surrounded with reeds. I walked around and even though most things were closed for the winter, it was still amazing to see. I also went to Hungary and walked around which is also a very nice place. I have never heard Hungarian before and did not understand a single word that anyone said.
The last big trip was to Eisenstadt, where I saw the Palace of Esterházy. It is a lot smaller then Schönbrunn but still as breathtaking. On our tour of the inside we got to go down to a wine cellar where the tour guide offered a lesson about wine. As I knew nothing about wine, my uncle explain all of the devices and contraptions that I saw. The cellar had a very earthy smell to it and my uncle told me that it came from the black mold that was growing on the walls. This mold is a good thing to have in your cellar because it means that the atmosphere is damp and a good temperature. Outside the cellar in the actual rooms of the Esterházy Palace, they showed us sections of the walls and floor that had layers stripped off of them so you could see the differences between styles from the baroque and classical eras. It was very interesting.
After eating so much food and spending an amazing time with the family, it was time to head back to Brussels. I will miss Austria because of my relatives and also because of the mountains. I feel that in Europe, people thave this relaxed air to them. Having lunch or dinner or any sort of meal with someone would usually extend over three or four hours instead of just eating and then going to your next appointment. I find it is hard to compare the different cultures between Austria and Belgium. In Belgium, I find that people are generally willing to help you if you are lost or even look at a map. I didn't really have to ask for help in Austria because I was always with a relative who knew what they were doing and my relatives are extremely nice and generous. So based on my relatives, I would have to say that Austrians are also very nice and willing to help. Both Belgians and Austrians are very patient with my language-language (my German was a little rusty, as well as my French). Overall I did not notice a big culture difference, I just understood Austrians better because I know German better than French.