tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38250433637573930812024-03-20T00:46:47.800-07:00My Year Abroad - Linz, AustriaHi! I'm a modern languages student studying French, German and Spanish and I am writing this blog about the lead up to and duration of my Year Abroad in Linz, Austria!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-53172571683343776002016-07-12T09:15:00.002-07:002016-07-12T09:15:10.152-07:00Great weather, great food, great company!Hi everyone,<br />
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The last two weeks of working as an au pair have been spent trying to get into a routine with the girls. We try to do at least half an hour of "homework" (either reading, writing or English) every day, followed by an activity. The elder daughter Lucia and I have come up with some games to play, crafts to make, recipes to cook, things to do at the park and activities for the garden, which so far are doing well at keeping everyone entertained! Here are a few pictures from our lessons and activities:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maeva learning some words in English</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leana doing a reading comprehension in Spanish</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made an apple crumble!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I went back to my childhood making Hama beads with the girls </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went on a trip to the park to collect materials... </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...to make miniature gardens!</td></tr>
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We do have some challenges. Sometimes the girls refuse to eat, or don't want to work, or generally are just in a bickering mood, which I find tough as I can't really express myself well enough in Spanish to deal with things as I would at home. So some days are difficult, but others are fantastic fun! I was invited to a dance show they put on in their parents' bedroom with handmade programmes, we've been to the cinema to see 'Finding Dory', the girls are making a lot of progress with English and they're always excited to find out what activity we will be doing each day.<br />
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I'm getting to know the girls a lot better now. Lucia is quite quiet, but likes to speak English with me, and often will sit with me while I'm planning lessons or help me plan activities. Leana loves to talk, and sometimes I haven't a clue what she's saying, but it means there's never a dull moment! And Maeva is very sweet, although also quite sensitive, and loves to play and watch Peppa Pig at any opportunity!<br />
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My English lessons with Lucia, Dario and Marie Jose are going well, and I'm realising how much I enjoy tutoring as opposed to teaching. Being one on one with someone is very rewarding and means you can focus your lessons to them. I'm also really appreciating having the one on one time with Marie Jose to learn Spanish.<br />
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And my Spanish is definitely improving. I am completely immersed in Spanish - the only time I speak English is during the lessons or with family over the phone. It's tiring but really rewarding and my understanding is significantly better than three weeks ago. However the weekends are my own, and I've been lucky enough to spend time with some wonderful people in Madrid over the last few weeks, and speak English!<br />
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I met up with Brooke and some friends of hers to watch the Gay Pride festival in Madrid:<br />
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And my friend Beth was visiting Madrid so I met up with her for a couple of days this weekend:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We visited the Botanical Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We watched the beautiful sunset in Parque de Retiro by the boating lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went on a cable car ride over Madrid and the view was incredible </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The view of the palace, cathedral and river from the cable car</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We ate the 'best churros in Madrid' - and they were pretty great!</td></tr>
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The weather is great - between 30 to 40 degrees every day! But during the night it's a little too warm, although I enjoy being able to swim in the pool and sit outside until 12am if I want. We went to a late night outdoor cinema with the girls on Sunday to see 'Big Hero 6' which was great fun. I will definitely miss the beautiful sunshine and the relaxed way of life in Spain.<br />
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So overall, although au pairing can be tough, I have a very generous and kind family here and I am thoroughly enjoying working with the girls. It's all fun and games, and there will be a lot more fun and games to come in the final three weeks of my time here!<br />
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Thanks for reading :)<br />
<br />
Laura<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Madrid, Spain40.4167754 -3.703790199999957640.0300434 -4.3492371999999575 40.8035074 -3.0583431999999577tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-4996426317423878282016-06-29T01:05:00.000-07:002016-06-29T01:05:34.321-07:00Au Pairing in Spain - the first two weeksHi everyone!<br />
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Somehow I've been in Spain two weeks already. The time has flown by, but I do feel very settled in the family. I'm working in a village south of Madrid for a family with three girls: Lucia (11), Leana (6) and Maeva (3). The mum (Silvia) is French, learnt Spanish at university and has been married to her Spanish husband (Angel) for thirteen years, so her Spanish is excellent! But it's really nice to have the opportunity to speak French with her, and her family, who live nearby. It was especially helpful at the beginning when I was finding Spanish very challenging.<br />
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For the first week and a half the girls were still at school, so I spent my mornings getting used to the house, reading, preparing English lessons and of course making the most of the sunshine and the pool!<br />
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In the afternoons I would collect the girls from school, and we'd play some games and go in the pool once the parents got back from work.<br />
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I've been accepted as part of the family and I feel so lucky for that! I've been for dinner with the family at the grandparents house, I've been to friends' birthday parties and I've been on days out with the family, for example at the weekend we went to the river with two other families...<br />
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And I was invited to see Leana graduate from primary school too...<br />
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Now the the girls have finished school, I have a routine for the week. In the mornings we get up (the girls around 10/11am now!) and have breakfast together. Then I do about an hour of English with them, depending on how we're feeling. Then we have a choice of activities; playing games, watching a film, going to the park, cooking etc. I'm going to try and get into a routine of a certain activity on each day as well to make things easier and have a variety. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings I go to zumba, and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings I do an English-Spanish exchange with a lady in the town. One hour in each language practising reading, writing, speaking and grammar. It's very helpful! I'm also going to be giving extra English lessons to Lucia and Dario, the son of the lady I'm doing the exchange with.<br />
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Saturdays and Sundays I have off, but it is difficult to have time to myself unless I go out of the house. Silvia has been very kind in organising activities for me on Saturdays. The first weekend I did a bike tour of Madrid (of course, being me with my awful balance and apparently rusty cycling skills, I managed to fall off right in the city centre!) and this weekend I went to the Palacio Real for a tour and visited the cathedral and some gardens in the surrounding area. Here are some pictures of my time in Madrid:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9oLtuADuQyIr8bfSnemCpp_8a9nYYdbiyFrN3zh1RCtAtdpBIwnXYcog09DKB7PWtRoqzKND6saRWgTlIOs6gFWZAboTEpLpuudQ57AT2sP5VDArhGlTK3fnu4ILtWjQ5o3BPjfCoioC/s1600/20160618_112230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9oLtuADuQyIr8bfSnemCpp_8a9nYYdbiyFrN3zh1RCtAtdpBIwnXYcog09DKB7PWtRoqzKND6saRWgTlIOs6gFWZAboTEpLpuudQ57AT2sP5VDArhGlTK3fnu4ILtWjQ5o3BPjfCoioC/s400/20160618_112230.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple of Debod </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZqMgcdeQ0ot9-E4Cz6Fp9T4o4_dS4HE5ZqDltN-QmKEHY2P-jtMn7UsXD_qp0HSkjZJjlyIlrH-DposUfy2tmnftypEWRVnEzvcPX9l1xQh6Mhp-Lfv1pqrcxm4s2WxFzXxXlmPVRHn6/s1600/20160618_115059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZqMgcdeQ0ot9-E4Cz6Fp9T4o4_dS4HE5ZqDltN-QmKEHY2P-jtMn7UsXD_qp0HSkjZJjlyIlrH-DposUfy2tmnftypEWRVnEzvcPX9l1xQh6Mhp-Lfv1pqrcxm4s2WxFzXxXlmPVRHn6/s400/20160618_115059.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Plaza de España</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Plaza Mayor </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlwavOydjup2hbY6Ws_6mJyTez3xz8Qny2dvR2l1eF9XIJNMPPRvTp0p3IQpEF9D20k7gPp3rfEVDOzVvrWS05D4zFZzlO3JdE16rlZ71-Qc8c9TIVTFT2HA_YoumOu5BQTgPlalmuZmj/s1600/20160618_130341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlwavOydjup2hbY6Ws_6mJyTez3xz8Qny2dvR2l1eF9XIJNMPPRvTp0p3IQpEF9D20k7gPp3rfEVDOzVvrWS05D4zFZzlO3JdE16rlZ71-Qc8c9TIVTFT2HA_YoumOu5BQTgPlalmuZmj/s400/20160618_130341.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crystal Palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharjSJtTfxkUWLV4LWztRqF8k5dj5FgcHu-gY1in1rGKI1g37DHiEAD-_rVkJzUcrP9YWV4Bau7Y5W20XTGftUSRWDTKpnfTQFQR-9MPv60BPxAwPnhn2WuqkDdHvVQlzWogrEIPOXbf8n/s1600/20160618_131332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharjSJtTfxkUWLV4LWztRqF8k5dj5FgcHu-gY1in1rGKI1g37DHiEAD-_rVkJzUcrP9YWV4Bau7Y5W20XTGftUSRWDTKpnfTQFQR-9MPv60BPxAwPnhn2WuqkDdHvVQlzWogrEIPOXbf8n/s400/20160618_131332.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful rose garden in one of the many parks of Madrid </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVbs_DzdwpdPgmci5e0RsVTqeCFixkrgx4EQOEoipcxZ67z1pF673tdcdpTRBcwUYsS2HLwNJtbO1cVvKkhPw19JOqYbrnXnflXNXfqaS8do8K9a1x5FvIaUcwX7IgTf2LkJ-w6aokU7M/s1600/20160625_114008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVbs_DzdwpdPgmci5e0RsVTqeCFixkrgx4EQOEoipcxZ67z1pF673tdcdpTRBcwUYsS2HLwNJtbO1cVvKkhPw19JOqYbrnXnflXNXfqaS8do8K9a1x5FvIaUcwX7IgTf2LkJ-w6aokU7M/s400/20160625_114008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The royal palace - el Palacio Real</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfwVia7mWj5dDBLnr2C9lj4XlbySZhEpJkbPaecfDqVFSWEIKnmfHbRPgmcSfdApu93AFmBzslayv9uOnAKg9omQPKJaJHhK5Ky0Aga66tfbvIM3exxaqHDYcREzgN-YLZpaOycowIIuI/s1600/20160625_114541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfwVia7mWj5dDBLnr2C9lj4XlbySZhEpJkbPaecfDqVFSWEIKnmfHbRPgmcSfdApu93AFmBzslayv9uOnAKg9omQPKJaJHhK5Ky0Aga66tfbvIM3exxaqHDYcREzgN-YLZpaOycowIIuI/s400/20160625_114541.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cathedral</td></tr>
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There have been a few challenges, of course. The language being the main one. I learnt two years of accelerated Spanish at university, but forgot a lot of it during my time in Austria, so especially at the beginning it was tough. I feel like I'm not at a point where I understand a fair bit, but producing the language is still hard sometimes, which makes giving instructions and disciplining the girls tough. I don't have to discipline too much, but Leana is very headstrong, and sometimes makes a massive fuss out of small things, so that can be challenging. But overall, I feel very comfortable here and I think this is the best au pair experience I could have hoped for :)<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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LauraAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Madrid, Spain40.4167754 -3.703790199999957640.0300434 -4.3492371999999575 40.8035074 -3.0583431999999577tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-43857684106041166952016-06-17T11:11:00.000-07:002016-06-17T11:11:05.118-07:00Surprising Mum for her birthday!This surprise had been a long time in the making. In February, I'd decided that instead of doing the trip I had planned, in which I spent the first two weeks of June travelling along the south of France, I would fly home and surprise my Mum for her birthday. Naturally I had to get some people on board to help me out (thank you to Rachel and Nanny for being my accomplices, I very much appreciate it!) and I decided to continue planning my France trip to use as a cover story for Mum.<br />
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By the week before I came home, Mum wanted to know everything about my trip, where I was going and staying, what I was doing...and I managed to put it off as long as possible and be as vague as possible, but I worried she was getting suspicious.<br />
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Luckily though, she wasn't. So on 2nd June I flew home and Rachel came and picked me up, having made an excuse to borrow the car that left Mum thinking she was going to pick up a cat she'd bought for Mum's birthday! Thankfully Mum wasn't too disappointed when it was me and not a cat who came through the door :P<br />
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I had a wonderful week at home, it was so nice to be back and see some friends and family. Here are a few pictures from my time in Devon:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEBOcaG6KvUcy9ENE0Fv6VbPxNqA_w9Q02aS-OSNvp4cXZKJ_OOivwHZKiNDssEXsTZw0H7fkx8FP-4dmjfkCcAxYUoTNHMbIkjO1I7fs7zKLb4TG80phd3uBya_-9TBcXxbJ-r30QN0L/s1600/20160604_155231_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEBOcaG6KvUcy9ENE0Fv6VbPxNqA_w9Q02aS-OSNvp4cXZKJ_OOivwHZKiNDssEXsTZw0H7fkx8FP-4dmjfkCcAxYUoTNHMbIkjO1I7fs7zKLb4TG80phd3uBya_-9TBcXxbJ-r30QN0L/s400/20160604_155231_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spent time with my friend James, and walking on Dartmoor, which I have really missed!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MXzxaLteyPwWUq_0LGNvOa-Dtcj8oQtBtE8Scwdn0ldZnu1i-XmidHtbvBdJoxUPZSbI4EJLqero7sy4KU1EYhMB63H5nnDAijofrBo3QEu-qMKKdZeJrM7MJhlrCYim1kzLhp7e7MF8/s1600/20160604_174903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MXzxaLteyPwWUq_0LGNvOa-Dtcj8oQtBtE8Scwdn0ldZnu1i-XmidHtbvBdJoxUPZSbI4EJLqero7sy4KU1EYhMB63H5nnDAijofrBo3QEu-qMKKdZeJrM7MJhlrCYim1kzLhp7e7MF8/s400/20160604_174903.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum and I got all dressed up for the theatre...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaI8grMCvPGfm3WKVZKT4lYSnKX6VipMAqbz7T6nVZR1tEdAYWHvu3jRj7SzGLSeWJvq_iw5qVwqTcFtPUuHG79DH89QaA0zz8E1eG3sTvbFzlVAtS5ib7aJVU6Duf9E3cPB_afd650tMQ/s1600/20160604_232930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaI8grMCvPGfm3WKVZKT4lYSnKX6VipMAqbz7T6nVZR1tEdAYWHvu3jRj7SzGLSeWJvq_iw5qVwqTcFtPUuHG79DH89QaA0zz8E1eG3sTvbFzlVAtS5ib7aJVU6Duf9E3cPB_afd650tMQ/s400/20160604_232930.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took Mum and Nanny to see 'Guys and Dolls' in Plymouth for Mum's birthday and it was brilliant - we even had second row seats!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7Cym6PI_NlTV7xGgtp81et_-Bfa4Lt24IEFojcEat9pDPZmrGIBusD5xDRYAyJNL36Rd6kK2H_RtWEZLrDQls-ycCNrMFzqpVXHZ3Qejk8I4KH32-vkTmcEvHvPCSIC0-diWjGi6wzPY/s1600/20160605_150313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7Cym6PI_NlTV7xGgtp81et_-Bfa4Lt24IEFojcEat9pDPZmrGIBusD5xDRYAyJNL36Rd6kK2H_RtWEZLrDQls-ycCNrMFzqpVXHZ3Qejk8I4KH32-vkTmcEvHvPCSIC0-diWjGi6wzPY/s400/20160605_150313.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent Sunday afternoon at the steam fair</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAGun7FCTiHwqbmNT6vF0t7Cq3MO-ItCrRykCCoXCcfe6BKDg6RXd-R-d9Y6uOoQWMkQTfh-pTC1o1cRvqpXvjVxhnyT5wtm-vbneUfCU41kZCjimL4yE4IDTyYaVC7nEjiscMC5K2wD1/s1600/20160608_104529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAGun7FCTiHwqbmNT6vF0t7Cq3MO-ItCrRykCCoXCcfe6BKDg6RXd-R-d9Y6uOoQWMkQTfh-pTC1o1cRvqpXvjVxhnyT5wtm-vbneUfCU41kZCjimL4yE4IDTyYaVC7nEjiscMC5K2wD1/s400/20160608_104529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My best bud came to stay for a couple of days and we went to see 'Me Before You' which we sobbed our way through</td></tr>
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And I got to catch up with lots of other people who I have missed dearly.<br />
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Thank you to everyone for a lovely week at home. It was great to be back, and now I'm off on my next adventure. I am currently in Cubas de la Sagra, just south of Madrid, where I am working as an Au Pair until the end of July. The family are lovely and have made me feel very welcome. I am struggling with the Spanish a bit having spoken only German or English for the last year, but being completely immersed in a language you improve quickly so I'm sure I'll be OK! More updates on my time in Spain to come.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Laura :)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Tavistock, Tavistock, Devon PL19, UK50.5511229 -4.141654000000016850.5107629 -4.222335000000017 50.5914829 -4.0609730000000166tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-10732312118623928502016-06-16T03:21:00.000-07:002016-06-16T03:21:30.214-07:00Saying goodbye to AustriaI've spent just over eight months in Austria and I honestly don't know where that time has gone. It feels like just yesterday that I was boarding my first solo flight, nervous and excited, and worried that I wasn't going to settle in. I've done so much this year, I've made so many wonderful friends who will never be forgotten, and the experiences I've had this year are incredible. Here are a few pictures from my final two weeks in Austria:<br />
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1. I went on the teachers' outing for my other school to Bavaria and yet again we had a tour of a brewery. It was lovely to spend time with the French assistant and to get to know the teachers even better.<br />
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2. Charlotte, Markus and I went to a zoo in the Mühlviertel called Altenfelden where we saw a falconry display and got to feed lots of animals. It was the hottest day of my time in Austria - 30 degrees!<br />
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3. My wonderful students and colleagues were very generous in giving me wonderful goodbye gifts - lots of traditional Austrian food! And Niki the cat was very helpful while I was packing...<br />
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4. My lovely friend and colleague Susi invited me over for a BBQ at her new house, and it was lovely to spend more time with her before I left.<br />
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5. A group of us went to see some fireworks over the Danube river in Linz.<br />
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6. Another friend and colleague Ines invited me to her house for the afternoon and we went for a lovely country walk with her family and stopped at a Gasthaus halfway for traditional cider and snacks.<br />
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7. We had a goodbye meal with a few of the assistants at a Polish restaurant in Linz - and it was very nice :)</div>
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8. I made a traditional steak pie for my housemates Charlotte and Michael, Markus and Susi.<br />
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Now time for the soppy part...<br />
Over the past year I have gained confidence, language skills, experiences and friends and I am so pleased that I made the most of my time abroad. And it's not over yet! I am off to Spain to work as an aupair this summer and I am determined that after my degree I will be jetting off somewhere else, having enjoyed this year so much. Thank you to everyone, both in Austria and at home, who has helped to make this year so great. I love you all!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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Laura<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-25162259407895704272016-05-27T07:24:00.001-07:002016-05-27T07:27:15.038-07:00When in Rome...As the end of my year abroad came into sight, my housemate Charlotte and I decided we wanted to go on a trip together to end our year on a positive note. And where better to go but Rome?<br />
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So on Friday 13th (ooh!) May we set off to the airport for our weekend adventure, and it's safe to say we were very, very excited.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(until we realised that flying with a budget airline means that bits inside the plane are fixed with duct tape...)</td></tr>
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But we arrived safely in Rome and took the half an hour train to the city centre. Our hotel (Hotel Seiler) was about a ten minute walk from the main train station, and very close to the centre of the city too, so we were in a great location. </div>
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On Friday evening we headed to the region of Trastevere in Rome, which we were told was less touristy and had some great restaurants. After a rather cramped and frankly scary bus ride, we decided we'd probably walk back to the hotel after dinner. We found a little pizzeria (of course, we were in Italy!) for dinner and on the walk back to the hotel later on we found a gelateria and bought the most amazing ice cream! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome at night was beautiful!</td></tr>
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Saturday, our first full day in Rome, was unfortunately very rainy...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...however we bought umbrellas and tried to make the most of the day!</td></tr>
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We went for a walk into the centre area of Rome, where we saw parts of the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia.<br />
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We stopped for lunch in a lovely little cafe by the Colosseum and although it was raining, we were able to sit outside in the sheltered area. It was such a shame seeing so many tourists getting soaked (as we were) by the torrential rain and we tried to decide what we could still do.</div>
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We decided that we would try doing a bus tour of the city, as at least that way we would learn about the area and see some of the sights. So we bought our tickets, which included entry to the Roman Forum and Colosseum, and got on the bus. Unfortunately despite the rain, the company had put up the roof but no windows upstairs, so sitting by the 'window' meant that you got absolutely soaked. By this point I was feeling quite uncomfortable, and we decided we needed to have a change of plans.</div>
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We got off the bus at the Trevi fountain, and the rain had eased off a little. </div>
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After that we thought that shopping in Rome might be a good way of being inside, dry and still experiencing the city. So we headed off around the corner to Via del Corso to do some shopping and it was very successful. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also found La Durée, a famous Parisian tea house, so we had to go in and try!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hot chocolate was literally just melted chocolate in a mug - amazing!</td></tr>
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On the way to the hotel on the Friday we'd seen a lovely little restaurant in a little alley that we really wanted to try, so we got back on the (rather wet) tour bus and headed back to the train station to find it. And we weren't disappointed. At Alessio Ristorante we had a lovely meal, with traditional bread, wine and, to quote Charlotte, 'The best panna cotta I've ever had!'<br />
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After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to watch Eurovision and although I understood pretty much nothing of the Italian, it was great fun, especially to watch with someone from another participating country.<br />
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On Sunday the weather was a lot better, and we tried to make up for lost time. One thing I learnt is that two days is not long enough to see Rome. You need at least a week I'd say! But we enjoyed it nonetheless, and I would love to go back one day.<br />
We started out at the Roman Forum, as we had to pick up our tickets here for the Colosseum and Roman Forum. As we couldn't get into the Colosseum until 2.30pm we took our time in the Roman Forum, learning a bit about the Roman civilisation that existed such a long time ago.<br />
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At around 1pm we'd still only seen about half of the Roman Forum, but we were pretty hungry by then, so we decided to go back to the same restaurant as yesterday and have some lunch before heading to the Colosseum.<br />
As we arrived at the Colosseum, we were a little confused. We'd bought 'skip the line' tickets, but couldn't see a way in other than an extremely long queue. It turned out that this queue was for the 'skip the line' tickets (ironic!) which was ridiculous...so we asked a tourist information worker for advice. He said we could take part in an English tour (of course for more money) and then we wouldn't have to queue. We thought this sounded like the best idea, as then we also get information about the Colosseum and learn something, so we joined the tour group.<br />
I did get a little freaked out when the tour guide told us we had to pretend not to have a ticket to get in, and then after the metal detector we could just head on through as though we did have tickets (which we did), but we couldn't go as a group because it wasn't 'official' and that he would meet us in there...eek! But we trusted him, and it paid off, because he did appear and the tour was fantastic, informative and I learnt a lot - definitely worth that little extra money for a tour and skipping the queue!<br />
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As we were headed back to the hotel to drop our bags off before dinner, it started pouring with rain...<br />
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We sheltered in a couple of shops and popped into a supermarket to buy some traditional Italian food to take home with us, and eventually made it back to the hotel, completely soaking wet (I had to throw my poor shoes away!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnna4Rd_rC-ydaB90pQMsevZIaD3AIQd5MvwyZhVcx37FgmwSr8YmCpSyOtGhDa9GXFtwxBasf1BftsrPcPdNKz6_BXrdFhSQAiEgox2ZfK61LcT2ado6rYHzdthfiyoa2IM4wyXrO2JUE/s1600/20160515_184008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnna4Rd_rC-ydaB90pQMsevZIaD3AIQd5MvwyZhVcx37FgmwSr8YmCpSyOtGhDa9GXFtwxBasf1BftsrPcPdNKz6_BXrdFhSQAiEgox2ZfK61LcT2ado6rYHzdthfiyoa2IM4wyXrO2JUE/s400/20160515_184008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our plan was to head back to the same restaurant at the day before, but we decided that because we were now soaking wet, we'd have a picnic at the hotel instead, and it was totally worth it!</td></tr>
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Early on Monday morning we flew back to Austria. Despite the weather, I had a wonderful time in Rome, and it was a great way to end my time living with Charlotte. She's been an amazing housemate, so generous, helpful and fun - a friend for life!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Laura<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-66157981503270001772016-05-23T10:12:00.001-07:002016-05-23T10:12:12.660-07:00Innsbruck and BudapestHello everyone!<br />
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Last weekend was a long weekend in Austria and I'd just handed in my dissertation, so I thought this was the perfect excuse to go travelling. There were two places I wanted to see before I left Austria: Innsbruck and Budapest. And, being the crazy person I am, I decided we could do them in four days. In theory, this was fine, but the night train from Innsbruck to Budapest isn't something I would do again any time soon!<br />
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<u>Thursday</u><br />
The trip started off in Innsbruck. We arrived at lunch time on Thursday, headed to the hotel to drop our bags and then started out to find some lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day and so we decided it would be lovely to sit outside in the main square.<br />
My first impression of Innsbruck was that is was beautiful. It is nestled in between the mountains, which you can see from almost anywhere in the town, and is very clean. After lunch we decided to purchase the Innsbruck card for 24 hours, which gives you free or discounted entry to many museums and tourist attractions in the city as well as public transport. Most big tourist cities do this, but not all are a good deal, so it's definitely worth looking in to.<br />
There is a mountain in Innsbruck called the Nordkette mountain, which is home to a zoo full of alpine animals and a cable car which takes you to the top of the mountain where you get an amazing view over the city and the surrounding mountains. This is how we spent our Thursday afternoon, and here are a few pictures:<br />
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What I found amazing was that we were on top of a mountain in May, when the temperature in Innsbruck was around 18 degrees, and there was snow, but it wasn't cold. My British mind was blown, but my Austrian colleagues looked at me like I was crazy when I told them how amazing that was!<br />
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<u>Friday</u><br />
On our second day in Innsbruck we wanted to see as many sites as possible. We still had our Innsbruck cards, so we did a few tourist attractions first.<br />
We started off at the Hofburg, an imperial palace in Innsbruck which was used sort of as a retreat for the rulers of Austria when they wanted to get away from Vienna, or as a stop off point when they were travelling. Some rulers spent more time in Innsbruck than Vienna, and it was also a favourite of Maria Theresia, the last of the Habsburg line and mother of Marie Antoinette.<br />
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After the Hofburg, we went to se St Jacob's cathedral...<br />
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...and then chose a museum called the Volkskunstmuseum (a museum of folk art). I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was full of objects like farming tools, nativity scenes, costumes and games from Austrian, and specifically Tirolean, history. It was very interesting, and they also had some reconstructed houses that you could explore.<br />
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We then headed off to the Ambras castle in Austria, which is about five or ten minutes by bus outside of the city. By this time the weather was beautiful, and we decided to have a picnic in the sun. Here are a few pictures from our time at Schloss Ambras:<br />
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After the castle, we walked back through the town, and saw the arch built by Maria Theresia for the wedding of her son which was celebrated in Innsbruck. The celebration went on for many days, and during this time Maria Theresia's husband died. This arch was built as a celebration for the wedding, but also as a memorial to her husband.<br />
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To pass the time until our night train, we decided that going to the cinema would be our best option. So we dropped our bags off at the train station and headed off to the local Cineplexx to grab some dinner and watch 'Batman vs Superman'. Now, I've heard mixed reviews about this film, but for someone who has never watched any Batman/Superman films, I thought it was really good! Plus, they had sweet popcorn, which is rare in Austria, so I was happy!<br />
The film finished around midnight, and then we headed off to the train station to wait for our 1.30am train to Budapest. Unfortunately I'd made the mistake of not booking a bed coach (too expensive), and just getting a seat, which wasn't ideal as I am rubbish at sleeping on any sort of public transport, but I did manage to get a couple of hours sleep.<br />
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<u>Saturday</u><br />
After a not very good night's sleep, we arrived in Budapest. The day didn't get off to the easiest start: we managed to get some money out, took about fifteen minutes to find the metro station because we left the train station out of a side door not the front door, and then when we arrived at the hostel our room wasn't yet ready so we had to wait an hour. That wasn't so bad though, as they had a common room and we went and found some breakfast/lunch in the Subway across the street, which funnily enough was next to a Tesco - I felt like I was back in the UK!<br />
The hostel we stayed in (Astoria Hostel) was actually split between two flats in Budapest, both on the same street but about a five minute walk between them, and if you're not in the flat that houses the reception they don't offer your breakfast. We weren't expecting this, but it didn't really matter. The room was nice and really cheap (€16 per person) so no complaints there.<br />
So once we were fed and showered we decided to go off and explore Budapest. We went off to the north west of the city to an area with botanical gardens, a castle and thermal baths to see what we could find. Here are a few pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKrphXlCAE0n_LsS98ugneqX-D-o1va-boLhmWcRciOQp_iqaCJ3AfzdBPxP8zluzfps3hi3XB8vPk2a2HIjgxN0gh8OIBLMNBkpNdsgQXq5raa1XqNOWo6yFQ3LvFuRDehJzN6K9ZrLH/s1600/20160507_141106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKrphXlCAE0n_LsS98ugneqX-D-o1va-boLhmWcRciOQp_iqaCJ3AfzdBPxP8zluzfps3hi3XB8vPk2a2HIjgxN0gh8OIBLMNBkpNdsgQXq5raa1XqNOWo6yFQ3LvFuRDehJzN6K9ZrLH/s400/20160507_141106.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The castle that we found, called Vajdahunyad.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFGC3OX6nimoy6WOkitEMr3QJG9zmcIARa3cEB6tZFwsGfU0PVRz0Ula2bFEg6ObdaL9N0ipLkB-sl1k_EHHgwS78vkuUBBbdPsYOvlr_65UhvskgKAIANldx4q_lmiWDo3jlR3fBWZCn/s1600/20160507_141010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFGC3OX6nimoy6WOkitEMr3QJG9zmcIARa3cEB6tZFwsGfU0PVRz0Ula2bFEg6ObdaL9N0ipLkB-sl1k_EHHgwS78vkuUBBbdPsYOvlr_65UhvskgKAIANldx4q_lmiWDo3jlR3fBWZCn/s400/20160507_141010.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heros Square, where there are statues of many important people in the country's history (although I didn't know any of them...)</td></tr>
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We then headed off to meet two other assistants who were in Budapest the same weekend. They had tickets for a cocktail cruise on the Danube river which sounded like great fun, but when we arrived we were told the afternoon cruise was cancelled because of a boat race. So we decided we would go for a coffee instead, and then did a bit of sightseeing around Budapest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVGgrp3ckKX_7YojxgOfgLbosKey-9c5bLlF1LTzhGAxwNe4myLdcsCAiKaeOcMRDvzHtXsFQqd7U54hxoFXKWtxlPK_T2ULzEwomDZwVc2tr2067aTIGAjXMGyoOOMghQNgu1QpCYn1P/s1600/20160507_161017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVGgrp3ckKX_7YojxgOfgLbosKey-9c5bLlF1LTzhGAxwNe4myLdcsCAiKaeOcMRDvzHtXsFQqd7U54hxoFXKWtxlPK_T2ULzEwomDZwVc2tr2067aTIGAjXMGyoOOMghQNgu1QpCYn1P/s400/20160507_161017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Stephan's Basilica</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7yb-aNt9NuMkn8hhsafHxLCVmgGAqx5aE2JZjX53ACjJBm4kohBHY-QT7gFfV_oXHpempzmbi6LyoeLOieT1V7Il9IoQj9JJbHU6N249oAgGdehfevDJ9dlsgoAjOikoJ3u2c-weJyTr/s1600/20160507_155823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7yb-aNt9NuMkn8hhsafHxLCVmgGAqx5aE2JZjX53ACjJBm4kohBHY-QT7gFfV_oXHpempzmbi6LyoeLOieT1V7Il9IoQj9JJbHU6N249oAgGdehfevDJ9dlsgoAjOikoJ3u2c-weJyTr/s400/20160507_155823.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of the basilica was very ornate and beautiful.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRytykpCiCVZBg7YycBkjEqw7IotKKL9AdxOFKOtWwpsfyMu3KAHS5Yf7ErBaZi6S9B8lSDtFBD_HtUAprofDmCGUEOnJ_W7RzQ72A-OW7bjadEP_k5s95t6rJUIu21MG_HGxNr_94oGUa/s1600/20160507_173344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRytykpCiCVZBg7YycBkjEqw7IotKKL9AdxOFKOtWwpsfyMu3KAHS5Yf7ErBaZi6S9B8lSDtFBD_HtUAprofDmCGUEOnJ_W7RzQ72A-OW7bjadEP_k5s95t6rJUIu21MG_HGxNr_94oGUa/s400/20160507_173344.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also walked along the river to see the Parliament buildings, which were very impressive. </td></tr>
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We also went and had dinner with the other assistants Beth and Maura, which was really lovely, in a local restaurant where we tried some local wine and food.<br />
After that, I was pretty ready to catch up on the sleep I'd missed the night before!<br />
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<u>Sunday</u><br />
Our last day in Budapest got off to a relaxed start by meeting the girls for brunch at a lovely little restaurant in a non-touristy part of Budapest. It reminded me a lot of a traditional English country pub and it was nice to sit out in the garden in the sunshine and relax.<br />
After brunch we headed back into the centre and the girls were getting an earlier train home, so we went our separate ways. We decided that with just a few more hours in Budapest, we'd do a bus tour and get off at the things that we really wanted to see. Here are a few pictures from the tour:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_mUQoVT9vp0wB9df_F_oddEmR-1j-jEZgeQLaR9LkplPQp4dw2lp4OBH2Smzihwxs6weNZSOA7B2QHX9l9xZtlXQTkKNmIMvt6uET-742JqR3ouGx0w7bLpijSPxN8bE_oyxncmZmnxb/s1600/20160508_101359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_mUQoVT9vp0wB9df_F_oddEmR-1j-jEZgeQLaR9LkplPQp4dw2lp4OBH2Smzihwxs6weNZSOA7B2QHX9l9xZtlXQTkKNmIMvt6uET-742JqR3ouGx0w7bLpijSPxN8bE_oyxncmZmnxb/s400/20160508_101359.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Donány Street Synagogue is the largest in Europe and seats 3000 people.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNCi9HYcBfZCMaFw43qnj3qbMWMY22mrB56iBHXg5dyLvhKpzLfcjtTj2X5PhL-HoH9V2zxPmJad1N7eAZu4H2UPcse0cPhri19Ns3kQ1C7tpONulZ5HduMLPpKgJDaIbB3HuSQAGX6u_/s1600/DSC09802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNCi9HYcBfZCMaFw43qnj3qbMWMY22mrB56iBHXg5dyLvhKpzLfcjtTj2X5PhL-HoH9V2zxPmJad1N7eAZu4H2UPcse0cPhri19Ns3kQ1C7tpONulZ5HduMLPpKgJDaIbB3HuSQAGX6u_/s400/DSC09802.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fisherman's bastion on Castle hill is a viewing terrace which can be explored and gives a panoramic view of Budapest. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MamFOrMCSDhDJOGtNh3718nhfjm2-O6tBoDX12S3oR9H1TA2-nuvwqDnRLrl7osLPBaqhcvJuLREWqkYZGkicmEUtNFO6PpOdqfSQbhHhtUKT_yiBQqeg4VKhqF6iyotpXbaM5UFMcrw/s1600/DSC09810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MamFOrMCSDhDJOGtNh3718nhfjm2-O6tBoDX12S3oR9H1TA2-nuvwqDnRLrl7osLPBaqhcvJuLREWqkYZGkicmEUtNFO6PpOdqfSQbhHhtUKT_yiBQqeg4VKhqF6iyotpXbaM5UFMcrw/s400/DSC09810.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fisherman's bastion</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLJq3Wy8CZmCtjYhwiSyNJOmZsw-X1uznjZ39q7PC_5IXl2yWltvjYkHtQbdJhnY_J5KSOzOF5b71rkhFMZvpSMHyrB-q9xC21GVjOuOmBSEDw7asbI0E1kXjgiCBaC0hrDFGNHmvx24y/s1600/DSC09816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLJq3Wy8CZmCtjYhwiSyNJOmZsw-X1uznjZ39q7PC_5IXl2yWltvjYkHtQbdJhnY_J5KSOzOF5b71rkhFMZvpSMHyrB-q9xC21GVjOuOmBSEDw7asbI0E1kXjgiCBaC0hrDFGNHmvx24y/s400/DSC09816.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also went to the Castle, which was very impressive, but not like a traditional castle, and we found a food market in the grounds where they were selling local foods. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC1HaVGmcZAxATe0FPrPQT9npjlY39GC-1hpab_knXVP9f_FBkz1mRl_nOWtt1_om2KNJhyphenhyphen9QcnMtci-Pqi5Jsazc0UDvztRBGS1Mspocxfui3lSl1V_YsCPZINOaWEJTjJbnJlaPtb2_/s1600/20160508_150228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC1HaVGmcZAxATe0FPrPQT9npjlY39GC-1hpab_knXVP9f_FBkz1mRl_nOWtt1_om2KNJhyphenhyphen9QcnMtci-Pqi5Jsazc0UDvztRBGS1Mspocxfui3lSl1V_YsCPZINOaWEJTjJbnJlaPtb2_/s400/20160508_150228.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Citadel over Budapest. The citadel was used as a vantage point both to protect and oppress Budapest (and by extension Hungary) over the years.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuJ937zO0TnJ6oJnavMdk0ZWlGQjlvMtV44oq14LfoklHnR959ajSmIUrtFzc8veR-gvXPhQiy8t0mM58l5EXer2HKQ2eeBtoPGcMqAXUD_dBkj00HsFtLLfywREBXyX9qgykOS1r-wLg/s1600/20160508_150941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuJ937zO0TnJ6oJnavMdk0ZWlGQjlvMtV44oq14LfoklHnR959ajSmIUrtFzc8veR-gvXPhQiy8t0mM58l5EXer2HKQ2eeBtoPGcMqAXUD_dBkj00HsFtLLfywREBXyX9qgykOS1r-wLg/s400/20160508_150941.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Liberty Statue, in memory of all who have fought for the independence of Hungary, was erected after WW2</td></tr>
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Before we headed off to the train station, we made a stop at the Tesco across the road from the hostel, and I was very excited to find their final box of PG Tips tea bags - the things you miss on your year abroad!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-29384899644325354012016-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:002016-05-09T09:49:30.625-07:00Teachers' Outing and St Florian's DayHello everyone,<br />
<br />
I can't believe it's been a month since I last wrote! Things got a little hectic with finishing my year abroad research project (dissertation), and finding a house at university - both of which have now been sorted out.<br />
<br />
So what have I been up to?<br />
<br />
Back in April I went to see 'Into The Woods' at the Musiktheater in Linz. It was totally in German, but I knew the story so it was pretty easy to follow. I really enjoyed it, and was very impressed that they'd managed to fit the extra-long German translation into the already very fast songs!<br />
<br />
I also went on a teachers' trip (Lehrerausflug) with one of my schools. It was really great fun! Here are a few pictures from the trip:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvXoC-hnjjjrMjwHsnQN55cxNPjZ40EWLsQGGEeR5DuuhAqp3fNaXQKHAX7sKbiH_P-tthf7ANDmmpjcI5NUFVtGqfx7ioovvlUz4MDZZV3D0LgTwJVTHt3wjlYFdX2-BVkAAQf4rBLw9/s1600/20160422_100508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvXoC-hnjjjrMjwHsnQN55cxNPjZ40EWLsQGGEeR5DuuhAqp3fNaXQKHAX7sKbiH_P-tthf7ANDmmpjcI5NUFVtGqfx7ioovvlUz4MDZZV3D0LgTwJVTHt3wjlYFdX2-BVkAAQf4rBLw9/s400/20160422_100508.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We first visited Burg Strechau in Steiermark (a castle in the region of Styria) which was beautiful, and very typical for Austria. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsffq_mBf5EIRlEP3OmYpAgGla8Xs6Uj9uD1VeqsPvp6rBaYTU30dpceUSC-wZI4rpfSNABKRMR7us8W4ylGtncbRfXOqa7gzvh9sX2ZKebwVFmLjdhI8nMwiUStteJaTj5HoOcFrWObvt/s1600/20160422_104041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsffq_mBf5EIRlEP3OmYpAgGla8Xs6Uj9uD1VeqsPvp6rBaYTU30dpceUSC-wZI4rpfSNABKRMR7us8W4ylGtncbRfXOqa7gzvh9sX2ZKebwVFmLjdhI8nMwiUStteJaTj5HoOcFrWObvt/s400/20160422_104041.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the view from Burg Strechau out over the town.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_M8CmMiuk8A8Oa6RQhNdG9eL3WLd5gnlqjvwKfvujnDtjxYd9Xpg4DlohTCHXgfMp6sh0xn4niEqGhIk58_DRFUdHvtc_yjPqw54fxLFsKGCkf_CARsGh_61slyBP-V1s_eP9ajlv_Yx/s1600/20160422_104149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_M8CmMiuk8A8Oa6RQhNdG9eL3WLd5gnlqjvwKfvujnDtjxYd9Xpg4DlohTCHXgfMp6sh0xn4niEqGhIk58_DRFUdHvtc_yjPqw54fxLFsKGCkf_CARsGh_61slyBP-V1s_eP9ajlv_Yx/s320/20160422_104149.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiara the Italian assistant and I spent the weekend together, and it was great fun getting to know her better.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fx1xQnBMJCL-BeoVPfIDNbVBSOKOt6QgdOVXySA0KOAltdVAVtHGiMXesg4qZvNVx4IrB7ad_PYNtZ-Q04Rskahb5_bBHSGRp3iLY9MV6LgM-vwOkqtFouvl_uzmypDxWTk21UDEnAlV/s1600/20160422_170910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fx1xQnBMJCL-BeoVPfIDNbVBSOKOt6QgdOVXySA0KOAltdVAVtHGiMXesg4qZvNVx4IrB7ad_PYNtZ-Q04Rskahb5_bBHSGRp3iLY9MV6LgM-vwOkqtFouvl_uzmypDxWTk21UDEnAlV/s400/20160422_170910.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the hotel we stayed in in the region of Carinthia (Kärnten)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnYTn2OuRXL3tWLqV5ekmbCou_WvbrNe_4qT9WdFwpH6mk5jkCX5gUTt1U1xP20RWcZ89p6Sev4_LEvo5jDWpv_c3hgvHayl1Qn472R2-74VKD6jrlcxPNzc5MDYweUodv4F-F7YCxruq/s1600/20160423_135350_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnYTn2OuRXL3tWLqV5ekmbCou_WvbrNe_4qT9WdFwpH6mk5jkCX5gUTt1U1xP20RWcZ89p6Sev4_LEvo5jDWpv_c3hgvHayl1Qn472R2-74VKD6jrlcxPNzc5MDYweUodv4F-F7YCxruq/s400/20160423_135350_001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also went on a brewery tour and tried some traditional Austrian beer, schnitzel and Goulash</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPeJk-sR7a2psxHnj5dLXdgPF5czdGagsbbh75_rsQrjOEAkUcVYhBppeT8Qrsxi3_aeeQW7HVFgXVyVVEXrOfSwIFrMgeKOCUTGOSUe5uBDm2pGjEQVHvWI_fsx33lu_6kA_21dfc_GK/s1600/20160423_154053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPeJk-sR7a2psxHnj5dLXdgPF5czdGagsbbh75_rsQrjOEAkUcVYhBppeT8Qrsxi3_aeeQW7HVFgXVyVVEXrOfSwIFrMgeKOCUTGOSUe5uBDm2pGjEQVHvWI_fsx33lu_6kA_21dfc_GK/s400/20160423_154053.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way home we stopped off at Friesach, Kärnten (Carinthia) and climbed up a hill to find this view over the town, of the old city wall and the beautiful church. </td></tr>
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Last Wednesday was St Florian's Day. He is an important man in this region because he is the patron saint of Linz, and of Upper Austria. He's also the patron saint of firefighters, chimney sweeps and soapmakers...<br />
So to celebrate the day, I went to St. Florian, which is a little town south of Linz, where one of my colleagues lives. She invited me to visit the market they have, where they sell traditional food and clothing from the region, and to do a tour of the church in St Florian, which also has a very important history.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenXlgyRlhUN1Otc8zFa1Uzp4n5XMPwx1HzMye4TG-30k_0NNMA4lOlbaKap_6kKNac3WKq-BUOzOXErIqDN92kHKsolBIZRwrgOkNzfvA5xPZh22lK15AqYwiS5hF1GIx8JRa4Ijm6TaR/s1600/20160504_144103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenXlgyRlhUN1Otc8zFa1Uzp4n5XMPwx1HzMye4TG-30k_0NNMA4lOlbaKap_6kKNac3WKq-BUOzOXErIqDN92kHKsolBIZRwrgOkNzfvA5xPZh22lK15AqYwiS5hF1GIx8JRa4Ijm6TaR/s400/20160504_144103.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Florian was important in the Catholic Church because he was seen as being between mankind and God, so people could talk to God through him. At the time he was alive, the area was under Roman control. After refusing to worship the Roman Gods, St Florian was sentenced to death, and was drowned in the Enns river with a stone around his neck.<br />
This Church is also important because the musician Anton Bruckner lived nearby, and loved to play the organ here. He is actually buried directly underneath his organ in the crypt. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nLOEemhXrdR2bqbHQzBOIrZ-7j2zcrEGnUabLZQy7rblbUYjsht67Y9-ygMOC1K5L5VHrGzEMXkIOS8hIku4FSwymGNMoZpIIq0R4-h1o7q4xal6U-b2dP1fsIkAeExHK8qqzBmaEpEs/s1600/20160504_150948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nLOEemhXrdR2bqbHQzBOIrZ-7j2zcrEGnUabLZQy7rblbUYjsht67Y9-ygMOC1K5L5VHrGzEMXkIOS8hIku4FSwymGNMoZpIIq0R4-h1o7q4xal6U-b2dP1fsIkAeExHK8qqzBmaEpEs/s400/20160504_150948.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The library at the monastery. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwWc14IE7yucPatCwvfBgbpHtAuQ57rFKQLErkWi4kctyQX7BpLr_FJL8uHnXY-F2LYd1n5l9eF9S-oPwVZVIaFtGP2C3jEsy-NZoODjNVMC9KGzF_SVUj2sGbkb8G2eVIJMRvozEuYoi/s1600/20160504_152329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwWc14IE7yucPatCwvfBgbpHtAuQ57rFKQLErkWi4kctyQX7BpLr_FJL8uHnXY-F2LYd1n5l9eF9S-oPwVZVIaFtGP2C3jEsy-NZoODjNVMC9KGzF_SVUj2sGbkb8G2eVIJMRvozEuYoi/s400/20160504_152329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The marble room at the monastery, which used to be used to entertain the Kaiser (royals in Austria) and is still in use today for concerts. </td></tr>
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I am also now the editor for the Student Language Bureau blog, which is aiming to help anyone setting out on their year abroad, or settling back into life after living abroad. We have a range of bloggers positioned all over the place. If you are interested in checking this out, it can be found here: <a href="http://www.studentlanguagebureau.com/blog.php">http://www.studentlanguagebureau.com/blog.php</a><br />
And if you are interested in writing for us, contact me on: <a href="mailto:editor@studentlanguagebureau.com">editor@studentlanguagebureau.com</a><br />
<br />
Last weekend was a long weekend, and I went off travelling again - I went to Innsbruck and Budapest! I will write another post about that this week.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
LauraAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-40360464008391000502016-04-10T08:18:00.000-07:002016-04-10T08:20:24.707-07:00My Birthday and Traditional Upper Austrian foodHi everyone :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcF7ICmstvkaiWMDXsqti9qEsMV_J84Xui40KlO7K30hSD8Hk9XoCW6RNBwPtNJgxSQgSVOzV949Y6OTf7G91Yy-nUIRQTGJaDeMIelEFF_VwfNLh_3e5sJ_F_CwYk0NagMhwDgsgsOzW/s1600/20160401_123332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcF7ICmstvkaiWMDXsqti9qEsMV_J84Xui40KlO7K30hSD8Hk9XoCW6RNBwPtNJgxSQgSVOzV949Y6OTf7G91Yy-nUIRQTGJaDeMIelEFF_VwfNLh_3e5sJ_F_CwYk0NagMhwDgsgsOzW/s320/20160401_123332.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zahdAc7kSDjbj1PRqWibdy769cgyGj633f5ZAgHJMVc7Clb5ZndmQ2VlIuIUezry5o8_-HWlBAYit_u5aZpNin326aQB7a5PGJ8dCz1-csywsT-Xd6zQBbhMZf2xuh0qGybZAlm5iBmX/s1600/20160401_130846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zahdAc7kSDjbj1PRqWibdy769cgyGj633f5ZAgHJMVc7Clb5ZndmQ2VlIuIUezry5o8_-HWlBAYit_u5aZpNin326aQB7a5PGJ8dCz1-csywsT-Xd6zQBbhMZf2xuh0qGybZAlm5iBmX/s320/20160401_130846.jpg" width="180" /></a>So last Friday (1st April) was my 21st birthday, and I had a lovely time celebrating in Austria. I was teaching just one class so I decided to take tea, biscuits and sweets in and play some games with them. I was very spoilt by my colleagues with some lovely gifts (which Niki enjoyed too!), and my class had prepared a special birthday song for me called 'Wie schön, das du geboren bist' (how lovely it is that you were born), for which they were accompanied by the teacher and her ukelele!<br />
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In the evening, I had some friends over for food and then we went bowling. Unfortunately I didn't win, but I did have a wonderful time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOXkcv1fZH1SEAaF4wiBCuNXTMGesW0pjgoOPAbJIK8DE3UregEi-SykzlRvQ9l2on-W5wotQvHA7sN-xKWwcNBBxtlcDuZxOup1wSwE2h7YkaBixpri-g-298IRs5Jn3KHiuOg93BKZf/s1600/20160401_181052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOXkcv1fZH1SEAaF4wiBCuNXTMGesW0pjgoOPAbJIK8DE3UregEi-SykzlRvQ9l2on-W5wotQvHA7sN-xKWwcNBBxtlcDuZxOup1wSwE2h7YkaBixpri-g-298IRs5Jn3KHiuOg93BKZf/s400/20160401_181052.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful birthday cake that Charlotte and our new housemate Michael made for me! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ygpVcXYQcy78R50DGSNORY1OzYgNYCx8Oob6PCSmEiT-IAibmgTOUpYYOIjB4eMVgXeLN6sLXBzTlDJc6L6AAeCFANz4IkeazdFXxi84eZPB68b3_W3LhVw6i0ZKegYJBk-_71aSuyM6/s1600/20160401_190816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ygpVcXYQcy78R50DGSNORY1OzYgNYCx8Oob6PCSmEiT-IAibmgTOUpYYOIjB4eMVgXeLN6sLXBzTlDJc6L6AAeCFANz4IkeazdFXxi84eZPB68b3_W3LhVw6i0ZKegYJBk-_71aSuyM6/s400/20160401_190816.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course Niki had to have a place at the table...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrda8_DNvEL__2obzIKSVdImDnBeUmrn9CcIRyyfREpxj16ONTQeTBTFaIhXeqZ815RtcDhnnDBJjneWoZDA0ezQEC7FQbKuJqPZd2B115T_Z6gcKNg1Cwe4QYtSpLPrXCv5VG9Z2CoWg/s1600/20160401_213506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrda8_DNvEL__2obzIKSVdImDnBeUmrn9CcIRyyfREpxj16ONTQeTBTFaIhXeqZ815RtcDhnnDBJjneWoZDA0ezQEC7FQbKuJqPZd2B115T_Z6gcKNg1Cwe4QYtSpLPrXCv5VG9Z2CoWg/s400/20160401_213506.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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On Wednesday I decided to cook for my housemates, and I had received an Upper Austrian recipe book for Christmas, so I thought I'd give it a try! Overall, it worked pretty well, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnUHVuXmttAxzlFHNT0px4341dwIrz0R5NJzJ3lp9XG3PmKVI4lzDe8b_6PbHfWuJfXq06WR6RgE2kQVZJUKJjKHAjqnNJHCEaaxlRTxFzY5K3skiMtOOVnhEQO8JNnvlTqo_Vy-xHMYI/s1600/Screenshot_20160406-211855.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnUHVuXmttAxzlFHNT0px4341dwIrz0R5NJzJ3lp9XG3PmKVI4lzDe8b_6PbHfWuJfXq06WR6RgE2kQVZJUKJjKHAjqnNJHCEaaxlRTxFzY5K3skiMtOOVnhEQO8JNnvlTqo_Vy-xHMYI/s400/Screenshot_20160406-211855.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dish was called Bauernkoteletts - literally 'farm cutlets'.<br />
It consists of pork cutlets with vegetables and frankfurter sausages in a gravy sauce and with roast potatoes.<br />
(Upper Austria is the farming region of Austria, so the food is similar in sorts to back home)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Other than that, not much exciting has happened! I've been teaching, lesson planning, and working on my dissertation, which is due on 3rd May (really not very long left!) But I do have lots of exciting things planned for May to make the most of my remaining time here.</div>
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Laura :)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-88474905245668726532016-03-30T05:48:00.000-07:002016-03-30T05:48:40.649-07:00Happy Easter!Hello everyone and happy Easter!<br />
<br />
The last two weeks have been super busy and I've done so much, so here's a run down of what I've been up to.<br />
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My friend Beth from university, who is on her year abroad in Spain, came to visit me in Linz. We did lots of exciting things, including a visit to Linz zoo, where you can pay €2 to get a bag of food to feed some of the animals - it was very exciting!<br />
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We also took a trip on an old-fashioned tram to Pöstlingberg, a small town set up on a hill by Linz.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9NCiUkKRA1IZiHhPGxk2FkETTUTC5X5JNhZSWYQaKJ4jMY_KoGi7y0rlEdEKXLxtuW18ZP1Qb6Q3cBdWxerypTLj1BTtgW2hzerET5XruTN7RdSh4KG-mZl7JGBfBX_jQq2eVHoxxGFL/s1600/20160318_163705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9NCiUkKRA1IZiHhPGxk2FkETTUTC5X5JNhZSWYQaKJ4jMY_KoGi7y0rlEdEKXLxtuW18ZP1Qb6Q3cBdWxerypTLj1BTtgW2hzerET5XruTN7RdSh4KG-mZl7JGBfBX_jQq2eVHoxxGFL/s400/20160318_163705.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a grotto train (I think it's meant for children but we had fun anyway) that you ride on and see little scenes of gnomes and forest animals. Afterwards you enter a museum where scenes from fairy tales are shown - in Austria, the traditional fairy tales are a little darker in comparison to the UK!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4rvMUIQj_2pxmiNz1G2ryGNP_97ywX7j0Lnr6ZAaeeVc99fCWSwK27lVgOpmqMiXg178nm0YWqBnQet_7VzoUTZbOr2JmnRkuxqaciSqkQ2x2RxV6GLyD_Hi1QNWhYQ6Axc_RXb8ndK_/s1600/20160318_170818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4rvMUIQj_2pxmiNz1G2ryGNP_97ywX7j0Lnr6ZAaeeVc99fCWSwK27lVgOpmqMiXg178nm0YWqBnQet_7VzoUTZbOr2JmnRkuxqaciSqkQ2x2RxV6GLyD_Hi1QNWhYQ6Axc_RXb8ndK_/s400/20160318_170818.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The church at Pöstlingberg which can be seen up on the hill from anywhere in Linz.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjOL4ww9qwgS8L0Ts-WvaU42_y_hErGboJ25NczvImGTp52lVGem7nLCZYrgXs08m0f-MJGIRg5qbwXZLrdN8LwCQmFvboiAWH-LXGCO-MEjraq3I4wU1cKdVESQMHtI3F5IHdMpqt5JF/s1600/20160318_171753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjOL4ww9qwgS8L0Ts-WvaU42_y_hErGboJ25NczvImGTp52lVGem7nLCZYrgXs08m0f-MJGIRg5qbwXZLrdN8LwCQmFvboiAWH-LXGCO-MEjraq3I4wU1cKdVESQMHtI3F5IHdMpqt5JF/s400/20160318_171753.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view out over Linz from Pöstlingberg.</td></tr>
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And a trip to Vienna...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAdyo25BWDG4-9s0DkeYmAZHA32Jc03r9LyQlc5fPECGU-XoLu5UW7ReuoRxo4yBE4s79OCsYMW6MYoenh9JNnMcjE_3D64nC8crQhkvXGRxbvcQ14cBwp8liiPzFlU0UUuf8GTL58fjL/s1600/20160320_134825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAdyo25BWDG4-9s0DkeYmAZHA32Jc03r9LyQlc5fPECGU-XoLu5UW7ReuoRxo4yBE4s79OCsYMW6MYoenh9JNnMcjE_3D64nC8crQhkvXGRxbvcQ14cBwp8liiPzFlU0UUuf8GTL58fjL/s400/20160320_134825.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We started off our day at Schönbrunn palace.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSDGCYb6CXHjo8-uTUp3VeQCFA51bxxjkc5JceBcdrh3ENyR8cC6I7MnYqBAbJEwKu1kVku6kBJN1YDfq0pZMf1rF8gX-3TsooHqCgZ0k14mp8N88tjqou8bxbDuOQ4i46msFlE4CfhqY/s1600/20160320_135128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSDGCYb6CXHjo8-uTUp3VeQCFA51bxxjkc5JceBcdrh3ENyR8cC6I7MnYqBAbJEwKu1kVku6kBJN1YDfq0pZMf1rF8gX-3TsooHqCgZ0k14mp8N88tjqou8bxbDuOQ4i46msFlE4CfhqY/s640/20160320_135128.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the view of the palace ground from the palace steps. We had beautiful spring weather and the grounds were free to explore.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWd6oAljZSJgbPNvnm-q5QbcVPfxzkjuzHHHO7eEYeLOUJV1gFTirnmQ7h53mPsrm7MNkkEQV9VZxpxuijBaKFMcuS7KBTnRDIyP43NioRC5an0iD2j-JTSNX4b7GGM1xOKRguz0utK2s/s1600/20160320_145917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWd6oAljZSJgbPNvnm-q5QbcVPfxzkjuzHHHO7eEYeLOUJV1gFTirnmQ7h53mPsrm7MNkkEQV9VZxpxuijBaKFMcuS7KBTnRDIyP43NioRC5an0iD2j-JTSNX4b7GGM1xOKRguz0utK2s/s400/20160320_145917.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gloriette which stands up on the hill was intended to be a focal point and a vantage point for the palace garden. It now, however, houses a cafe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AGn7NqwLzrWKSAVKXQAnQIlTgTrN6k-o3fo4QRdIY3NazfWirjCyX2LGw-zHcPfWI7RTm3sTxfA8nqxcev0v_tgCALmINhTqrry0mXuiykF3J80GedXE6HT1hTewlMhwVkDFdvwfNSxh/s1600/20160320_145854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AGn7NqwLzrWKSAVKXQAnQIlTgTrN6k-o3fo4QRdIY3NazfWirjCyX2LGw-zHcPfWI7RTm3sTxfA8nqxcev0v_tgCALmINhTqrry0mXuiykF3J80GedXE6HT1hTewlMhwVkDFdvwfNSxh/s400/20160320_145854.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of Schönnbrunn palace and out over Vienna from the Gloriette.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4srb08FkVbdYuAAR_S_QjutZkeGBugCZ2ZVADVtmzedbT007V3dqygOsgSeiO8e675Ul1_bUTWuwsWKM2EEdAMhhGGd6U5e_QNCXz3tapV8FXzeKn-TvUh4iU9klaruqdwNHLSUK6o5qL/s1600/20160320_162731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4srb08FkVbdYuAAR_S_QjutZkeGBugCZ2ZVADVtmzedbT007V3dqygOsgSeiO8e675Ul1_bUTWuwsWKM2EEdAMhhGGd6U5e_QNCXz3tapV8FXzeKn-TvUh4iU9klaruqdwNHLSUK6o5qL/s400/20160320_162731.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karlskirche (Karls church) was where we began our tour of the Ring Road, one of the biggest and most famous streets in Vienna where many of the popular sites can be found. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDeO_H3fxXWJK4RmBgrv_ulVST6-nG0QwpoMEjjV7R-QVwtl5tBUFJNW_5iKqrbNoQUZ8o2y7lh3OM03NAdm3R0TQLDOjM_EkobL8aCYAaKZ_dJL2tkL5oGxU8d0nKl7J1jccLxoDrn49/s1600/20160320_170251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDeO_H3fxXWJK4RmBgrv_ulVST6-nG0QwpoMEjjV7R-QVwtl5tBUFJNW_5iKqrbNoQUZ8o2y7lh3OM03NAdm3R0TQLDOjM_EkobL8aCYAaKZ_dJL2tkL5oGxU8d0nKl7J1jccLxoDrn49/s400/20160320_170251.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an art museum in the Museums Quarter of Vienna, and shows the sort of architecture which is so popular throughout the city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6JdKnw8H5qIoVCpFZgzSUXX_I-KZFN7agx0lN-620MzqNAKWBfXo1uL6WjdigM1kQIaNAvILjiBdU3q8mrunC-jI1x0U47E58292DFQVanS9al5by3hUbQUI9SmuN9gp0HP-GAI-OKe7/s1600/20160320_171859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6JdKnw8H5qIoVCpFZgzSUXX_I-KZFN7agx0lN-620MzqNAKWBfXo1uL6WjdigM1kQIaNAvILjiBdU3q8mrunC-jI1x0U47E58292DFQVanS9al5by3hUbQUI9SmuN9gp0HP-GAI-OKe7/s400/20160320_171859.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rathaus seen through the tree blossom.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhSwYAUlyHkdzD3vWDXtH6gmuxsdd83JhNOYSXz03drsEWP2EpGZHnsC4gFiBcU6eKTTWGEVNZr2azmt2a7BXNTQJDVdcQ5bX1rp2HxV2N3HyJbB4bRfwKOJUB2yNGziw1nvv8zwndJSF/s1600/20160320_201943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhSwYAUlyHkdzD3vWDXtH6gmuxsdd83JhNOYSXz03drsEWP2EpGZHnsC4gFiBcU6eKTTWGEVNZr2azmt2a7BXNTQJDVdcQ5bX1rp2HxV2N3HyJbB4bRfwKOJUB2yNGziw1nvv8zwndJSF/s400/20160320_201943.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I introduced Beth to Schnitzel, as this is very important when in Austria, and she liked it.</td></tr>
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I then flew home for the Easter holidays. The first few days were spent in London with my friend Jen, as we went to see Adele in concert at the O2 arena.<br />
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We also did a fair bit of sightseeing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We started our day with Big Ben and Westminster</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to visit the Queen...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPANGCOBSpYGg_7BeUJuw82_TG9HMryP40xZmOpeTBdpb01znpQUptcfMJIWeJmQUvIMPU3_2WIj59iPrMqeC0GhN_RgxFY4PjUnoi_G14T0L6INB1O9nR4cAGKGQ5Q-lR6YnR-zE_oX_m/s1600/20160323_152623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPANGCOBSpYGg_7BeUJuw82_TG9HMryP40xZmOpeTBdpb01znpQUptcfMJIWeJmQUvIMPU3_2WIj59iPrMqeC0GhN_RgxFY4PjUnoi_G14T0L6INB1O9nR4cAGKGQ5Q-lR6YnR-zE_oX_m/s400/20160323_152623.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...had afternoon tea at the Library Lounge right on the Thames...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and we went up the Shard. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the view of Tower Bridge from the Shard at night. </td></tr>
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And then I headed back to Devon for the Easter weekend. Mum and Jen planned a lovely half-surprise early birthday party for me, and it was so lovely to see so many friends and family all at once :) I was thoroughly spoilt!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKicO7of5in4rW8Zvf629ubKNcYs6wj9Q-ZDeiBUdtikBEpanVnCyaxohUScpmroHk9BaqP9kv9DguVwgy58tgfq3_QXvlRMf_FimN8kLUc7mFRSqpRflPlRluGewioJW1jU6w0oDf4x8p/s1600/20160325_120350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKicO7of5in4rW8Zvf629ubKNcYs6wj9Q-ZDeiBUdtikBEpanVnCyaxohUScpmroHk9BaqP9kv9DguVwgy58tgfq3_QXvlRMf_FimN8kLUc7mFRSqpRflPlRluGewioJW1jU6w0oDf4x8p/s400/20160325_120350.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister Rachel got me these rather fantastic balloons!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(yes, I did wear my Christmas slippers for the whole party)</td></tr>
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I also spent time visiting family and friends and generally catching up with people I hadn't seen since Christmas.<br />
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It was a very short trip home and seemed to fly by, but it was lovely to be back.<br />
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I am now back in Linz, and I start back to work tomorrow - I only have two more months left here! I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone, but I am determined to make the most of the remaining time in Austria.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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Laura :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-51417601942715544552016-03-13T03:28:00.000-07:002016-03-13T03:28:02.532-07:00Hallstatt and Bad IschlHi everyone!<br />
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It's been a while since I've written a blog post, mainly because the last few weeks I've been spending my weekends working on my dissertation so nothing all that exciting has been happening. But I thought it was time for an update.<br />
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As I said, I've been working on my dissertation recently, so I've been analysing questionnaires, conducting interviews, and I've written 1500 words for a hand-in last week. I've also taken on some more tutoring, so I've been working with a group of final year students on their speaking skills in the lead up to their exams, and also with another pupil to help with writing texts and exam skills.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago we had to say goodbye to one of the assistants in Linz, who is splitting her year abroad between Austria and Italy - it was sad to say goodbye, but we had a lovely surprise meal to see her off!<br />
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I also went on a cinema trip with my housemate Charlotte and a few of the other assistants here. We went to see two films in an evening ('Colonia' with Emma Watson and 'Hail Caesar') and it was lovely to spend time with her properly outside of the flat!</div>
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On Friday a group of us went over to Steyr to have dinner with Emma Cate and a friend of her's from America, and we went for an all-you-can-eat Chinese - it was great! The first Chinese I'd had since coming to Austria!<br />
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And finally yesterday, once my dissertation hand-in was complete, I went on another little adventure! I went to visit one of the assistants, Ellie, who lives about a 2 hour train journey from Linz in a town called Bad Ischl. She first showed me around Hallstatt, which is a small town on the side of a lake, which has one road going into it on one side of the lake, however if you are arriving my train, you have to get a boat across the lake to access it! Ellie told me that the town itself is a very old settlement, dating back to at least 800 B.C., which for such a remote location is amazing! Here are a few pictures from our time in Halstatt.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the boat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of the Protestant Church from the Catholic Church further up the hill. The whole town is built on the side of a mountain, so it feels like it's all piled on top of itself!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of the Catholic Church </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view from the restaurant where we had lunch - I was brave and tried trout for the first time, as it was a local speciality and caught in the lake. It was nice, although I wasn't expecting it still to have its head and tail!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The town square</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the boat</td></tr>
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Hallstatt is a town known for its salt production, and up the mountain you can visit the salt mines and ice caves, however these were not open yet due to the season, so I will have to go back later in the year to see these!<br />
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After Hallstatt we got the train back to Bad Ischl, where Ellie lives, and she gave me a tour of the town, including stopping for hot chocolate and amazing cake in a very fancy cafe! There were chandeliers and everything!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river Ischl that runs through the town.</td></tr>
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Bad Ischl is a thermal spa town, and has a very interesting history. Ellie told me that the Kaiservilla in Bad Ischl was the summer home of Kaiser Franz Josef 1 and his wife, known as Sisi. The mother of the Kaiser gave them the home to help Sisi, as she struggled to have children, however Sisi didn't really like it in Bad Ischl. She is and was, though, very popular in Austria. Unfortunately the residence, like the salt mines, was not open while I was there, so I am looking forward to going back again to look around!<br />
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Thanks for reading :)<br />
<br />
Laura<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-33615569185021008112016-02-21T11:47:00.000-08:002016-02-21T11:50:49.128-08:00"It's amore"!Hi everyone!<br />
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This week we had a week off school for the semester break, and so I made the most of the time off work to explore a country I've never been to before: Italy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLaBE4F2EK99asBWP5d3u7iaWiWePXVG1fC_g2lqkvhM1x7FglsOUNLZM2oTGGaFVvBsBkU3EYGJB7ORQxaXu5eBpo8fHtpYU5-Krh29azxB7XoUvnMvoCnffFTaS_opj-hke5t23lXpz/s1600/20160216_201852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLaBE4F2EK99asBWP5d3u7iaWiWePXVG1fC_g2lqkvhM1x7FglsOUNLZM2oTGGaFVvBsBkU3EYGJB7ORQxaXu5eBpo8fHtpYU5-Krh29azxB7XoUvnMvoCnffFTaS_opj-hke5t23lXpz/s320/20160216_201852.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-waEhERmHgKdGUU62-ZrfBN8YlXWnveX6WUjfA7eGIrLsLFtOYxqzpWcnPTrx6ZYQ3-9GZe69Rq6H24j2cOC8Qq79G2fN_DhikezGyFVjG6qmLl1cYp_vT4thH86cY81DaHDpA5BhiF7/s1600/20160216_191920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-waEhERmHgKdGUU62-ZrfBN8YlXWnveX6WUjfA7eGIrLsLFtOYxqzpWcnPTrx6ZYQ3-9GZe69Rq6H24j2cOC8Qq79G2fN_DhikezGyFVjG6qmLl1cYp_vT4thH86cY81DaHDpA5BhiF7/s320/20160216_191920.jpg" width="180" /></a>On Tuesday we hopped on a train at 9.30 in the morning, and arrived in Venice at 6.10pm. It was a long journey, but it went fairly quickly with a good book and beautiful scenery. I'm always amazed at how easy it is to travel from Austria!<br />
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The hotel was about ten minutes from the train station, and luckily I'd looked up directions before hand because Venice is just full of little winding streets, canals and bridges and it would have been impossible to find otherwise! The hotel was nice, basic but nice :) And naturally when in Italy, pizza and gelato was on the menu for dinner, at a nice little pizzeria just up the road from the hotel.<br />
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Wednesday was the first full day in Venice. We headed off on foot to St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) via the Rialto Bridge (Ponte Rialto). In St Mark's Square there is St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, and so we spent the morning exploring these two. Here are a few pictures from this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from one of the many bridges we crossed to get to St Mark's Square</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from by Rialto Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswbJHC5xyha1dLbsRW8f_jnPtlhtuuB-fZuu638GHK6UZdyUmXl0okHGk2onQEQugjxRLNNSog7m6gCFGBX6JB0LOPFSJ3uJSSayEkN6d2ZZATQqErg4ITZxz9_YE4r91uo4dWc_eWdJL/s1600/DSC09604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswbJHC5xyha1dLbsRW8f_jnPtlhtuuB-fZuu638GHK6UZdyUmXl0okHGk2onQEQugjxRLNNSog7m6gCFGBX6JB0LOPFSJ3uJSSayEkN6d2ZZATQqErg4ITZxz9_YE4r91uo4dWc_eWdJL/s320/DSC09604.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from by Rialto Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOTjK6lyJ9LoLJtm_77yDAc5d3c_I9sWtT8dh5jT8fbIfQS-6ZThavY3X3k7FRIvThQxaZNjXmqYVK-5CaEbHBrqBFm0yXjmWzPIxJjW8F-qr7GNtemFmFYinS1xUd3okEHIi_-tbNEyF/s1600/DSC09606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOTjK6lyJ9LoLJtm_77yDAc5d3c_I9sWtT8dh5jT8fbIfQS-6ZThavY3X3k7FRIvThQxaZNjXmqYVK-5CaEbHBrqBFm0yXjmWzPIxJjW8F-qr7GNtemFmFYinS1xUd3okEHIi_-tbNEyF/s320/DSC09606.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Mark's Basilica </td></tr>
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Unfortunately you can't take photos inside the Basilica or the palace, but they were absolutely beautiful, full of paintings from brilliant Italian artists, and the Basilica was unlike any Church I'd ever seen before.<br />
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After lunch at the palace cafe, we went for a walk along the sea front in Venice. The sun came out for us, and the view was phenomenal. I'd not realised how much I missed the smell and the feel of the seaside, and so I was in heaven.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XaZhN9r2eC3NcJiQ0RSqZQyVR_I3wDiK3iYYDhYZX40n5qsT3x090jV7JktwwZASMTxnHcwubhvg03-POzgcQj1mpDIjhicy5B9itmKqBg5OA22GVH0G6HtPY7EW8meUfzPKEuEdTQ43/s1600/DSC09629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XaZhN9r2eC3NcJiQ0RSqZQyVR_I3wDiK3iYYDhYZX40n5qsT3x090jV7JktwwZASMTxnHcwubhvg03-POzgcQj1mpDIjhicy5B9itmKqBg5OA22GVH0G6HtPY7EW8meUfzPKEuEdTQ43/s320/DSC09629.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venice seaside</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfxBpKe4mtvJQqdWqogyKdx913bsUKlNV7zhPvV5ct_WmUFA_uYpamNBpXrCFDd0mqUKH6IPO1G2TuAgXFuOLA8JkVmQR5pZ7Xc4PuryofriwlUK6vQqJtYvOLzmt7J0BkqXmRCzQdh8k/s1600/DSC09639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfxBpKe4mtvJQqdWqogyKdx913bsUKlNV7zhPvV5ct_WmUFA_uYpamNBpXrCFDd0mqUKH6IPO1G2TuAgXFuOLA8JkVmQR5pZ7Xc4PuryofriwlUK6vQqJtYvOLzmt7J0BkqXmRCzQdh8k/s320/DSC09639.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many canals in Venice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gPIooGUovHm691LScluwGmSV-hSlyyPyJyZzycNYo2Si67VGJc5bUhTNKYmYE7j37x-UWVes7abqrAk5tYf9DauoFXZHkaW1Ork3aBUrfvChU5G-0csFssKRZVVNF8Ed_V5GbzVr9L2w/s1600/20160217_145613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gPIooGUovHm691LScluwGmSV-hSlyyPyJyZzycNYo2Si67VGJc5bUhTNKYmYE7j37x-UWVes7abqrAk5tYf9DauoFXZHkaW1Ork3aBUrfvChU5G-0csFssKRZVVNF8Ed_V5GbzVr9L2w/s320/20160217_145613.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An obligatory selfie with a Venetian canal and gondola!</td></tr>
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Wednesday dinner was at 'Osteria ae Cravate' which I would recommend highly to anyone visiting Venice. It was a quirky place with ties from all over the world hanging from the ceiling. The owner and waitress built up a great rapport with all the customers, and the food was amazing. I also managed to convince the waitress I spoke more Italian than I actually do by ordering in Italian...this did come back to bite me in the end though, when she started asking questions in Italian...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaKRPrsJjv93DgA2-o8bMcMIi8JuYyhaIVl6aPKG2k3TzYIQX9ynjxUaUQLXc3jYNoohJrKSn46naAiSYEb7VDrhHUp8NKeMGpAexCetCUErEBolYTnO3aOqN2fO-TJHCD8BVcDeiNTD3/s1600/20160217_191024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaKRPrsJjv93DgA2-o8bMcMIi8JuYyhaIVl6aPKG2k3TzYIQX9ynjxUaUQLXc3jYNoohJrKSn46naAiSYEb7VDrhHUp8NKeMGpAexCetCUErEBolYTnO3aOqN2fO-TJHCD8BVcDeiNTD3/s320/20160217_191024.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea food pasta</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_JK_RTtrK7XZjn1qgRVG2GS58VAmJpXsf_UctKnV2uVEukO8CAfOiJYICg2ORvHoRVFTczr5tZeSr9qO0XS9OmAmpe2C1N1QPEVi0-TRs-gDrJ-M7UxeSu80v-Isun3v9EgTEbaUDB8s/s1600/20160217_194956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_JK_RTtrK7XZjn1qgRVG2GS58VAmJpXsf_UctKnV2uVEukO8CAfOiJYICg2ORvHoRVFTczr5tZeSr9qO0XS9OmAmpe2C1N1QPEVi0-TRs-gDrJ-M7UxeSu80v-Isun3v9EgTEbaUDB8s/s320/20160217_194956.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panacotta with caramel and warm chocolate pudding</td></tr>
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Thursday was boat trip day, and we were luck enough to have beautiful sunshine! A website called viator.com advertised a boat trip to see three islands near Venice called Murano, Burano and Torcello for €18. It was great! The tour guide switched seamlessly between four languages and gave lots of information on the sites we were seeing. The first stop was Murano, an island known for it's glass making. We watched a glass blowing demonstration and then walked up the canal towards the centre of the island.<br />
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The second island, Burano, is known for it's leaning church tower, multi coloured houses, and the lace produced on the island.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBrkgRWGoiyuTYQObxCHI6g7O_eSdhSSWtH6YEyG3igfWCwsHS8cQgTZzX1Yt9WBToNcLmKDjJK0gsxUZ-l-TvAkK2NP4yzEBFcJ8wKd__Gr0zpCep44JE53nMJ_bQVWTwbja6ALSq8wZ/s1600/DSC09659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBrkgRWGoiyuTYQObxCHI6g7O_eSdhSSWtH6YEyG3igfWCwsHS8cQgTZzX1Yt9WBToNcLmKDjJK0gsxUZ-l-TvAkK2NP4yzEBFcJ8wKd__Gr0zpCep44JE53nMJ_bQVWTwbja6ALSq8wZ/s320/DSC09659.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the bright coloured houses on the island of Burano</td></tr>
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The third and final island, Torcello, was my personal favourite. It was quite, scenic and beautiful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwthSJS-sUueR4HmWE0yPy8-rJSKnUntTUxCCvCxjVbNSvg7DwW0j_z1UJJhFWR3DwR9J3WhWXNGjWirhfKSmNZndCmijEzFOYcAicLf0p-zRu7MdiLS-EFOnpl6-QkGJvFdI1IL06OEIH/s1600/DSC09660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwthSJS-sUueR4HmWE0yPy8-rJSKnUntTUxCCvCxjVbNSvg7DwW0j_z1UJJhFWR3DwR9J3WhWXNGjWirhfKSmNZndCmijEzFOYcAicLf0p-zRu7MdiLS-EFOnpl6-QkGJvFdI1IL06OEIH/s320/DSC09660.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a ten minute walk along the canal before we reached the main part of the island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the beautiful island Church</td></tr>
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Our return to Venice was just as the sun was beginning to set, and so the view from the boat was stunning.<br />
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After our boat tour, we headed off to the train station and got on a train to Verona. We arrived in Verona at around 6.30pm, and after a slight panic that we couldn't get into our hotel (no-one answered the doorbell, it turned out the owner didn't live there himself, but I managed to find a phone number so we weren't stranded!) we got in and the hotel was lovely.<br />
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Our one day in Verona was Friday, and so I wanted to see everything! I'd heard great things about the town, and having studied a lot of Shakespeare and loved the film 'Letters to Juliet' I was extremely excited!<br />
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We started off with Castelvecchio, a castle and bridge from the Middle Ages.<br />
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After Castelvecchio on the agenda was the Arena, a Roman Amphitheatre from the 1st Century and the third largest in the world, and which is still used for performances today.<br />
We were able to get a 'Verona Card', which is €18 for students and gets you into all the tourist attractions in the city for free or for a very reduced rate. You can buy them at all the tourist attractions and it was really worth it, so I'd recommend that too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another obligatory selfie in the Roman Arena!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVu48Etha9hmY8Milhyphenhyphen0B6nc9mZ-ft44AX1oFBkVxj09bocIlKnnO8w-eprNIczwXIxp9xbPpzhaJn_PLjDtchlk1sLVcXXhFRs9exYQ4TS5YRonDE_pu9urSp7FEepOnvv9QV_vrtE5m/s1600/DSC09679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVu48Etha9hmY8Milhyphenhyphen0B6nc9mZ-ft44AX1oFBkVxj09bocIlKnnO8w-eprNIczwXIxp9xbPpzhaJn_PLjDtchlk1sLVcXXhFRs9exYQ4TS5YRonDE_pu9urSp7FEepOnvv9QV_vrtE5m/s320/DSC09679.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful fountain and park outside the Roman Arena</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Dnl9kRaQC0AnbAfwWSZ6aNLrJWMjXl9sKld-B7vwbgH8rrk4i8r_q5GdW3N4KjLAeXrO9mfrYv12Fo1dQnoikX0l3CjUMlBVIasCupGpXN1TmBTmJK7v5Jq5TyCTRA-ppzu0zqb8kPR/s1600/DSC09681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Dnl9kRaQC0AnbAfwWSZ6aNLrJWMjXl9sKld-B7vwbgH8rrk4i8r_q5GdW3N4KjLAeXrO9mfrYv12Fo1dQnoikX0l3CjUMlBVIasCupGpXN1TmBTmJK7v5Jq5TyCTRA-ppzu0zqb8kPR/s320/DSC09681.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOUyOhbzOkes85G1YW61ACM21hZE9L_544Wx-0bbJMx-0nu9KEubhN7P2uTCJHjfhN4prONgXwITEuI_SEpKqZE5d4-Yh2KL4RVZJQRy9uSD9-CoSiWri9LW-DlO0a3MdEHnlZ3hlAiJU/s1600/DSC09689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOUyOhbzOkes85G1YW61ACM21hZE9L_544Wx-0bbJMx-0nu9KEubhN7P2uTCJHjfhN4prONgXwITEuI_SEpKqZE5d4-Yh2KL4RVZJQRy9uSD9-CoSiWri9LW-DlO0a3MdEHnlZ3hlAiJU/s320/DSC09689.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next was Juliet's House, which features the symbolic balcony from Shakespeare's play, and a museum of the history of Juliet. There is a wall, like the one that features in the film 'Letters to Juliet', and inside the museum you have the opportunity to write a letter or email to the secretaries of Juliet, who answer questions on love.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4VTBigije1KK4abgUQAW0pIWtNfYvju3pjQyklI6kTrP0yo_5cIL1YfXarOThPBAknMr6sy_Y504JkQRuHYsvSE2TDUHm36HjTguvzGFl9c7XouC-M4wxwxB5BZwBQZgOVcWmpQJoPTn/s1600/DSC09696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4VTBigije1KK4abgUQAW0pIWtNfYvju3pjQyklI6kTrP0yo_5cIL1YfXarOThPBAknMr6sy_Y504JkQRuHYsvSE2TDUHm36HjTguvzGFl9c7XouC-M4wxwxB5BZwBQZgOVcWmpQJoPTn/s320/DSC09696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We walked through the Piazza delle Erbe to the church of St Anastasia, which was beautiful. The design of Italian churches is different from Austria, very elegant and often light and airy. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V7SMan4fd27-x85DH5bCURkSlV-A2f2DlIW0akGBsk2iy9FFsSTrTFQoqLQSIffYRzmA4Yzp6Eq0868VP8pcFfRzv4-AwWxQ_cYqDQCecrDmahPxCmYHhDqf_3bzem_xoNDZmb2VUMlx/s1600/DSC09704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V7SMan4fd27-x85DH5bCURkSlV-A2f2DlIW0akGBsk2iy9FFsSTrTFQoqLQSIffYRzmA4Yzp6Eq0868VP8pcFfRzv4-AwWxQ_cYqDQCecrDmahPxCmYHhDqf_3bzem_xoNDZmb2VUMlx/s320/DSC09704.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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After lunch, we headed over the river on the Ponte Pietra to the old Roman Theatre, which is now in ruins but was built here in the late 1st century BC. This location was chosen due to it being beside the river on a hill, so was easily visible. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4naOuMyK5jgAgGrLzY-QEQfTdDzona3jvduSUc9ycohmAwlQG2dQ-IbvAKaUVj-USTNoN-YXJCAB94U_XtuYa56pyEnG51y_2lgTt2mmO2wgFq0fnLN4dA0YhccfPZnINW9eI5sG_uqAr/s1600/DSC09715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4naOuMyK5jgAgGrLzY-QEQfTdDzona3jvduSUc9ycohmAwlQG2dQ-IbvAKaUVj-USTNoN-YXJCAB94U_XtuYa56pyEnG51y_2lgTt2mmO2wgFq0fnLN4dA0YhccfPZnINW9eI5sG_uqAr/s320/DSC09715.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is left of the Roman Theatre today</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9dNh3K6dIgtZdCnQaO2zY7gYNDm0Eng5R6fo4pIyfJHy03p_rNAnEqr78q8tMb6tEtQyLGQtwT1uLGSuJ4wTq8GMb_nxDn4jhKOO5cYXovFaJI1eZekF54MHFp3cCQYS0SY6DXcMHLWR/s1600/DSC09716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9dNh3K6dIgtZdCnQaO2zY7gYNDm0Eng5R6fo4pIyfJHy03p_rNAnEqr78q8tMb6tEtQyLGQtwT1uLGSuJ4wTq8GMb_nxDn4jhKOO5cYXovFaJI1eZekF54MHFp3cCQYS0SY6DXcMHLWR/s320/DSC09716.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Pietra bridge (Ponte Pietra)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwwLxo39HMBBoMg3z3yWioq048yyNjalZvrNpvMl1g16p5ywMHM2azn9cO3UsXEagu1OPDUYz_lphvUzeoHHySMzIuPcLiq01c5TvxpEvDeqbIC104wBxNWelymzvQ8733F-dNkBT-Qqi/s1600/DSC09720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwwLxo39HMBBoMg3z3yWioq048yyNjalZvrNpvMl1g16p5ywMHM2azn9cO3UsXEagu1OPDUYz_lphvUzeoHHySMzIuPcLiq01c5TvxpEvDeqbIC104wBxNWelymzvQ8733F-dNkBT-Qqi/s320/DSC09720.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ruins of the Roman theatre</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-ggGtF2EmlnJhmwtv3KotIQAUYi9DUI92SOY6xr2xWP3JJoijxx6ZJXQ3w10meq0eKGrtb8MqeOp_PI6I90HjGEzxrIU3DutBphfbd4jZffdxZYlowDeHdRlLTnXTAs4IK0F9QOXG_Es/s1600/DSC09731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-ggGtF2EmlnJhmwtv3KotIQAUYi9DUI92SOY6xr2xWP3JJoijxx6ZJXQ3w10meq0eKGrtb8MqeOp_PI6I90HjGEzxrIU3DutBphfbd4jZffdxZYlowDeHdRlLTnXTAs4IK0F9QOXG_Es/s320/DSC09731.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZz8r9X4dHSV38DeGzEHwevxJnhQzEPBth3lPrRpRuI_DaOKhWzKz4M2BnF47C5kqyGoVORWDeo1VeQJqxGyyQRtcD0y_DZVWU7yMV9qmt3Od7X2TqWQOarDhW95obw63uP9c8iECkqBb/s1600/DSC09727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZz8r9X4dHSV38DeGzEHwevxJnhQzEPBth3lPrRpRuI_DaOKhWzKz4M2BnF47C5kqyGoVORWDeo1VeQJqxGyyQRtcD0y_DZVWU7yMV9qmt3Od7X2TqWQOarDhW95obw63uP9c8iECkqBb/s320/DSC09727.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietRVVONZueqYUqFdWHkHyAHAGovHrQQEtE4OtssFtRtRPBScOtHES-KFPVuKIO5GbikFYzcijzkbZCYDEaLlXNarjGi59J5SGL1CFQ4HmKd1PdZFipiB68u3gwGiNKo_95qPYoU0VvIzm/s1600/DSC09736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietRVVONZueqYUqFdWHkHyAHAGovHrQQEtE4OtssFtRtRPBScOtHES-KFPVuKIO5GbikFYzcijzkbZCYDEaLlXNarjGi59J5SGL1CFQ4HmKd1PdZFipiB68u3gwGiNKo_95qPYoU0VvIzm/s320/DSC09736.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The duomo (cathedral) of Verona was amazing. In some areas, there are some archaeological excavations which show what the original cathedral might have looked like. It was destroyed in an earthquake, and the Romanesque church that is there now dates back to 1187. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0kRQ6oyAQUL1cTjuDRHwbp9S2YrNyqPOFwgl2LLYXW8FxyNyqSJXUrbK9uzdhxgaB2RgIueuIYqFm9kqHa428neCzpp0uN3yZLA17ZmkcmLYWYROmJ55r3bG-EI0pfhTB7wEoUAwM4MA/s1600/DSC09745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0kRQ6oyAQUL1cTjuDRHwbp9S2YrNyqPOFwgl2LLYXW8FxyNyqSJXUrbK9uzdhxgaB2RgIueuIYqFm9kqHa428neCzpp0uN3yZLA17ZmkcmLYWYROmJ55r3bG-EI0pfhTB7wEoUAwM4MA/s320/DSC09745.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The striking pink marble columns of the cathedral</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtvp6zyVBfiTonQ57EmJbeI5CnTyJnHn9D9oFHQxnGYkAnW5FlhNO277JIcfbHjzXvbzYJIqzefpT2t9M6KNWA3OyHQld3AjDdURqrftgVW1ngyllb65kKnnPLdPTHsHnoCajLDUhx31n/s1600/DSC09741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtvp6zyVBfiTonQ57EmJbeI5CnTyJnHn9D9oFHQxnGYkAnW5FlhNO277JIcfbHjzXvbzYJIqzefpT2t9M6KNWA3OyHQld3AjDdURqrftgVW1ngyllb65kKnnPLdPTHsHnoCajLDUhx31n/s320/DSC09741.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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After all the exploring, I decided it was time for (more) gelato! A lovely gelateria on the Piazza delle Erbe served waffles with the huge selection of ice cream, and English Breakfast tea, so I was happy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhAdEUMyWjmz7OU_j8MTOR5xEYhxsWhQcS3ZC4XeLk56g7jFlUZVFJEtg6OpzepFzZXOE1kfBRbAFqB5j2vsFD9kAJMmgiTKvg-xq47Jhhe-IVThg57mimtHKwqIAE1rjcATWLuvitkoH/s1600/20160219_150103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhAdEUMyWjmz7OU_j8MTOR5xEYhxsWhQcS3ZC4XeLk56g7jFlUZVFJEtg6OpzepFzZXOE1kfBRbAFqB5j2vsFD9kAJMmgiTKvg-xq47Jhhe-IVThg57mimtHKwqIAE1rjcATWLuvitkoH/s320/20160219_150103.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The final stop of the day was Juliet's grave further outside of the main city centre. This grave is believed to have been Shakespeare's inspiration for the tragic death scene of Romeo and Juliet.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4wmEdjt1iifRg-LAZaQnbH5oQw98gCRRc5wgqU_NLtCIbJT2l6Ek49kdIsUJibb0Ig0tBGaIjE3Wgdg7bqrJkYireutPzA98jclVAnkVE_ttfjCbwqNujA8lmVFWEP_47JnTMmcfV2Iq/s1600/20160219_154621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4wmEdjt1iifRg-LAZaQnbH5oQw98gCRRc5wgqU_NLtCIbJT2l6Ek49kdIsUJibb0Ig0tBGaIjE3Wgdg7bqrJkYireutPzA98jclVAnkVE_ttfjCbwqNujA8lmVFWEP_47JnTMmcfV2Iq/s320/20160219_154621.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxtt05bh4KXySSIwBNzTcv2jNvTsp1WF7xrduQPd3HzbVbJc7Yqo-y5lCrD_6Awqne_J6InvT9UqB0-HfXjDJQRJtrj2ikaZUKKn1VZG5DrkuzqbJW0qf23PNnJZFga0VWVKCJNRSgXcG/s1600/20160219_155217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxtt05bh4KXySSIwBNzTcv2jNvTsp1WF7xrduQPd3HzbVbJc7Yqo-y5lCrD_6Awqne_J6InvT9UqB0-HfXjDJQRJtrj2ikaZUKKn1VZG5DrkuzqbJW0qf23PNnJZFga0VWVKCJNRSgXcG/s320/20160219_155217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7oLxhwc8oXP9uOTuIqTlZmZZoTzIMi7YiMhUdiZqTdyvyBpH-iTN80ib07xn7Cqij9iSak0bEMMtcvGUxLcO5Rx2JfHaimnjSuPzKxhi22YJjLTP6Y9pLqRNDQRsQ5k2LrvNPnx0xAGm/s1600/20160219_161524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7oLxhwc8oXP9uOTuIqTlZmZZoTzIMi7YiMhUdiZqTdyvyBpH-iTN80ib07xn7Cqij9iSak0bEMMtcvGUxLcO5Rx2JfHaimnjSuPzKxhi22YJjLTP6Y9pLqRNDQRsQ5k2LrvNPnx0xAGm/s320/20160219_161524.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMkpDCRzgks4zNEOPCSUSjjsRuBdW95BTsuStaSqkZirZd55pSGeROZZU1d-O9-qdUNWiIjrAYcjpWjlrKIjv_zhblYr4vFzi2PTdxxBZ-jYo5pYvvOSSNbb9j0ItFYWLUapbbjpXat4u/s1600/20160219_161642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMkpDCRzgks4zNEOPCSUSjjsRuBdW95BTsuStaSqkZirZd55pSGeROZZU1d-O9-qdUNWiIjrAYcjpWjlrKIjv_zhblYr4vFzi2PTdxxBZ-jYo5pYvvOSSNbb9j0ItFYWLUapbbjpXat4u/s320/20160219_161642.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The story of Romeo and Juliet in picture form.</td></tr>
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We headed back to Linz on Saturday, exhausted after a long week of exploring, but I had such an amazing time! I loved Verona, and Venice, and the beautiful islands we visited. My first trip to Italy was a great success, and I cannot wait to go back!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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Laura :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-88939921902598720072016-02-10T12:01:00.002-08:002016-02-10T12:01:25.609-08:00Bex came to stay!Hi everyone!<br />
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Unfortunately I haven't been well the last couple of weeks (apparently laryngitis is very common among teachers, especially new teachers) and I have now been to the doctor, who signed me off work for the week. I'm not really allowed to talk, which I'm sure you can imagine is a huge challenge for me! However I am feeling much better now :) But last week, my friend Bex from home came to visit me in Austria, and we had a fantastic, relaxed weekend.<br />
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I picked her up from the airport on Wednesday and we headed back to Linz on the train. I took her for a little tour of Linz, but unfortunately it seemed Bex had brought the rain with her from England so the tour was cut a little short!<br />
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On Thursday I showed Bex a little more of Linz, including the cathedral and the main square.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUz9Fwe03VGAiIdpv5hbkY79mOqMwZsdxXpy6Hj7l96YDiOh1W7GmiSOiwvSA0xn0DBiJ5NqRuAkazYruOQsvO6Hrurw1h-qMghszZBcSepBbJ5cN7GBDJa5cV9Lam7Zqr3oRpVEfUMVEm/s1600/20160204_153113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUz9Fwe03VGAiIdpv5hbkY79mOqMwZsdxXpy6Hj7l96YDiOh1W7GmiSOiwvSA0xn0DBiJ5NqRuAkazYruOQsvO6Hrurw1h-qMghszZBcSepBbJ5cN7GBDJa5cV9Lam7Zqr3oRpVEfUMVEm/s400/20160204_153113.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We also went to my favourite cafe in Linz called the Jindrak. We had some English tea and Austrian strudel, and it was a great mix!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4zKmlRKmSnf1WAIulVTM6rUlCwfHvbSE3gyA_LP5DDj4uBYqEJ4eXpJSnNlQntWoynSyQ8D3cLfBDptf6Omm0goBfFVADnrH5aGLBoRMhxUPdnLGSB8-eHG8wSejBE_hs2qEUq_aYvOl/s1600/20160204_114959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4zKmlRKmSnf1WAIulVTM6rUlCwfHvbSE3gyA_LP5DDj4uBYqEJ4eXpJSnNlQntWoynSyQ8D3cLfBDptf6Omm0goBfFVADnrH5aGLBoRMhxUPdnLGSB8-eHG8wSejBE_hs2qEUq_aYvOl/s400/20160204_114959.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Friday we travelled to Bad Gastein, a town in Salzburgerland about 3 hours from Linz. It is a very popular ski resort, and is home to some thermal baths. We were to stay over night in a hostel in Bad Gastein and spend Saturday at the thermal baths. This was the view from our hostel room balcony:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9nID2KyBye_Fg6rTV5jfAourMpxLjs6lqulFyIA_jlNfKsEQbNT9VKDeGC7o1XHifFKmKfD97MultdYpx1nPPLSIdqBXs_TdoZuNcbvDCkPbK09WR7jjwGE7DoDb124pQfH4tfDwNwJ7/s1600/20160205_161753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9nID2KyBye_Fg6rTV5jfAourMpxLjs6lqulFyIA_jlNfKsEQbNT9VKDeGC7o1XHifFKmKfD97MultdYpx1nPPLSIdqBXs_TdoZuNcbvDCkPbK09WR7jjwGE7DoDb124pQfH4tfDwNwJ7/s400/20160205_161753.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After checking in to our hostel, we went to a local restaurant where I introduced Bex to traditional Wiener Schnitzel. </div>
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Saturday at the thermal baths was brilliant. It was a very relaxing day, and the outdoor pool was amazing! It was a very strange feeling though to be sat in 40 degree water looking at snowy mountains and knowing that the air temperature was around -2 degrees!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83qfvuCjewnr4X8UqNos51wgCVM69X8nNSz3KyiM9bQVQEKsQ3d0MDeOOG6XIasWyRdobGN9rfCzPIcDt_88VUAw-yLTSvA0s_gGYxvUgJZbAaezrqUPSXKcqLefU75bpSB4e82T9TBN1/s1600/20160206_113100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83qfvuCjewnr4X8UqNos51wgCVM69X8nNSz3KyiM9bQVQEKsQ3d0MDeOOG6XIasWyRdobGN9rfCzPIcDt_88VUAw-yLTSvA0s_gGYxvUgJZbAaezrqUPSXKcqLefU75bpSB4e82T9TBN1/s400/20160206_113100.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There were lots of different pools at the resort, for children, relaxation or fitness, as well as saunas. Bex and I booked in for massages in the afternoon, and I left feeling very relaxed!</div>
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Sunday was my last day with Bex, and since she was flying from Vienna we thought we'd make the most of the day and have a little look around Vienna. It was a beautiful spring day, and we enjoyed wandering around and looking at the sights. There were so many people out relaxing in the sunshine; it was wonderful. Here are a few pictures from our afternoon in Vienna:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcANj5guAtLZC_VNy_eYlLBENDI-J_GRsP_OXTPBEPXLSgJDb_kF_oJumYd5cA8t8shydNGyLpGWEu7G3BLe4UTeS1QVfu6Fcd31qSnStD823Imol_S8AqK7ITDXT6bLxBVegupiNscRBA/s1600/20160207_131928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcANj5guAtLZC_VNy_eYlLBENDI-J_GRsP_OXTPBEPXLSgJDb_kF_oJumYd5cA8t8shydNGyLpGWEu7G3BLe4UTeS1QVfu6Fcd31qSnStD823Imol_S8AqK7ITDXT6bLxBVegupiNscRBA/s400/20160207_131928.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Stephan's Cathedral (Stefansdom)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6QDh8H51R62GmgYf3AhEN4I6eJxsKw_2ZPF1v_ARHgv6l77ME8IZCeLptTBnfqxYugesPuCmsYM5lT18w3FcT0jkq0to06OmJ4-xaPYIukFi04w3Td2E1_Cag28j9Zj2V9L7SxJmeFch/s1600/20160207_131952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6QDh8H51R62GmgYf3AhEN4I6eJxsKw_2ZPF1v_ARHgv6l77ME8IZCeLptTBnfqxYugesPuCmsYM5lT18w3FcT0jkq0to06OmJ4-xaPYIukFi04w3Td2E1_Cag28j9Zj2V9L7SxJmeFch/s400/20160207_131952.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Stephan's Cathedral <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Stefansdom)</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66_hLoI3gzqkKiEp9IiWnuza_UcKgLLMV0sE_yOWP2V9Tval960ZdkPeuc4iYlArM5957zuUJs8tEYfiriChCUleFIbzSdifKXqBm4pvrMU6ot5ofVu6ymgBpKBPH8wYcLK_EJQwRT5oH/s1600/20160207_132017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66_hLoI3gzqkKiEp9IiWnuza_UcKgLLMV0sE_yOWP2V9Tval960ZdkPeuc4iYlArM5957zuUJs8tEYfiriChCUleFIbzSdifKXqBm4pvrMU6ot5ofVu6ymgBpKBPH8wYcLK_EJQwRT5oH/s400/20160207_132017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Stephan's Cathedral <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Stefansdom)</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBC4doSTYZ0W09KW70Tl7K2w90jS_SH3lMUdcC7PGpaqO1al5Qpcl45WpOIPqH0PUWoSdccIFUwRwKGYnB71oQFXC3GwfEM1IeoQn-jBd_9xU0c0M3LF30Y8t9QdCKe8GrYI3w2nysL43v/s1600/20160207_132100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBC4doSTYZ0W09KW70Tl7K2w90jS_SH3lMUdcC7PGpaqO1al5Qpcl45WpOIPqH0PUWoSdccIFUwRwKGYnB71oQFXC3GwfEM1IeoQn-jBd_9xU0c0M3LF30Y8t9QdCKe8GrYI3w2nysL43v/s400/20160207_132100.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Stephan's Cathedral <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Stefansdom)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyxJyCRgWCvt499Kjgd9uiwVJ2AIKA3khCDB09PIHxJjjdD978l5rgNn0dRA75uwSThH-cdYXIxrWyAhcNk-TT6_i6tmZXoikiUenPOgRaAvDXEsI9hvzuLC2THRY3P7N9aYznQQEA8qb/s1600/20160207_132732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyxJyCRgWCvt499Kjgd9uiwVJ2AIKA3khCDB09PIHxJjjdD978l5rgNn0dRA75uwSThH-cdYXIxrWyAhcNk-TT6_i6tmZXoikiUenPOgRaAvDXEsI9hvzuLC2THRY3P7N9aYznQQEA8qb/s320/20160207_132732.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">St Stephan's Cathedral </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Stefansdom)</span> </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Bx1Srl3S-VInfkp4CE4-625_OqdsNLGKZ5BcVdwzHdvQe0LTvTRRSoDvWUi2VCUSHADwG1ZwTy0croRWrrQ1WVF9Ah_4aYvCzqjhd2gwmiQiPpeCeGGi_ULTFN8cZ6FmXJwsfg6ZA-0F/s1600/20160207_132939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Bx1Srl3S-VInfkp4CE4-625_OqdsNLGKZ5BcVdwzHdvQe0LTvTRRSoDvWUi2VCUSHADwG1ZwTy0croRWrrQ1WVF9Ah_4aYvCzqjhd2gwmiQiPpeCeGGi_ULTFN8cZ6FmXJwsfg6ZA-0F/s400/20160207_132939.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">St Stephan's Cathedral </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Stefansdom)</span> </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigpUufi4CknuLxhc2x1ZT853napB3ha26uae5x1NS48_twmEsUqFf5wTI9fmUqg5ChvDsoeZPRdQA9iFI8XTArN3OBdZsZO6AEteJmchX4UnupcVKZ2FlwzWhYdrRWo8aWTtKQ7HJn25N/s1600/20160207_134401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigpUufi4CknuLxhc2x1ZT853napB3ha26uae5x1NS48_twmEsUqFf5wTI9fmUqg5ChvDsoeZPRdQA9iFI8XTArN3OBdZsZO6AEteJmchX4UnupcVKZ2FlwzWhYdrRWo8aWTtKQ7HJn25N/s400/20160207_134401.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Peter's Church</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxRXVJYrC_FFPWyoVKTwncBCFhpEHvE3kYUnVz5kaLIJ7B2llIDFrjV30crUeZYVp88P1kAua1Hert8oArgRaOdHWtPG4cMzqWK78KAKvXAQhxDSpHH3Ol5YxMY8jUdahR6xR22uCqYGM/s1600/20160207_143821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxRXVJYrC_FFPWyoVKTwncBCFhpEHvE3kYUnVz5kaLIJ7B2llIDFrjV30crUeZYVp88P1kAua1Hert8oArgRaOdHWtPG4cMzqWK78KAKvXAQhxDSpHH3Ol5YxMY8jUdahR6xR22uCqYGM/s400/20160207_143821.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Peter's Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuAuLdanWBrgerQERHuEMHH_lNfjgUiYoRsnemcMkSmiOvgfn7tS9ypiyrlZ11Uf8_kT8stSJWJgaYsQjSmQGChoWoSiz2Qj6yyV560fl2CXKLYyMPyyPPwiA6t3wiUsPhQknHuj8hOuN/s1600/20160207_134959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuAuLdanWBrgerQERHuEMHH_lNfjgUiYoRsnemcMkSmiOvgfn7tS9ypiyrlZ11Uf8_kT8stSJWJgaYsQjSmQGChoWoSiz2Qj6yyV560fl2CXKLYyMPyyPPwiA6t3wiUsPhQknHuj8hOuN/s400/20160207_134959.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the Hofburg Palace area</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHvSHF6HJHgT33wHd8INTB0sUiBbQFrdDRGy3bjI2nre5Y6BO2qLib6mMqmurifVAHEiSX-HQvCALWAzc0irajzRteZ_v4tx8780bG51MZqfX578UbCmjMx_0r85tXqORq0l1dp8eQB12/s1600/20160207_135750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHvSHF6HJHgT33wHd8INTB0sUiBbQFrdDRGy3bjI2nre5Y6BO2qLib6mMqmurifVAHEiSX-HQvCALWAzc0irajzRteZ_v4tx8780bG51MZqfX578UbCmjMx_0r85tXqORq0l1dp8eQB12/s400/20160207_135750.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Exploring the Hofburg Palace area</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDKJn0pRWZPH82PqisXtwSZkXVEBavEauGhaS0Y4aTOSnvWZgpPgL4fMgSYF0pkAY1r8I5RTEEyxfhxOAAh5PNFel2r6FUSxMGneJVsL8I67PZhdjIZmE2fYEOO8SAJk60Fz0x2Ha-fV7/s1600/20160207_135815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDKJn0pRWZPH82PqisXtwSZkXVEBavEauGhaS0Y4aTOSnvWZgpPgL4fMgSYF0pkAY1r8I5RTEEyxfhxOAAh5PNFel2r6FUSxMGneJVsL8I67PZhdjIZmE2fYEOO8SAJk60Fz0x2Ha-fV7/s400/20160207_135815.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Exploring the Hofburg Palace area</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzcT284avkim6xg7IC8hCCyc2FPGFO0bvxPwvHgvNyz6oWzGe9_o5zjAq8xTxENcenRP4WpNWErg4ETLv23Td77OzKgP8_Sx3dZibump0Nm_Qgsd4sZ6DsDun-q3eBfjF72NuWnkVbkLC/s1600/20160207_140949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzcT284avkim6xg7IC8hCCyc2FPGFO0bvxPwvHgvNyz6oWzGe9_o5zjAq8xTxENcenRP4WpNWErg4ETLv23Td77OzKgP8_Sx3dZibump0Nm_Qgsd4sZ6DsDun-q3eBfjF72NuWnkVbkLC/s400/20160207_140949.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Exploring the Hofburg Palace area</span></td></tr>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Laura :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-50919336617855605972016-02-02T10:17:00.001-08:002016-02-02T10:17:59.326-08:00Becoming a princess for the day...Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
Despite having no voice and feeling under the weather, it's been a very exciting week.<br />
<br />
On Thursday Carissa and I went to a ball at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna! It was amazing! The ball was for the Technische Universität in Vienna but the public could also buy tickets. We were lucky enough to get discount, and so Carissa and I played at being princesses for the evening.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of the Hofburg lit up at night time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main ball room with the live orchestra. At the start, the debutants and their partners opened the dancing, and then couples filed on to the floor to dance many different styles: waltz, samba, foxtrot...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on the marble staircase!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another ball room with a live band. There were many rooms playing different styles of music, for example traditional Austrian folk, salsa and jazz.</td></tr>
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We had an amazing time, and Carissa got the chance to learn to waltz as well. The Austrian ball season is such a huge part of the culture here, so for us to have the chance to go to a ball, and in the Hofburg palace, I feel really lucky!<br />
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I'm now looking forward to my friend Bex from home coming to visit this week. We have some exciting stuff planned which I'll tell you all about next week.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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LauraAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-91264364551474096672016-01-24T02:14:00.003-08:002016-01-24T02:14:46.487-08:00Winter in Austria: Snow and SkiingHi everyone!<br />
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In the last two weeks, winter has really arrived in Austria. One morning when I was at the bus stop at 7am, the temperature was -16 degrees Celcius!! I'm not built for temperatures like this!<br />
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A few exciting things have happened in the last two weeks:<br />
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1. The snow came back! I went to stay at Emma Cate's house in Steyr and we woke up to heavy snow outside. And the snow is still here as well - it's so cold it's not melting, and we had more yesterday!<br />
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2. I went to see 'Joy' at the cinema and it was great! A film that makes you feel every emotion at the same time, I'd really recommend it.</div>
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3. I've got back into reading again, and I'm on my second book of the year. My first was 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes and the second is 'The Little Paris Bookshop' by Nina George. </div>
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4. I taught at the primary school again and we learnt parts of the body, colours and numbers up to ten. Next time, we're going to draw and describe monsters, which I'm very excited about! I'm always amazed at how quickly they pick things up. Some of them can't really read or write yet, yet they are able to memorise vocabulary in a foreign language and even sing songs like 'Silent Night' without ever reading the words!</div>
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5. The Student Language Bureau (an organisation which provides jobs for students abroad) are starting up a blog site and are going to feature a blog from me every two weeks!</div>
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6. I bought a ball gown for a Viennese ball I'm going to next week - pictures to come in the next blog post!</div>
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7. Yesterday, I went skiing for the first time with Carissa. It was great! Not as terrifying as I thought it might be, apart from the final slope we attempted in order to get down the mountain...we ended up being rescued by one of the piste machines because the slope was difficult and they were about to close the slopes! But apart from that, I'm very proud of myself for trying, and I had a great day! Here are some pictures...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping for refreshments in the restaurant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in the all-in-one ski suit I borrowed from me housemate!</td></tr>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Laura :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-87773997636337928802016-01-10T07:03:00.000-08:002016-01-10T07:03:16.062-08:00Christmas holidays and returning to Austria :)Hi everyone!<br />
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I'm now back in Austria after a lovely Christmas in England.<br />
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I had a great Christmas holiday, which included seeing lots of family and friends, eating lots of lovely food, and celebrating my little sister's 18th birthday by taking her away to the Harry Potter Studios in Watford! Here are a few pictures from my Christmas:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel and I with our grandparents</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel and I with our grandparents and cousins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An amazing Dartmoor sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spent New Year with these lovely people</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOpPmext9z1NTeUoSg4tjwn7bOpSFVLMyACymJ1HC1vAyRnNlmpeRZQCJmqnYBFP0Qje4CZWEqDzWAKMCL2np641Ai3oLAZM2Jk_A6PrCVlWWG2sZ5O9-Gr4rNwj8yaTFIzyMxDQiDU_K/s1600/puppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOpPmext9z1NTeUoSg4tjwn7bOpSFVLMyACymJ1HC1vAyRnNlmpeRZQCJmqnYBFP0Qje4CZWEqDzWAKMCL2np641Ai3oLAZM2Jk_A6PrCVlWWG2sZ5O9-Gr4rNwj8yaTFIzyMxDQiDU_K/s400/puppies.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got to meet adorable puppies on the farm! Unfortunately they didn't want to come back to Austria in my suitcase :(</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsTe-couBPuqG0KpbhQ1kSaQKMIfK1024iC84Spxm572tIdcBzi-vRsMFpnGbJtUfkyFmSaNGBvIV1i2xJkP1EMBobUroysgfEVjFQ1RvAeb5JJMFWQtXb_kjqOPAB_xg1UbJITq8nFYk/s1600/birthday+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsTe-couBPuqG0KpbhQ1kSaQKMIfK1024iC84Spxm572tIdcBzi-vRsMFpnGbJtUfkyFmSaNGBvIV1i2xJkP1EMBobUroysgfEVjFQ1RvAeb5JJMFWQtXb_kjqOPAB_xg1UbJITq8nFYk/s400/birthday+cake.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel with the hand made birthday cake from our hotel!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct_yoMAAmEsFkj4zWXcJ8vtflbshvUdNjuSxAaN4src0V5pvccfvBFE1QwRb5kSEFcMDHSPh0os6Vm8Cz79DWiXiSC0R1PKIdI3x7ydsvV3i0isvyMqAjr8cIT3Z8h5hFhn9LWXf1Py2i/s1600/off+to+hogwarts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct_yoMAAmEsFkj4zWXcJ8vtflbshvUdNjuSxAaN4src0V5pvccfvBFE1QwRb5kSEFcMDHSPh0os6Vm8Cz79DWiXiSC0R1PKIdI3x7ydsvV3i0isvyMqAjr8cIT3Z8h5hFhn9LWXf1Py2i/s400/off+to+hogwarts.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practising for going to Hogwarts in September!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBoeyph4kzm7Mk8_6r7Sp0V_xnPNLC25RrUsRHaXGYjH5OyW3IdeLdrN39LOKjCaixdST8UM79baksmwcRm6UqLmbN4sQUkijC3jmSLtKi9b1TFMl4BGycWTOyU5s_u-5m8u__BAUHTf1/s1600/butterbeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBoeyph4kzm7Mk8_6r7Sp0V_xnPNLC25RrUsRHaXGYjH5OyW3IdeLdrN39LOKjCaixdST8UM79baksmwcRm6UqLmbN4sQUkijC3jmSLtKi9b1TFMl4BGycWTOyU5s_u-5m8u__BAUHTf1/s400/butterbeer.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first try of butterbeer ft. butterbeer moustache</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHa16WAFoN5PwdW99wlGqscV9F2UwaG41vvkdJdKsNre7p0wO_kkaPp7g4e8RVEmJa_faGYNocIiOrNWpniRyqINCawZK6Gg0i9orGK6WmeJnUhJloR9sKKUXa5efBn1YcuVWexjjUJdT/s1600/great+hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHa16WAFoN5PwdW99wlGqscV9F2UwaG41vvkdJdKsNre7p0wO_kkaPp7g4e8RVEmJa_faGYNocIiOrNWpniRyqINCawZK6Gg0i9orGK6WmeJnUhJloR9sKKUXa5efBn1YcuVWexjjUJdT/s400/great+hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Hall</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsHC-k5Um9DLg-VV0dWZ4ixT1tJPSVbpVLKQhoX3PHdRsuQ8GxNaZxlLVDkHUKo6YLor3j_or7DKeS1xEzjvUzKsikpdVJv1oMHwHaMJuqHkpoQPcw1gsEhPW0OwKcoa42EQy2x-gpw0l/s1600/mirror+of+erised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsHC-k5Um9DLg-VV0dWZ4ixT1tJPSVbpVLKQhoX3PHdRsuQ8GxNaZxlLVDkHUKo6YLor3j_or7DKeS1xEzjvUzKsikpdVJv1oMHwHaMJuqHkpoQPcw1gsEhPW0OwKcoa42EQy2x-gpw0l/s400/mirror+of+erised.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum, Rachel and I in the Mirror of Erised</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CrT9T4jlGnvSIO6PWC1eqba_VIYPF5UpAe5ESrPnLAykKyLm25Yhn0_sy2_oC2qNjRJE7RF5V0AW7NabuLiCMF0hYDbo9qh5Gz57g_xoKyqFmHmhE6DQzAC6I7iYSV4htfucGnuLVcbE/s1600/motorbike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CrT9T4jlGnvSIO6PWC1eqba_VIYPF5UpAe5ESrPnLAykKyLm25Yhn0_sy2_oC2qNjRJE7RF5V0AW7NabuLiCMF0hYDbo9qh5Gz57g_xoKyqFmHmhE6DQzAC6I7iYSV4htfucGnuLVcbE/s400/motorbike.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel and I trying out Hagrid's flying motorbike</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C9DY4amydibWas4uvnHTHaeZIFdUiL4ZiAy7hrbkbnamXYOAjTslR2ghqXSlovG3_b-EyXUnbhgYa41oyR1olE5mV0ejk9Cvm1iVa0KxQmpZAP1jgfqHBjBrYOboLTZ8jInrxciucyi9/s1600/privet+drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C9DY4amydibWas4uvnHTHaeZIFdUiL4ZiAy7hrbkbnamXYOAjTslR2ghqXSlovG3_b-EyXUnbhgYa41oyR1olE5mV0ejk9Cvm1iVa0KxQmpZAP1jgfqHBjBrYOboLTZ8jInrxciucyi9/s400/privet+drive.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No. 4 Privet Drive</td></tr>
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I flew back to Austria on Monday, and spent the next couple days working on a deadline for university. I started back at work on Thursday and have been doing a lesson on extreme weather and ways of talking about the weather in English. The students particularly liked how many words for rain we have in the English language! The idea for this lesson was sparked by the floods in England at the moment, and I hope everyone back home is staying safe with the bad weather!<br />
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Having left rain behind in England, I was very excited to come back to the first proper snow this winter in Austria! It was beautiful, and whilst a lot of it has now melted, we did make the most of it by building a snowman after work on Friday. However, the Austrians don't tend to play in the snow...so we did get a lot of weird looks!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KILx5mQvcWTOmxV-U58RxHU29Wy8gAVdCsw7f4xeNPNjvWouiO6M_LBDCSPps0xbsBpQsAevfXJusLvSschlyehnHHuE_Zi1yoL9r5EGSy6BRZ22jruAl37aKBQvitOCFKlKtxtGI8Ho/s1600/frozen+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KILx5mQvcWTOmxV-U58RxHU29Wy8gAVdCsw7f4xeNPNjvWouiO6M_LBDCSPps0xbsBpQsAevfXJusLvSschlyehnHHuE_Zi1yoL9r5EGSy6BRZ22jruAl37aKBQvitOCFKlKtxtGI8Ho/s400/frozen+lake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know it's cold when a lake is frozen over!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G9hRZnfz6UQLELMEmoa0vJgGnidjrggdBpjaMwHXzSK7DmUqzFysYfa-LfARGBftVK4hd3z3u07QnIObnseUHXLq6FKtGA4gxUIAmyctdCv5sNmAFRy4gripu13XrkIblveHGtOIatv3/s1600/snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G9hRZnfz6UQLELMEmoa0vJgGnidjrggdBpjaMwHXzSK7DmUqzFysYfa-LfARGBftVK4hd3z3u07QnIObnseUHXLq6FKtGA4gxUIAmyctdCv5sNmAFRy4gripu13XrkIblveHGtOIatv3/s400/snow.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful snow near one of my schools</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIprhMxihH-jcgF5OTESM-7ax-fbC57YmzoUV3MRonOWf9Tp0rg0h0fF5sjB5VCnn3UA4gE3UvIiIAyLUs8s8eoQyv2atrUStJiJWXysaap0NmVI-iWMz_2A5ZD6sg59_E9gO9IBYsfeR/s1600/snowman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIprhMxihH-jcgF5OTESM-7ax-fbC57YmzoUV3MRonOWf9Tp0rg0h0fF5sjB5VCnn3UA4gE3UvIiIAyLUs8s8eoQyv2atrUStJiJWXysaap0NmVI-iWMz_2A5ZD6sg59_E9gO9IBYsfeR/s400/snowman.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our snowman!</td></tr>
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Yesterday I went on my first adventure of the new year. We went to Passau, which is just over the border into Germany. It is a beautiful town, and we had a lovely day doing some exploring. Here are a few photos from the trip:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVndPEnW48wzvBO-JqFC8cIh0X9yA3DyZFqjD_OjgdYl_XL8g8dASUBfhc3GChUjcrUaF0ThiVwx8Jw1Ut31tDlIjRfUQ-fSpnx2EoChQEJ5F5QfChY9bII91NzufGLr47U7hibwkBXTR/s1600/DSC09569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVndPEnW48wzvBO-JqFC8cIh0X9yA3DyZFqjD_OjgdYl_XL8g8dASUBfhc3GChUjcrUaF0ThiVwx8Jw1Ut31tDlIjRfUQ-fSpnx2EoChQEJ5F5QfChY9bII91NzufGLr47U7hibwkBXTR/s400/DSC09569.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of St Paul's Church </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiySt3MwzW57yk2jGzz4pJN6eTEJP63WtN-CHKV9qPtnD-QXU2blvdzLXgDyWtCC25XPuCdRXoDa2EtcrKnFBYCFR_aA0qTsmayk_PpWIOV67fnXeBPOADwn-qCx6pafSVZgN7ZbsAt_re/s1600/DSC09578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiySt3MwzW57yk2jGzz4pJN6eTEJP63WtN-CHKV9qPtnD-QXU2blvdzLXgDyWtCC25XPuCdRXoDa2EtcrKnFBYCFR_aA0qTsmayk_PpWIOV67fnXeBPOADwn-qCx6pafSVZgN7ZbsAt_re/s400/DSC09578.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of St Stephan's Cathedral </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6z13kddO1buobaYIUSfuoQBjFIYZ7nnrHLT8uMdQ7CmlozhCeFM7JKNUHkjU-EQZekYaiYpnGIiU-CWvFcOm0joWKwbr2qRZpkfdUEKj5RwwicvPxy5F6X7JCsKm9VW58a6S3rNx_fo5/s1600/DSC09593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6z13kddO1buobaYIUSfuoQBjFIYZ7nnrHLT8uMdQ7CmlozhCeFM7JKNUHkjU-EQZekYaiYpnGIiU-CWvFcOm0joWKwbr2qRZpkfdUEKj5RwwicvPxy5F6X7JCsKm9VW58a6S3rNx_fo5/s400/DSC09593.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The monastery up on the hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd1cUOs-t9LAJ7AvmQ5WrSTgnCog2mTFaaDjtZHUHX_Xp5cyTHKS-SimtTvHe2sup3yh6fn7pAjo34Ki1UkOSiF7ISXG5C_zNjBq_Y7MvmgrNqHFpnTfSRGYO9JEpcIre0bf4XSDOEm7D/s1600/DSC09595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd1cUOs-t9LAJ7AvmQ5WrSTgnCog2mTFaaDjtZHUHX_Xp5cyTHKS-SimtTvHe2sup3yh6fn7pAjo34Ki1UkOSiF7ISXG5C_zNjBq_Y7MvmgrNqHFpnTfSRGYO9JEpcIre0bf4XSDOEm7D/s400/DSC09595.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Danube river</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPCAiKjuiJuMAeq7XXNRaAU9g0uMVpzXnQo9K3-gd8qA95XFhlJhLsNMmHGFEFHY7oK9O7QAbRIpYBLeTlmXTqELA3uy-R_mGCzgC3jQy-39yAZTatFtAFfsGH-uvC_jYSjLh9akkZJU6/s1600/3922_10207932658821758_7609409473565645030_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPCAiKjuiJuMAeq7XXNRaAU9g0uMVpzXnQo9K3-gd8qA95XFhlJhLsNMmHGFEFHY7oK9O7QAbRIpYBLeTlmXTqELA3uy-R_mGCzgC3jQy-39yAZTatFtAFfsGH-uvC_jYSjLh9akkZJU6/s400/3922_10207932658821758_7609409473565645030_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Passau, three rivers meet. This is the exact point where all three come together.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhVUT62wz_KamVZfx_ovu-TtwbxaC0lKFOCGh0hmFp4GwDmh7_gW7sDrst9VlNx7iVzlHSoEuUG94kjYsUe-K2pL70h7BpmTFj_dU1q9dN9bBdB1ab7Bt0O6wKsbM1nsVIoHcmThvxYdU/s1600/12400677_10207932657341721_1341124163805888286_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhVUT62wz_KamVZfx_ovu-TtwbxaC0lKFOCGh0hmFp4GwDmh7_gW7sDrst9VlNx7iVzlHSoEuUG94kjYsUe-K2pL70h7BpmTFj_dU1q9dN9bBdB1ab7Bt0O6wKsbM1nsVIoHcmThvxYdU/s400/12400677_10207932657341721_1341124163805888286_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Veste Oberhaus</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-53650964939481753902015-12-20T09:19:00.000-08:002015-12-20T09:19:40.889-08:00Christmas and KrampusHi everybody :)<br />
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So this is probably going to be my last blog for the next few weeks, as I head home for Christmas on Wednesday - wahoo! I cannot wait to be back at home, I'm so ready for it :) But here is a little run down of what I've been up to this week...it's been a busy one, as December tends to be!<br />
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I began the research for my year abroad research project this week, which meant that I was getting most of my classes to fill in a questionnaire during lesson time. They were all really helpful in filling it in, and happy to do it - the only thing is I now have a lot of data to analyse! After the questionnaire part of the lesson, I've been talking to my students about Christmas in the UK, and that's been quite fun. They cannot get their heads around crackers - they just do not see the fascination. They also get very confused about why there is no meat in mince pies, and why on earth we eat fruit cake, when we could have chocolate cake instead. My favourite part of the lesson, though, has been getting them to listen to 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' and try and write down the gifts they hear - my favourite suggestion was 'a jingle bell tree' instead of 'a partridge in a pear tree'! But they were good sports and played along :)<br />
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On Monday I did my first lesson at the local primary school. They have asked me to do some private lessons with a group of 6 and 7 year olds, about 20 of them. And oh my goodness were they adorable. I was teaching them some Christmas themed words, and so had made flashcards for 'Santa Claus', 'Reindeer', 'Present' etc and they were shouting the right answers out whenever I showed them the picture. I also taught them to sing 'Silent Night' as they sing the same song in German, and I was amazed at how quickly some of the youngest ones memorised the whole verse in English! At the end of the lesson, one of the girls came up to me and said (in German) "Laura, guess what? I have English on my t-shirt!" - it said 'I love you to the stars and back', so adorable! And then as I was leaving the building, they all shook my hand, thanked me for the lesson and wished me a good Christmas! Austria is seriously doing something right!<br />
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This week I also had a lovely girly sleepover with Carissa. I went to stay with her in Kirchdorf, and we watched a few films, made brownies (and ate them), and we made apple strudel (the first time I'd made it!)...and of course, we ate that too ;)<br />
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As this was the last full week of term, both of my schools had their Christmas parties as well. One of my schools is in the grounds of a monastery, and the party itself was in a part of the monastery which is not open to the public, so it was very exciting. The general format of the Christmas parties was that a group of teachers get together and form a choir, and they are very good, and then there are some texts read out, and once this part is over, you eat, and drink quite a lot of Punsch and Glühwein (mulled wine). I had a great time at both of the parties, it was nice to chat to the teachers out of the normal school environment.<br />
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On Friday, I hosted a film afternoon at my main school. I've been organising it for a while, and the idea stemmed from the fact that no one over here has really seen 'The Sound of Music', but they will always be asked about it if they go to an English-speaking country. So they bought tickets for €1 and in return I brought along snacks and drinks. At first I was a little disappointed with how many people came in comparison to how many said they would be interested, but the ones that did came really made the most of the opportunity, and although it's an old-fashioned, cheesy film, they sat and watched it, and many stayed to watch the entire 2.5 hours! People only left early because they had to get buses. And the sweetest part of it, was that as each person left, they personally came up and thanked me for organising it, and wished me a happy Christmas, so that made it all worth while.<br />
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On Saturday, Emma Cate and I took an old-fashioned bus to a little village just outside Steyr where they have the official North Pole post office. Unfortunately the post office was closed when we got there, but we had the excitement of travelling on the bright yellow bus with the very loud horn, and exploring the village which had a beautiful Church. <br />
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Once back in Steyr, it was time for the Krampuslauf. This is a tradition in Austria, and the idea is that on the 5th and 6th of December, St Nicholas comes if you have been good and gives you little gifts like sweets etc, but if you have been bad, Krampus comes. The Krampuslauf is basically where people dress up in 'Krampus' costumes, and run through the streets scaring people...it was interesting to see, and you have to give them credit for the effort they put in to the costumes, but it was terrifying. There was a railing between us and the Krampuses, however at times they would climb onto or even over the railing - poor Conor ended up with Emma Cate and I cowering behind him!</div>
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Fairytales in Austria are darker than England, for example they tell the Brothers Grimm stories. The idea is to scare the children into behaving, because children over here are given a lot more responsibility than back home. The 6 and 7 year olds I taught got the bus home by themselves after school!</div>
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Austria doesn't have the Santa Claus figure. They do have St Nicholas who comes at the start of December, but they also have the Christkind (Christ child) who comes on the evening of 24th December. It is an angel figure who comes and brings presents, as well as the Christmas tree and decorations. The children have to leave the room while the Christkind is there, and know to come back in when a bell is rung. It has been really interesting finding out about the different traditions over here, even if some of them are terrifying!</div>
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So all that remains is to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and thank you for reading! Until 2016...!</div>
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Laura :)</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-17831600014976487032015-12-13T05:02:00.000-08:002015-12-13T05:03:59.369-08:00A very festive murder mystery!Hi everyone :)<br />
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This week has felt like a very short one. Having Mum, Jen and Alison to stay last weekend, and the bank holiday Monday and Tuesday, meant I actually only worked on Wednesday. Thursday is my day off at my second school, and then Friday was a training day, so the week went by very quickly.<br />
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On Thursday I worked on my Year Abroad Research Project, as in school next week I will be working through the classes getting them to fill in my questionnaire for my research, so I've been busy designing and finalising that.<br />
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Our training session on Friday was a follow up to our training week at Hinterglemm in September, which now feels like forever ago! It was lovely to see everyone again, as some I haven't seen since September, and to see how we're all getting on. Some people presented their 'Greatest Hits' in the classroom, so it was fun to see how everyone teaches and what has worked for them. We also got some more tips and ideas to use from other English teachers, and generally felt more confident about our teaching ability than three months ago!<br />
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On Saturday, something very exciting happened. I'd organised a Murder Mystery evening for some of the Teaching Assistants to come over. Everyone had a character, it was Christmas themed, and it was fancy dress. Overall the evening went very well, everyone got into character and played along really well, and there was a lot of fun and laughter! The bribery and suspicion just made it all the more fun. Naturally as the host, I was Santa Claus, "Head of North Pole Operations" (and because I went all out with my costume, I won the 'Dressed to Kill' award :P ) The best acting went to my beautiful wife for the evening, Emma Cate (Mrs Claus) and 'Mrs Money Bags' was Lisa (Spanky the Elf), who ended the night with the most money, due to her bribery skills. The murderer, Chloe (Jangle the Elf) did a very good job at spreading rumours and covering her tracks, so much so that no one guessed that she was the murderer! So hats off to Chloe! Here are a few pictures from the night that show the fun that was had...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me getting into character as Santa!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr and Mrs Claus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwDLBzRIMMUeEqiX7Qlaoxa_kwHppxEt4qrWKcJ6eN7Bl6ip0pI3PhQTIz2275z1IoFVgz9NojvHmF5Xabh_yMtAMD_rmr6VIXEbTadMS3jJc53qBGedOphoEh9LnGPzfvH5LodzIhGNe/s1600/ho+ho+homicide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwDLBzRIMMUeEqiX7Qlaoxa_kwHppxEt4qrWKcJ6eN7Bl6ip0pI3PhQTIz2275z1IoFVgz9NojvHmF5Xabh_yMtAMD_rmr6VIXEbTadMS3jJc53qBGedOphoEh9LnGPzfvH5LodzIhGNe/s400/ho+ho+homicide.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group picture of us acting out our roles for the night.</td></tr>
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Now I am officially in the festive spirit, and I'm ready to teach my students all about Christmas in the UK whilst wearing my Christmas jumper. I hope they're ready for me!</div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Laura :)</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-84303390239727558812015-12-09T08:30:00.000-08:002015-12-09T08:30:28.930-08:00A weekend of visitors!Hello everyone!<br />
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Apologies for this blog being slightly delayed, I had some visitors at the weekend and am only now getting around to writing my blog post!<br />
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So last week, I went on a little adventure to visit Carissa in Kirchdorf, and it's beautiful there. It was nice to step back into the countryside, and not being constantly surrounded by noise as I am in Linz. Here are a few pictures from this visit...<br />
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Carissa and I also went on a traditional Austrian baking course, where we learnt to make various cakes and biscuits that are eaten at this time of year. After getting over the initial understanding nothing as it was totally in dialect, we approached a nice-looking couple of ladies who were more than happy to help us and give us lots of information about what we were making and how to make it! We now have recipes for al of these, which is very exciting, and I'm looking forward to trying some out soon :)</div>
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On Friday, my visitors arrived, and I was very excited about it! Mum, Alison and Jen flew into Vienna on Friday night and I went in to collect them. We spent the weekend exploring parts of Austria, so here are some photos and details of what we got up to!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QZxm0shfq2anjkpaRPn3MMBWh97jGcSP98kB0Nz2_qrx-NjsfkAG2tHJF_7v3Wgv8DnCscMuVgl6QvzdeI3OLbUI3VIYq_JSYIcydTUGipOPrOEftbC_iC2obV6L0mIGu3Ucfu7CK26o/s1600/everyone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QZxm0shfq2anjkpaRPn3MMBWh97jGcSP98kB0Nz2_qrx-NjsfkAG2tHJF_7v3Wgv8DnCscMuVgl6QvzdeI3OLbUI3VIYq_JSYIcydTUGipOPrOEftbC_iC2obV6L0mIGu3Ucfu7CK26o/s400/everyone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Saturday:</div>
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We spent our first day looking around Linz. We went to the New Cathedral and the Old Cathedral, I took them for a look around the Christmas market, and we went for a walk along the Danube river too.</div>
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In the evening, we went out for dinner with two of my friends out here, Conor and Emma Cate. It was really lovely for them all to meet, not just so they can put names to faces, but also because they got on so well, and it was nice to bring some of home to Austria :) I also made sure everyone tried the traditional Wiener Schnitzel, and it seemed that everyone loved it!</div>
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Sunday:</div>
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Our second day was spent in Salzburg. We caught the train over in the morning and our first port of call was the tourist information, where (thanks to Emma Cate's knowledge!) we got tickets for €24 that got us into every tourist attraction in Salzburg, as well as giving us free travel for the day. </div>
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We took the bus into town, and where we got off, we had an amazing view up the river.</div>
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First off, we went to Festung Hohensalzburg, which is a castle up on a hill, the highest point in Salzburg, where you get the most amazing views! There was also a small Christmas market in the grounds of the castle, and a few museums and rooms you could go in and look around. </div>
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The next stop was lunch, and Jen and I decided we were going to go full-Austrian and have Bratwürstel with Sauerkraut and Mustard. And it was good!</div>
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After lunch, we went to the Salzburg Dom (cathedral) which had lots of stately rooms and beautiful art and Baroque architecture to look at. We did an audio tour of the rooms, and learnt a little bit about the history of Salzburg itself. The city gets its name from its salt mines. Salt (Salz) is the city's most important and prominent exports, and we saw lots of Salzburg salt being sold at the Christmas market. </div>
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Our final stop of the day was the Salzburg Christmas market, which was much bigger and busier that the one in Linz. However, unlike the Christmas markets in the UK, the stalls sell a lot of traditional food, and handmade local crafts and gifts, and so it is lovely to browse, and also a great place to do some Christmas shopping!</div>
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Monday:</div>
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Our third and final day was spent partly in Linz, buying a few souvenirs and Christmas presents before they travelled home, and partly in Vienna at the Rathaus Christmas market, which was, in my opinion, the best of the weekend. </div>
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After we managed to navigate the underground, we arrived at the Rathaus, but for some reason couldn't find the market. We somehow ended up in a courtyard in the middle of the Rathaus which reminded me a lot of Hogwarts...</div>
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But luckily we finally found our way to the Christmas market, and it was well worth the detour! </div>
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We spent some time browsing and shopping for Christmas presents, and treated ourselves to some Kinderpunsch (non-alcoholic punch, traditional at Christmas markets) to keep us warm in the Austrian winter weather!</div>
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I was sad to see them go on Monday night, but we had a wonderful weekend, and I loved having them to stay. Plus, I'll be flying home in two weeks today, so it won't be long until I see them again!</div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Laura :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-73521527185247647102015-11-30T07:38:00.000-08:002015-11-30T07:38:19.732-08:00My First ThanksgivingHi everyone :)<br />
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Yet again this week has flown by! Apart from work I've done a few exciting things:<br />
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1. I went to see the new Sound of Music film. It's a modern-day take and the story is told from Agathe's point of view, the oldest daughter in the Von Trapp family. There aren't all the famous songs, but it's the same story and it's a good film. I'd definitely recommend it.<br />
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2. I went on a lovely walk with Chloe, one of the British TAs in Linz, at a little lake near where she lives. It was freezing, but the sun came out (between snow showers) and the view was beautiful.<br />
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3. I found a 1kg limited edition jar of Nutella with Santa's face on it in my local supermarket, and naturally I bought it...</div>
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4. I spent most of my weekend working on my 1000 word progress report (in German) for Southampton University. It's a report on my year abroad research project, saying what I've done so far and what my plans are. I have finally completed it, and have a plan of action for the next few weeks, so that is good!</div>
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5. As a reward for finishing my progress report, I baked some Christmas biscuits. These are the ones that didn't end up burning (the oven likes to cook stuff quicker at the edges of the tray...)...but the burnt ones didn't go to waste! ;)</div>
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6. On Sunday afternoon, I celebrated my first ever Thanksgiving. Being me, I took along the most British dish I could think of: apple crumble. The food was amazing, and Carissa very much enjoyed my reactions to all the new foods - sweet potato casserole was definitely my favourite! It was such great fun to spend time with lots of the TAs from Upper Austria, and it made me realise how thankful I am for the wonderful friends I have made since moving to Austria. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe, Carissa and I post-dinner :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carissa and I post-dinner :)</td></tr>
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The thing I am most excited about right now though, is that Mum, Alison and Jen are coming to visit me next weekend, and I cannot wait to see them! I'm sure next week's blog post will include lots of adventure, and many pictures!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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Laura :)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-44950114027692504132015-11-22T01:41:00.000-08:002015-11-22T01:41:11.366-08:00The Christmas season is here! Yay!Hi everyone!<br />
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As I'm writing this post, it has just begun to snow outside my window, and it's getting heavier by the minute. I am extremely excited to have a snowy winter this year! The trouble is, watching the snow is very distracting, and it's hard to pull myself away from the window!<br />
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Anyway, back to this week...<br />
This week has been another varied week with lessons. I've talked about grammar, war and terrorism, Australia, smoking, American vs British English, adolescence, pronunciation and multicultural Britain!<br />
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I've also been asked to do some extra (paid!) work at a primary school, doing some basic English with 6 and 7 year olds, which is very much my cup of tea! It'll be great fun to play games, do basic vocabulary and sing some songs...however understanding their child ramblings in the Austrian dialect could be interesting! Fingers crossed there will be a teacher with me all the time, although it will probably help me to learn a lot quicker.<br />
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My film afternoon at my main school is all planned and ready - on the 19th December I'll be showing "The Sound of Music" at the school, and so far everyone seems really keen on coming, which is very exciting! One response in class came from a girl after my own heart. When I asked if they would be interested in a film afternoon, she said completely straight-faced "Will there be food?", to which I replied, "Of course!". Thankfully, that convinced her to come :P I'm asking them all to pay €1 for a ticket by the Wednesday before, and then I'll go and buy a load of snacks for them to eat during the film :) I just hope they enjoy it!<br />
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I also went along to a badminton club this week. I was nervous about going, but luckily I was put in touch with a guy at the club who speaks English, so whilst I want to practise my German, it was nice to have the choice of speaking English if I was struggling. The training is three hours, two nights a week, and I'd forgotten how exhausting it was! I have to say, my body is still aching three days on, and Friday was a struggle to move, but I loved it and I cannot wait to go back. It was lovely to be back playing again, and everyone was so welcoming. I think it will be a good little community to get involved in :)<br />
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On Saturday, the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) opened in Linz, and a group of us TAs went along. It's been quite warm here the last few weeks, but the temperature suddenly dropped on Friday, and it's turned quickly to winter. This just added to the atmosphere at the market. All the Christmas lights were lit, you could smell Gluhwein (mulled wine) and chocolate everywhere, and the stalls were selling beautiful handmade items which would make wonderful Christmas presents (spoiler alert for everyone back home! :P ). Here is a picture of the Linz Weihnachtsmarkt to give you an idea of what it's like...<br />
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I think that's all for this week. I'm working a lot on my Year Abroad Research Project at the moment, so my exploring has taken a step back for a couple of weeks until my deadline, but there will be more to come before the Christmas holidays!<br />
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Thanks for reading :)<br />
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Laura<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-50600864012394965532015-11-15T03:53:00.001-08:002015-11-15T03:53:57.463-08:00Dirndl shopping and a trip to GrazHi everyone!<br />
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This week has honestly flown by! With all the Austrian religious holidays, it's been a while since I've had a full week of work, so I'm tired, but it was good to get into a routine. This week I've taught lessons on pronunciation, media (phone hacking), the British class system (I used clips from Downton Abbey, the students didn't really get it :P ), and music in Britain, so again a real mix. I enjoy teaching lots of different topics as it varies my day, but it does mean lesson planning takes a lot longer!<br />
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Other than school, a few exciting things have happened:<br />
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1. I bought my own dirndl!<br />
Dirndls are the female equivalent of lederhosen, and so are the traditional dress in Austria. They aren't worn so much in the cities anymore, but for events and in the countryside they are still very popular. It will be such a good souvenir to take away from this year, and I feel like a true Austrian now :P<br />
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2. I am organising film nights for both of my schools to watch 'The Sound of Music'.</div>
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No-one over here has really seen 'The Sound of Music'. For us in Britain, it's a classic film about Austria, and it's where we get a lot of our Austrian stereotypes from, but it's not popular over here, so I thought it would be fun for them to watch it. Both schools seem enthusiastic about it, so I'm hoping it will go down well!</div>
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3. I've been to enquire about a gym membership and hopefully will be joining fairly soon to go along to fitness classes and swimming etc.</div>
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I also went on a trip to Graz, a town in the south of Austria in the Styria region. I went with two other TAs, Emma Cate and Carissa, and we stayed with the daughter of one of the teachers Emma Cate works with. She was lovely, so welcoming and kind, and her boyfriend is from Spain so it was a good opportunity to practise a little Spanish. We travelled to Graz by train on Friday afternoon and came back Saturday night, so it was a flying visit, but I think we managed to fit in everything we wanted to see! Here are a few photos from our time in Graz:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Schlossberg, a huge hill in the middle of Graz where you can see all over the city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahKhgGHlI1CsPcm3dEhLMpI8gmjwyWmw2bECSQesR9y1ZT2WGIRRE45EmTq3PmAFXqPz6H2UcUTcNIA0WG_P05aOcCjaZg-hV7R5xRUvVYoC33rVvx9ptaPtEfZkIxVpzR6lYb8maGoEy/s1600/DSC09507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahKhgGHlI1CsPcm3dEhLMpI8gmjwyWmw2bECSQesR9y1ZT2WGIRRE45EmTq3PmAFXqPz6H2UcUTcNIA0WG_P05aOcCjaZg-hV7R5xRUvVYoC33rVvx9ptaPtEfZkIxVpzR6lYb8maGoEy/s400/DSC09507.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The view from Schlossberg, a huge hill in the middle of Graz where you can see all over the city.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo_EysQe3wNXauFiY-wCcpS4Wst6kakg9rTlJ5GMQuvqjkMUahAtL2YTG0R15TI4_JJD0Qb0vm8HlwBKNzNRtZ2-DcVD06Rp48nq4NFK3wx1hPBr_Zdxj2IXq5D562uHBcOxbistXLPvR/s1600/DSC09514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo_EysQe3wNXauFiY-wCcpS4Wst6kakg9rTlJ5GMQuvqjkMUahAtL2YTG0R15TI4_JJD0Qb0vm8HlwBKNzNRtZ2-DcVD06Rp48nq4NFK3wx1hPBr_Zdxj2IXq5D562uHBcOxbistXLPvR/s400/DSC09514.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Cate and I in a little garden on the Schlossberg.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4WafQq4NIyNPLhBtwPkOj1TagOXFgETcq827IHsL_CNXzEMgpqn4BQHYBIt509IM1rvtq8oq8fGFSks5GnbWyWSshcgdf-eYyefSySG3Z-HDOPfvthZ1j0DGoJgoRUFWXcs279yU-ndB/s1600/DSC09519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4WafQq4NIyNPLhBtwPkOj1TagOXFgETcq827IHsL_CNXzEMgpqn4BQHYBIt509IM1rvtq8oq8fGFSks5GnbWyWSshcgdf-eYyefSySG3Z-HDOPfvthZ1j0DGoJgoRUFWXcs279yU-ndB/s400/DSC09519.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The view from Schlossberg, a huge hill in the middle of Graz where you can see all over the city.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OOa2Qwn-mNi1u1RmTJnVoIfm6K5yZG_3a85uVpTk_llpqmrE-MxeNi0oI1qD5EY07-VLCcW7bx6cuv-2djX63Xn0dLGzWdcHWm8Xop385YJBDwocVtJ8xQsW5MZFB31klNWzHscPUkh_/s1600/DSC09521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OOa2Qwn-mNi1u1RmTJnVoIfm6K5yZG_3a85uVpTk_llpqmrE-MxeNi0oI1qD5EY07-VLCcW7bx6cuv-2djX63Xn0dLGzWdcHWm8Xop385YJBDwocVtJ8xQsW5MZFB31klNWzHscPUkh_/s400/DSC09521.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The steps up the side of the Schlossberg - we only walked down there, luckily there was a much gentler slope on the other side!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sIQElkmHK5VT8mU2iGVwCIbDENXgFqnpeIrqoZ5IG_I86zgSQk0NDwmjbtR7TyckGik1m9jMHQOdsX8rk0ayDAkiBDxSAX93h-nCZJedUl2O9YF4Wrolg0scGk_KXX1m7oDgionvtDTJ/s1600/DSC09522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sIQElkmHK5VT8mU2iGVwCIbDENXgFqnpeIrqoZ5IG_I86zgSQk0NDwmjbtR7TyckGik1m9jMHQOdsX8rk0ayDAkiBDxSAX93h-nCZJedUl2O9YF4Wrolg0scGk_KXX1m7oDgionvtDTJ/s400/DSC09522.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murinsel - a restaurant built in the middle of the Mur river which also acts as a bridge. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuczz9IEnSHaEaEOMlaldF8AzmuvZPZHrAAZvY5eybGsZZh_bDc4KKGT-u0Cng20SjCu_8Ww0esJeOTMmWbN9GFRwlBD3g_n-jP1z-nsaMqyqgOVk2xM3yfjeZk6Y4HJA-hrhucGevmFQE/s1600/DSC09538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuczz9IEnSHaEaEOMlaldF8AzmuvZPZHrAAZvY5eybGsZZh_bDc4KKGT-u0Cng20SjCu_8Ww0esJeOTMmWbN9GFRwlBD3g_n-jP1z-nsaMqyqgOVk2xM3yfjeZk6Y4HJA-hrhucGevmFQE/s320/DSC09538.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The opera house</td></tr>
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We also went to see the cathedral, ate waffles in the Hauptplatz, and got very excited at finding 'The Body Shop' in the town centre (I may have bought a candle...oops!) </div>
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All in all this week has been great. I'm exhausted and ready to sleep for a very long time, but I've had great fun, and I'm loving having this opportunity to explore Austria. </div>
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However the awful news of Paris has really left me shaken. For something like this to happen so close to home, it really makes you realise how dangerous ISIS is. So many innocent lives have been lost across the world this weekend, not just in the terrorist attacks in Paris, but also in earthquakes in Japan and Mexico, at a funeral bombed in Baghdad, and a suicide bombing in Beirut. It makes me so sad to see the world in such a mess. I am very lucky to have the opportunity I have to be living in Austria having the time of my life, and to be safe, and this makes me all the more determined to make the most of it, and focus on the positive parts of life. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMt4KFksKM1QFFqysUTcoclnuKl0mtwPPv-PoKdjA5FWVWAcIJjGcCvC1tc967c7RLglKN7qLLnzG5r8OTlHQfGlXBKxfnGarK5a_2xHmk3IYmjPtT0S4Qb_v-bf45EezT4SDMUDGj3dh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-15+at+11.32.55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMt4KFksKM1QFFqysUTcoclnuKl0mtwPPv-PoKdjA5FWVWAcIJjGcCvC1tc967c7RLglKN7qLLnzG5r8OTlHQfGlXBKxfnGarK5a_2xHmk3IYmjPtT0S4Qb_v-bf45EezT4SDMUDGj3dh/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-15+at+11.32.55.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."</span></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Martin Luther King Jr.</span></span></div>
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Stay safe! My thoughts are with all those affected by this weekend's tragedies.</div>
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Laura :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-79671353572461298782015-11-08T03:40:00.003-08:002015-11-08T03:40:27.920-08:00Teaching Trials and Adventures to Altaussee Hi everyone!<br />
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It's been a while since my last blog post, so I thought it was about time for an update.<br />
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I feel like I'm getting into my stride with teaching now. I'm really starting to enjoy it! I've done lessons on Facebook, smoking, bonfire night, prom, report writing...and many more! The staff are very friendly and mostly helpful, and the students mostly are enthusiastic and interested. I especially enjoy teaching the 8th form (equivalent of year 13) because they speak very good English and really like hearing about England and things, and tend to participate in the lessons really well.<br />
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There have, however, been a few 'teaching trials', which I feel many of my fellow teaching assistants will understand:<br />
- Some teachers do not reply to emails, ever, which means I have no idea what they would like me to plan for the lesson, and then decide to tell me what they want me to do an hour (or less) beforehand!<br />
- It's hard to get 15 year olds to speak. They just sit there and look at you blankly until you start rambling like a crazy person and wasting five minutes of the lesson.<br />
- Some students just love to talk, only they love to talk in German, and that doesn't really help in an English lesson.<br />
- Some teachers like to sit back and let you lead the lesson, which is fine unless the class misbehave. Others like to participate in the lesson, which is fine unless they say something that isn't quite true, and then you have to decide whether to correct them in front of the class or just let it go and hope the students didn't take it in.<br />
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I went to one of my schools' Maturaball last week, which is basically like their year 13 prom, but they tend to do it earlier in the year. It's very different to prom back home though, as it's not just the students that go to the ball, but also their families, teachers, previous students of the school, and younger students too - so there were a lot of people! There isn't a sit down meal, but you have the opportunity to buy drinks and food while you're there. All of the food is made by the students, just like the decorations and invitations, because the whole of the Maturaball is organised and funded entirely by the students. This means that in the weeks leading up to the Maturaball, students are selling a lot of cake at break time, so I'm not complaining! I was really impressed at how much effort they had put into the organisation, and on top of that, they also provided the entertainment. There were group class dances, as well as a teachers dance, a tombola and many sketches that took place throughout the evening. I thoroughly enjoyed my time, and it was a great opportunity to get to know members of staff better and practise my German.<br />
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As last weekend was Halloween, I decided some baking was in order. We didn't really celebrate or anything, but my housemate, her boyfriend and I went to a lovely tea house in Linz for a relaxing evening of tea drinking and then came back to carve pumpkins. We were very impressed at Markus' attempt at carving the smallest pumpkin I have ever seen. And of course, I carved a minion into my pumpkin...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOkhZb2aUzao0Az4CZKxbk5mNj-Ld3n4Wpgt6awA8Pk5X1AMcQ3jnh5JKYyMkfJ9A3CO1nE8hAmoAGgJ54S1v25jzL_hI_Mo9fMnB48AD6jQjCFwVNXJlD7cx4CoV1sz4-IGs49MrZnVO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.19.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOkhZb2aUzao0Az4CZKxbk5mNj-Ld3n4Wpgt6awA8Pk5X1AMcQ3jnh5JKYyMkfJ9A3CO1nE8hAmoAGgJ54S1v25jzL_hI_Mo9fMnB48AD6jQjCFwVNXJlD7cx4CoV1sz4-IGs49MrZnVO/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.19.32.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKILD4m0Syf_tIKYoB5ne5UbxlB3sbdQ71pwg-qRqg5ekdU05_8oPz8R0ptstirI8SBJuhCOTvfI-yFZRn9dC8nW9jbL5pWw2vGMXdHaUTj4J7aFR_0zVG9VjujeDKmBeolUNwAd2Gu5iJ/s1600/Pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKILD4m0Syf_tIKYoB5ne5UbxlB3sbdQ71pwg-qRqg5ekdU05_8oPz8R0ptstirI8SBJuhCOTvfI-yFZRn9dC8nW9jbL5pWw2vGMXdHaUTj4J7aFR_0zVG9VjujeDKmBeolUNwAd2Gu5iJ/s400/Pumpkins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My minion pumpkin, Markus' tiny pumpkin and Charlotte's pumpkin</td></tr>
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Last Thursday I went to see Spectre, the new James Bond film, and I loved it! I won't be giving away any spoilers, but it was amazing! I ended up going on my own, which I was a little nervous about, but I actually really enjoyed it, and felt like a strong independent woman who just goes to the cinema on her own and doesn't care! Sounds silly, but it made me feel good :P I think it might become a regular occurrence, as it's also a great way to watch German films.<br />
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It's also been really lovely to spend time with the other TAs - I feel like I'm making some wonderful friends who I have a lot in common with. It's great to have people I can go exploring with, but also who I can stay in and watch movies with :)<br />
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During my days off, I've been spending time working on my year abroad project, for which I have a deadline at the end of November, so a lot of my free time will be taken up with that for the next few weeks, but I have been off on some adventures too, because I want to make the most of my time over here!<br />
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For example yesterday, three of the TAs and I went on an adventure to Altausee, which coincidentally is where part of the new James Bond film is filmed! (Everyone was very excited in the cinema I can tell you!) It was honestly so beautiful. We took a train from Linz to Bad Aussee and then a bus up to Altaussee, which is a little village in the mountains. There is a lake there that you can walk around in about 2 hours, and I will add some pictures of our walk because the autumn colours and the reflections in the lake and the mountains surrounding us were breath-taking!<br />
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I have plans to do lots more walks like this, and to go and explore lots of towns and villages around Austria, because it is such a beautiful country with such a variety of scenery - I really love it here :) I am also hoping to join some sports classes in the next few weeks with the French assistant at my school, as it will be a good way to keep fit whilst also meeting new people. My aim now is to get involved in a lot more activities and meet new people to practise my German, because I feel like that will help me settle in a lot more.<br />
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The final thing I wanted to say is that I am starting to make some progress with the dialect over here. It's not easy at all, and at times sounds like a completely different language...here is a link to a YouTube video that gives you an idea of what I'm up against! The man in the video is actually from Upper Austria, where I am, so that is how people here sound :)<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkuAd97WUSw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkuAd97WUSw</a><br />
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Thanks for reading! I'll hopefully have lots more adventures to tell you about in my next blog post :)<br />
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Laura :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-77329119630896229412015-10-29T09:02:00.000-07:002015-10-29T09:02:18.960-07:00Prague!Last weekend, my friend Conor and I went on an adventure to Prague, as we had a long weekend due to Monday being a National Holiday in Austria. Here is a summary of what we got up to!<br />
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<u>Friday 23rd October</u><br />
There is a company called WESTbus who do bus journeys all over Austria, as well as into Germany and the Czech Republic. We were able to get a direct bus from Linz to Prague for just €26 each, and it only took 3.5 hours. The bus itself was pretty comfy, despite the rather rowdy crowd of Austrians sat right behind us, and it was a good way to travel. Once we arrived in Prague, we managed to find our way to a metro station, buy the tickets (the currency there is the Czech Koruna, and €1 equates to 26 Korunas - not easy mental maths I can tell you!), get two metros and a tram, and walk up a rather steep hill to our hostel, all without getting lost. We were staying in the Arpacay Backpackers hostel, and I would highly recommend it to anyone staying in Prague. It was €50 each for the weekend (three nights), and breakfast was just €3. Everything was clean and nice, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. We stayed in a 4 bed dorm on the fourth floor, where we had an amazing view of Prague castle from one window, and over the whole of Prague from the other - not bad!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA_ZcnGqr-mjKz0EkUT2zCFfeaTmG0DnfdAgvZ-xGbsuuP3d1qvEa_llkNx-NAtAIOOZckYZvyOWTQ-JE4HAJB4EuS4GMVBLGgdUQ3EBL-Fs9WwmiEOP3YCnsnQwykUAkl7soGfBBY0Ye/s1600/View+from+the+hostel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA_ZcnGqr-mjKz0EkUT2zCFfeaTmG0DnfdAgvZ-xGbsuuP3d1qvEa_llkNx-NAtAIOOZckYZvyOWTQ-JE4HAJB4EuS4GMVBLGgdUQ3EBL-Fs9WwmiEOP3YCnsnQwykUAkl7soGfBBY0Ye/s400/View+from+the+hostel.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view over Prague</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKuAb9vEHoMCoHcletwTFjO3N7cZ8PBheJuPykn94xfdvQ7ZzrsMMThQ7h-84HOdOxCLtqwO2LoQ94wGtG9a_V-r94JGUhTiu19PMIS-ptWrd_GBkR7J-yVwPy5GoMrjdVdjBT0rJwI-S/s1600/View+from+the+hostel+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKuAb9vEHoMCoHcletwTFjO3N7cZ8PBheJuPykn94xfdvQ7ZzrsMMThQ7h-84HOdOxCLtqwO2LoQ94wGtG9a_V-r94JGUhTiu19PMIS-ptWrd_GBkR7J-yVwPy5GoMrjdVdjBT0rJwI-S/s400/View+from+the+hostel+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view of the castle</td></tr>
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On Friday evening we headed up to the castle and had a little look around. It was beautiful. We decided that we would have to come back another day and do the guided castle tour because there was just too much to take in all at once!</div>
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We headed back down into the town and looked for somewhere to have dinner. We ended up finding a nice restaurant where we had duck, and apple strudel for dessert (the most important part!), and once we worked out the conversion into Euros, we realised just how reasonably priced Prague is!</div>
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<u>Saturday 24th October</u><br />
On Saturday we headed down into the Old Town. We were staying on the other side of the river, and so the first thing we saw was Charles Bridge. We climbed an old watch tower, and this was the amazing view we had of a rather misty Prague.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiolUWmkVAlYJ6kVAx6U9-sHd8rRHj-S74Xe30V2hN12hRefXRFsW6eBiakdk-YfjYHQUPT-ir4qmk27GNxmxqc2ZcPAONqUU7rX-O8_bskus6pS_FcfsTDdmDqQYKIjlOXHGZcMAl1N4V/s1600/Charles+Bridge+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiolUWmkVAlYJ6kVAx6U9-sHd8rRHj-S74Xe30V2hN12hRefXRFsW6eBiakdk-YfjYHQUPT-ir4qmk27GNxmxqc2ZcPAONqUU7rX-O8_bskus6pS_FcfsTDdmDqQYKIjlOXHGZcMAl1N4V/s400/Charles+Bridge+5.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Lesser Town Tower of Charles Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGRS-r1dbyX65f7wJlFXM7KP4Q2_uCHglAkUMPnqjM83LB8qLliu0zQ4Fvtb3DF04m7_aQHBQCkE2jS6Y_nQe8UhzeZrOvCxmVWDpCY7mNie5CH60DDt97dMKkzrEee6-FO9j9VAk55fR/s1600/View+from+Charles+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGRS-r1dbyX65f7wJlFXM7KP4Q2_uCHglAkUMPnqjM83LB8qLliu0zQ4Fvtb3DF04m7_aQHBQCkE2jS6Y_nQe8UhzeZrOvCxmVWDpCY7mNie5CH60DDt97dMKkzrEee6-FO9j9VAk55fR/s400/View+from+Charles+Bridge.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Charles Bridge</td></tr>
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The view as we crossed Charles Bridge was also phenomenal, and we were lucky to be crossing fairly early as it became packed with tourists later on in the day. The construction of the bridge began in 1357, and took a very long time to be completed as floods kept destroying parts of the bridge. There are statues of important historical figures for Prague placed along the bridge, which itself is around 620 metres long!</div>
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We then headed into Old Town Square, and we went on a free walking tour of the city of Prague. It was so interesting to hear stories, both fact and legend, about the city and its various monuments, and I would recommend Discover Prague tours to anyone visiting Prague. The walking tour lasted around 2.5 hours, and went to the following places:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoxJVjfYIfpLVQTAbs8kusJNI9wY6_cdQCHc-yEvIrvsaqJA3JeN4rZHTUyEfSe0JfzoEGF27rMNXk7pvnINFocRAuBj-QZEZR8ikC25ZRInLuXSSo8DmprntFwFI1vl66KBskHIks54a/s1600/Jan+Hus+memorial.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoxJVjfYIfpLVQTAbs8kusJNI9wY6_cdQCHc-yEvIrvsaqJA3JeN4rZHTUyEfSe0JfzoEGF27rMNXk7pvnINFocRAuBj-QZEZR8ikC25ZRInLuXSSo8DmprntFwFI1vl66KBskHIks54a/s400/Jan+Hus+memorial.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial to Jan Hus, a key member of the Protestant movement during the Catholic-Protestant wars. He was burned at the stake for heresy in 1415, but his followers, the Hussites, continued to fight against Roman Catholic rule in the Hussite wars after his death.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLoS2ejnfJ6YLAHYSvrTh6sIjhz2ApmbQ3oN-TcmEi0R7BWcyccSAPB3DKKCz4PjXqvA3k55F5pP3AClk7k5kUD6VtLMjdcLmxGGidze0-0e7ci2S1MQM6NhdjkV4ZREefzbmFzW9-rpV/s1600/Old+Town+Hall+and+Clock+Tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLoS2ejnfJ6YLAHYSvrTh6sIjhz2ApmbQ3oN-TcmEi0R7BWcyccSAPB3DKKCz4PjXqvA3k55F5pP3AClk7k5kUD6VtLMjdcLmxGGidze0-0e7ci2S1MQM6NhdjkV4ZREefzbmFzW9-rpV/s400/Old+Town+Hall+and+Clock+Tower.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Town Tower, home to the Astronomical Clock, which apparently is the number one overrated tourist attraction in Europe. Every hour there is a 'clock show' which is not very impressive nowadays, however it is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world, as it was installed in 1410. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx26AvRpJ0Jg_uKhDzL2E345-dLdgLJkhsiAzVOsrZSV1DjUxkt09lx6lWfJdAzrz_k3iKeBx5WvewNlth0d6VuV7MfYNuOA2Bt55Byw8pz5IvuUZvGxXBGOqgQz0o8ODb6UWR06eF9XAh/s1600/Rudolfinium.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx26AvRpJ0Jg_uKhDzL2E345-dLdgLJkhsiAzVOsrZSV1DjUxkt09lx6lWfJdAzrz_k3iKeBx5WvewNlth0d6VuV7MfYNuOA2Bt55Byw8pz5IvuUZvGxXBGOqgQz0o8ODb6UWR06eF9XAh/s400/Rudolfinium.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rudolfinum is now a concert hall and art gallery in Prague, and home to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, however during the war is was made the office of Reinhard Heydrich, a high-ranking Nazi official. Around the top of the building are statues of famous composers, however there is a story that says during the war, Heydrich was angry that there was a statue of Mendelssohn on the roof, as he was a Jew, and so he ordered two men to go up and take down the statue. However they did not know what Mendelssohn looked like, and by accident took down the statue of Wagner, an anti-semite and Hitler's favourite composer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAMcK2mndxmY8W_h1PsV7jH4S1eHjfXfLPLWSFyZdQnwgJJHzqmVMJwlFyYXxUi2EWEB8K8aTp3q38e1W4kkrVkMgb3jtn62XdecccEU8s5t3EnXs3-57wrEgUKyf4z0ktug9d4x-2zL8/s1600/Tyn+Church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAMcK2mndxmY8W_h1PsV7jH4S1eHjfXfLPLWSFyZdQnwgJJHzqmVMJwlFyYXxUi2EWEB8K8aTp3q38e1W4kkrVkMgb3jtn62XdecccEU8s5t3EnXs3-57wrEgUKyf4z0ktug9d4x-2zL8/s400/Tyn+Church.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyn Church dates back to the 14th century, and was designed in the late gothic style, however construction took a long time as it was controlled by the Hussites for two centuries. If you look closely, the two towers are not actually the same size!</td></tr>
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After the tour we decided to have some lunch, and we ended up in an Italian restaurant. After lunch we went to an art gallery in Old Town Square that was home to three exhibits by Salvador Dali, Jan and Kaja Saudek and Andy Warhol, which were really interesting, even to someone who isn't a massive art fan!</div>
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Our plan was then to go on a Legends Tour of Prague, to find out more about the stories told about the city, however we were the only ones to turn up, and so there were not enough people to run the tour. However, the tour guide was very kind, and on his 'walk home' told us a few stories about the Bridge and other monuments, so we didn't miss out altogether! Many of the stories had some form of death in them, and the apparent preferred method of killing someone in Prague was 'defenestration' which means throwing someone out of a window! This seemed to happen a fair amount, and so we were told if we were going to upset a Czech, it's best to do it on the ground floor!</div>
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We were absolutely shattered by this point, and so headed back to the hostel via a crêperie (oops!) for raspberry and chocolate crêpes and hot chocolate! Our other two roommates had arrived by the time we got back, a guy from Canada and a guy from Germany, so we spent quite a long time chatting with them that evening and getting to know each other, and it was really interesting to hear about the travelling they have been doing.</div>
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<u>Sunday 25th October</u><br />
On Sunday morning, the guy from Germany joined us to do some exploring. Our plan was to return to the Jewish quarter to do the Jewish museum and cemetery as we didn't see much of it on the tour the day before, however the queue was very long, and so we decided we would come back. Instead we went to see the John Lennon wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hkXG0biv1qy0wlMyZZUiRK8Ouhu89GHaOYTwmXywxSO2Pc_NJx-OqoiSvDZ475mR3pfEELcV49QPJUYsfWGQ0hTKacgCSM_3bUyouTAvDD1anl66UC8ZoQmWhCbDfUFvGBzUbo468xvN/s1600/John+Lennon+Wall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hkXG0biv1qy0wlMyZZUiRK8Ouhu89GHaOYTwmXywxSO2Pc_NJx-OqoiSvDZ475mR3pfEELcV49QPJUYsfWGQ0hTKacgCSM_3bUyouTAvDD1anl66UC8ZoQmWhCbDfUFvGBzUbo468xvN/s400/John+Lennon+Wall.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We walked back through Kampa Park, which was looking beautiful with all the autumnal colours, and onto an island in the middle of the Vlatava river, where we ended up eating lunch in a restaurant overlooking the river. Here are a few pictures from that:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbcS8ogaIpWGXu1wYF9Il6iW7ePUXrx-OLhg7telPpNwseLTBpNUKzwagPf9oXWm2GmSegRGaJSjHgo2KGpYGmZhoFgszWgQsytEdFFb1gR0-N9WrREhfL1aUadphuXkmOcQ6tvcHvqAh/s1600/Kampa+park+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbcS8ogaIpWGXu1wYF9Il6iW7ePUXrx-OLhg7telPpNwseLTBpNUKzwagPf9oXWm2GmSegRGaJSjHgo2KGpYGmZhoFgszWgQsytEdFFb1gR0-N9WrREhfL1aUadphuXkmOcQ6tvcHvqAh/s400/Kampa+park+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8zL7pulvl0C6Am5tuIEL1PGIyeD_Yc9a2MGpbNHOGM2PT2vvNnFpwxoFHK9SqAh6flffSQSBnkFdcCa5SCLXVvC6AIAJ6o0cCahb8B5N25NtHm0RHRMVwLW5gN300pdja5oSL3ANrbgm/s1600/Kampa+park+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8zL7pulvl0C6Am5tuIEL1PGIyeD_Yc9a2MGpbNHOGM2PT2vvNnFpwxoFHK9SqAh6flffSQSBnkFdcCa5SCLXVvC6AIAJ6o0cCahb8B5N25NtHm0RHRMVwLW5gN300pdja5oSL3ANrbgm/s400/Kampa+park+11.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3q3tBswZkZeVlNgYekKCtIfVA_8epiAHfYyFQemNBZbHUUnTULMZDj071hmX8dfSeiYemoqhTJ44w3zYuLBHyReqOS_C8WUdLEoRLbsQK7dm56Wra1zN1N9ovpTp8QZjoRXppqyDpQe3/s1600/Kampa+park+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3q3tBswZkZeVlNgYekKCtIfVA_8epiAHfYyFQemNBZbHUUnTULMZDj071hmX8dfSeiYemoqhTJ44w3zYuLBHyReqOS_C8WUdLEoRLbsQK7dm56Wra1zN1N9ovpTp8QZjoRXppqyDpQe3/s400/Kampa+park+13.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyQwstzigd56sEnc3_V734PzPnEwk-_QwPMvIJhlm61hzaC-2AQztZhFPSqyyw2c8eDent4lXh5-04kr6SsApcHyYM8vDB3_JYiXXqs-bm-7yslulCfHkpBXi1w14xU9gY07w3j_kiNEl/s1600/Strelecky+Island+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyQwstzigd56sEnc3_V734PzPnEwk-_QwPMvIJhlm61hzaC-2AQztZhFPSqyyw2c8eDent4lXh5-04kr6SsApcHyYM8vDB3_JYiXXqs-bm-7yslulCfHkpBXi1w14xU9gY07w3j_kiNEl/s400/Strelecky+Island+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfOQ340ObQL7K2nsc2s2OcmOXH4uc2cE9M08G2TOKr0-iCmZKN4LQ8Va3R7o4jkiGOrbb866T4OACdxs1aJzyvxe84uW2ULJoGXPA5optsf-TvUEL-03QhpFZSt00eHZdn8S9zM4Jgubr/s1600/Strelecky+Island+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfOQ340ObQL7K2nsc2s2OcmOXH4uc2cE9M08G2TOKr0-iCmZKN4LQ8Va3R7o4jkiGOrbb866T4OACdxs1aJzyvxe84uW2ULJoGXPA5optsf-TvUEL-03QhpFZSt00eHZdn8S9zM4Jgubr/s400/Strelecky+Island+7.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After lunch we headed back to the Jewish quarter, but the queue was still long (even by British standards, as Conor liked to tease me) and it was quite expensive, so sadly we ended up going to a chocolate museum instead. Yes, that's right, a museum dedicated to chocolate. Naturally, I was in heaven. It was actually very interesting, you learnt a lot about the history of chocolate and the legends surrounding it in Latin America, all the while getting to taste endless free chocolate. And we had a demonstration of truffle making (which we also got to eat) and a 10% discount voucher for the shop...!<br />
Once I'd eaten my fill of chocolate, we had dinner in a little restaurant in the centre of Prague with our roommates (I had a salad - felt I needed to balance out all the chocolate, plus I really wasn't hungry!), and then we went to see a concert in St Nicholas Church in Old Town Square. In Prague at the weekends there are concerts everywhere, and it would be impossible to avoid going to one. We watched the Prague Brass Ensemble and it was a very lovely concert, and I experienced something I never have before - the pews had heated cushions! It was quite something!<br />
So after two very busy days and lots of food, it's safe to say I slept well that night!<br />
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<u>Monday 26th October</u><br />
Monday was our last day in Prague, and we checked out of our room but left our luggage at the hostel. We had signed up for a guided castle tour for the morning as we hadn't had chance to fit it into the rest of the week, and it was great fun. Here are a few pictures from our castle tour:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fr0XkNYLpTLz4QTm_Mkmvi6Yc3oZmcWrMgxcKBkvPYfL6ZUC7bKQz6z_hPXnwasEm7u2Vpug04eK3b3EtvrFAAqdgc1XzEcv1NQljf_Gjvw9Fb7_2WuKOZBkhgg1pH0NIfgT15pup_Zl/s1600/Petrin+Tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fr0XkNYLpTLz4QTm_Mkmvi6Yc3oZmcWrMgxcKBkvPYfL6ZUC7bKQz6z_hPXnwasEm7u2Vpug04eK3b3EtvrFAAqdgc1XzEcv1NQljf_Gjvw9Fb7_2WuKOZBkhgg1pH0NIfgT15pup_Zl/s400/Petrin+Tower.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From one viewpoint we could see this, the Petrin Tower. This was opened in 1891, two years after the Eiffel Tower, which it strongly resembles. It was actually designed by the same architect who designed the Eiffel Tower. The Czechs claim that the Petrin Tower is actually taller than the Eiffel Tower, but they seem to be also counting the height of the hill it stands on!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM13zW1HqwSeemn1c0bFnaUb6B-ryWi1y16VEqqJ2K1Bi0iKtHOsmsIGp_jTUD4ctFKdZ1jt6nbDsK4hyphenhyphenqunmVLQNPRRSX3Kqd_Xyc_00YL9yTa14Ww5toluqKHBUn8NCdJNfe-CSnJIbz/s1600/Prague+Castle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM13zW1HqwSeemn1c0bFnaUb6B-ryWi1y16VEqqJ2K1Bi0iKtHOsmsIGp_jTUD4ctFKdZ1jt6nbDsK4hyphenhyphenqunmVLQNPRRSX3Kqd_Xyc_00YL9yTa14Ww5toluqKHBUn8NCdJNfe-CSnJIbz/s400/Prague+Castle.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prague Castle and the Hercules Gate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPY54Urjl3kEwJlGbUYB1tha4JFHQ_2IOTPb2kMbNA9xgJ91U_e0_Vd8XNJ4fRZwVzfrl7wTMJA7zG9xtOyEAmlOIUXaStep1KwJZz3WMrGLWpG5mr7HSFipfP2ivggsv8yeOF5-9IlBF/s1600/Archbishop%2527s+palace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPY54Urjl3kEwJlGbUYB1tha4JFHQ_2IOTPb2kMbNA9xgJ91U_e0_Vd8XNJ4fRZwVzfrl7wTMJA7zG9xtOyEAmlOIUXaStep1KwJZz3WMrGLWpG5mr7HSFipfP2ivggsv8yeOF5-9IlBF/s400/Archbishop%2527s+palace.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Archbishop's Palace. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhVLtq_9a6NYcU1EVc2CjuKn8HpKi2dnTq68rmyygFJt42iefbrwmGgF5Dp6-a9dtpF4d3hAr00jJ7fUGFzcXE9WM5WZCpiUYu_MLFPENElI96Hm0Te4hUufbk9PBKmpwYx6IVOQx1utw/s1600/St+Vitus+Cathedral+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhVLtq_9a6NYcU1EVc2CjuKn8HpKi2dnTq68rmyygFJt42iefbrwmGgF5Dp6-a9dtpF4d3hAr00jJ7fUGFzcXE9WM5WZCpiUYu_MLFPENElI96Hm0Te4hUufbk9PBKmpwYx6IVOQx1utw/s400/St+Vitus+Cathedral+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Vitus Cathedral, which stands in the castle grounds. The front part of the cathedral, as you can see here, was built in the 1920s, and painted black to fit in with the Gothic facade of the back part of the cathedral. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mcadKEmhmQgyPoGlw6hokFGU_xeEOpHpfoed0JNi6UCA34Gmb0Gd3meE-ezibREr_Pcb1Elcv9FlbWFcUK1nwsB63AIjtOkESGx89eXQRi0K12yGJTC7ICH_LWg9vxX-QXGTtwL0CTpF/s1600/St+Vitus+Cathedral+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mcadKEmhmQgyPoGlw6hokFGU_xeEOpHpfoed0JNi6UCA34Gmb0Gd3meE-ezibREr_Pcb1Elcv9FlbWFcUK1nwsB63AIjtOkESGx89eXQRi0K12yGJTC7ICH_LWg9vxX-QXGTtwL0CTpF/s400/St+Vitus+Cathedral+6.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back part of St Vitus Cathedral in it's original Gothic style.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRehhSfXjmMubzkbbS-JwLZCQ1jKcjSmmeIgHL8Hol0tZVpJyckoz5KQpM3colCCFVHvOvyuYXz11G4QoRA5IluTZ_maH_yTmGCewAQNbhSl-oiFIRitbI7fF1MFLR367pKZ9VN5F3Uo_A/s1600/St+Vitus+Cathedral+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRehhSfXjmMubzkbbS-JwLZCQ1jKcjSmmeIgHL8Hol0tZVpJyckoz5KQpM3colCCFVHvOvyuYXz11G4QoRA5IluTZ_maH_yTmGCewAQNbhSl-oiFIRitbI7fF1MFLR367pKZ9VN5F3Uo_A/s400/St+Vitus+Cathedral+10.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside St Vitus Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT138Om50lmrMyAEv29CT33WfdP3f5E5LRmQRV8ab1dYT1GXqZyy2J7Li911tdDRR1m2G6fnxOmmW9EgN5oD5sdEI9Aq88_FKt4qTStdxnKyWVk4H57-_0q7K_09IeDrjL_N7jfbaaAy7V/s1600/Cernin+Palace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT138Om50lmrMyAEv29CT33WfdP3f5E5LRmQRV8ab1dYT1GXqZyy2J7Li911tdDRR1m2G6fnxOmmW9EgN5oD5sdEI9Aq88_FKt4qTStdxnKyWVk4H57-_0q7K_09IeDrjL_N7jfbaaAy7V/s400/Cernin+Palace.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Czernin Palace, now home to the Czech foreign ministry, and also the site of another defenestration (throwing out of a window).</td></tr>
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After our tour of the castle and surrounding area, which took about 3 hours, we then headed to the train station after picking up our bags from the hostel. Unfortunately there weren't any buses on the Monday so we had to get the train back, but it was still a comfortable journey, once we'd figured out how to buy our tickets and where we needed to be! And the most exciting part was the fact that inside the train were little carriage compartments, like on the Hogwarts express!<br />
We made it home safely on Monday evening, and I can't speak for Conor, but I was exhausted! I had a fantastic time in Prague, it is a beautiful city and would recommend it to anyone wanting to do some travelling around Europe.<br />
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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this rather long blog post!<br />
<br />
Laura :)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-57785253545610324412015-10-18T03:07:00.001-07:002015-10-18T03:07:46.809-07:00My Second SchoolHello everyone!<br />
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This week I started at my second school. My Monday morning didn't start off too well, as I arrived at the school and was taken into the staff room by the secretary, and after waiting for ten minutes or so, I was informed that my contact teacher at the school was signed off ill for three days and they didn't have a timetable for me. Luckily some of the English teachers adopted me for the morning and I was passed around different classes until they found my timetable, which then turned out to be wrong, so I will have a different timetable when I go back in two weeks! However despite all of this, all the teachers were very helpful, and one of the teachers especially. She's letting me share her desk, and gave up an hour and a half of her own time on Monday to go through everything with me, introduce me to everyone and answer all my questions. She was a life saver!<br />
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Something I have also found about the school is that the children are louder, and like to chat amongst themselves in class. One of the teachers said that this might be because it's a sports school, rather than a private school like my main school, and this can make teaching difficult when you have to spend half the time asking them to be quiet. I've found myself using many phrases I remember my teachers using, like:<br />
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"I'm talking, so no-one else should be."<br />
"Please can we listen to one another?"<br />
...and my personal favourite:<br />
*to person who is talking* "Could you please repeat what was just said?"<br />
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That being said, I have had some really good lessons this week. The students like to have fun, so if you're willing to laugh along with their jokes and make the lessons entertaining, they will actually participate and learn something. And that is the point of me being there, to give them fun lessons and to get them to speak in English, not to just do textbook exercises. I've also realised how rewarding it feels when someone who has been messing around, actually joins in the discussion and makes a really valid point!<br />
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So this week was exhausting but rewarding, and hopefully when I go back in two weeks, I will get to meet my contact teacher (I still haven't met her) and things will be easier, as I've found my feet a little more in the school.<br />
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Apart from work this week, I went to watch the quarter finals of the Generali Ladies Linz tennis tournament, which was great fun! We ate cake, watched some great tennis, and even learnt all the tennis terms in German in the process!<br />
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I also went to visit one of the English Assistants who lives in a town outside of Linz called Steyr. She gave us a guided tour of the town, and here are some pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yYhc3T7gBvyLvtExzOUD5C9b01SASjwP15yHVMfnf_IVWsgZqgp4YMIX7KGhvlwt3VksOyt2zuwU_MJT7PsdzjKcRsjYKBOjljxGGbVtet1BfIHuIAoaig77eOHtHkziftw4tKOkp_Tz/s1600/Steyr+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yYhc3T7gBvyLvtExzOUD5C9b01SASjwP15yHVMfnf_IVWsgZqgp4YMIX7KGhvlwt3VksOyt2zuwU_MJT7PsdzjKcRsjYKBOjljxGGbVtet1BfIHuIAoaig77eOHtHkziftw4tKOkp_Tz/s320/Steyr+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are mountain goats living in the castle moat in Steyr!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSJu5rWgjoZk3HO6SdQU5fxCNJBzS2xjGLWMsFVoWFhq58iIdkIxOxgeCtEHgVvON4cRYVlLOMnZ9Ew1B5nW29HbZsKFq8JLAXJpEVNiEtqTwZzEqRRwELqdU9uedHFftg0I7p-HmHy-H/s1600/Steyr+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSJu5rWgjoZk3HO6SdQU5fxCNJBzS2xjGLWMsFVoWFhq58iIdkIxOxgeCtEHgVvON4cRYVlLOMnZ9Ew1B5nW29HbZsKFq8JLAXJpEVNiEtqTwZzEqRRwELqdU9uedHFftg0I7p-HmHy-H/s320/Steyr+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two rivers meet in the centre of Steyr, and it's beautiful. </td></tr>
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I also have a fair amount of lesson planning to do, as the last two weeks have mainly been me doing the same introductory lesson over and over again, whereas now, I've introduced myself to everyone, and I start teaching on the topics they are studying. This week, I will be doing lessons on character profiles, the evil within people (linked to The Lord of the Flies), and ways to learn a foreign language abroad - so quite a variety!<br />
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Next weekend we have a long weekend, as it's the national holiday on Monday 26th October, so some of the other TAs and I are planning a long weekend trip to Prague which is very exciting! My next blog post will be all about our adventures there :)<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Laura<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3825043363757393081.post-62712404927932332142015-10-11T11:39:00.002-07:002015-10-11T11:39:33.221-07:00Becoming a Teacher!Hello everyone!<br />
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This week was my first week teaching in Austria! I am working in two schools, and so will do alternate weeks in each. On Monday, I started at the first one, which is a little outside of Linz city centre. In order to get there, I have a twenty minute walk/10 minute tram journey, followed by a ten minute bus journey. It's not too bad, but the problem is, Austrian schools start at 7.45am!!!! So if I'm teaching first thing, it's a very early start for me!<br />
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On Monday I had a little bit of confusion with buses, because apparently the bus doesn't go from the logical side of the road...it goes from a lay-by on the other side of the road, does a U-turn and then heads out of the city - I mean, who wouldn't have guessed that?! Anyway, that meant I'd missed the bus, but luckily I was organised and had gone for an earlier bus, so the next one would still get me in on time. And it would have, if I hadn't then missed my stop...So I eventually arrived at the school, rather flustered, but luckily I met my contact teacher in the car park and she didn't seem to mind at all! Our stereotype of the Austrians being very punctual isn't quite as accurate as I thought - they seem to be very laid back, at least at this school!<br />
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This week has involved taking in a lot of information in a short amount of time. Luckily one of the year groups was away, which meant I had less lessons to teach and more time to try and figure out what I was supposed to do! The lesson I've been mainly doing this week has involved introducing myself and where I am from, playing a couple of games, and then discussing stereotypes of Austria and England, which is always good for getting them talking. The students seem to be interested in what I have to say, and are all really well behaved, which makes me feel a lot more comfortable.<br />
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I am mainly working with pupils between the ages of 15 and 18 in this school, and I was amazed by the level of their English - they are pretty much fluent! I particularly enjoyed working with the oldest year, as it was just a normal conversation really, and they even tried to teach me some of the Upper Austrian dialect. Each time they asked me to repeat something, they would end up bursting into hysterical laughter - I'm guessing I wasn't quite doing it right! I have to say, I am finding the dialect very hard to understand - hopefully by the end of the year I'll have made some progress.<br />
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The teachers at the school have all been so welcoming and friendly. The English teachers like to practise their English with me, and I tend to speak to all the other teachers in German - apart from one French teacher, who speaks to me in a mixture of German, French, and English song lyrics (she doesn't speak much English but has memorised song lyrics - it makes for an interesting conversation!). They've all been happy to answer my questions, show me around or help me with anything I'm worried about, especially my contact teacher, who I've been sending a lot of emails with questions about bank accounts and lessons and general life in Austria!<br />
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On Wednesday I had a day off, and I spent the day setting up an Austrian bank account (I did this completely in German, I'm very proud of myself) and I also popped in to my second school, as at this point I'd heard nothing from them, and had no idea when to come in on Monday to start work. The receptionist was very helpful and gave me a bit of information, and so I am coming in at 7.45am with the hope that I will then be given a timetable and be told what I'm doing! We shall see :)<br />
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On Saturday I had some friends from the English TA training week over. I showed one of them around Linz during the day - we visited the many churches and cathedrals that Linz has to offer and did a lot of the tourist attractions. Then, after chasing each other around Linz for about an hour because none of us could get in touch with the others, meaning things just got very confused, we had a lovely evening eating pizza and watching a film - it was needed after a long week for all of us! And then today (Sunday) we went to watch the qualifiers of a professional tennis tournament held in Linz. We cheered on our fellow Brit Johanna Konta, and watched some great tennis - we're now thinking about going back next weekend to watch the quarter final or even the final :)<br />
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It has taken me quite a while to write this, as Niki (the cat) is begging for my attention, and likes to sprawl out over the keyboard in the hope I'll stop typing and just play with her. I am loving having a cat around the house - she's great company, even is she can have some attitude on her sometimes ;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Please play with me????"</td></tr>
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Tomorrow morning I start at me second school, so my next blog post will be all about my first week there, and how things went! So I will update you all soon :)<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Laura :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04563880492165538951noreply@blogger.com0Linz, Austria48.30694 14.28583000000003348.137916 13.963106500000032 48.475964 14.608553500000033