by myla on February 11, 2011
We’ve been having some really nice weather in the last couple of weeks here in Graz and in Austria as a whole. Sunshine and mid-spring temperatures—it’s heaven! Although, it is a little odd considering that it should be deep winter now, I am not complaining. A bit of warmth in the midst of the winter season is not bad at all. It makes me feel braver to sit outside for hours to enjoy the fresh air.
My first winter in Graz was a complete different story. It was two years ago but I still clearly remember it. I remember having weeks of gloomy, sunless, and depressing winter. And this weather situation made me feel like it’s never going to pass. Snow was abundant that time and it was a sight to see, but at some point, it just became an annoyance. First, because it made driving much harder and second, the snow was taking so much of the parking lots. I was just a new driver back then, so these were some of the most striking things about the winter in Graz for me. I also had my first car accident that time—thank God, nothing really happened except for some scratches on my car.
Here are some photos taken two winters ago.
view from the window of our then, attic flat.
yup, some people are crazy enough to ride a bike during winter
if your the owner of one of these cars, you have to dust off the snow and scrape some ice before you can drive away. that's also annoying thing to do!
the Statdpark is just lovely when it is snow covered
by myla on February 4, 2011
Graz is not known to a lot of people. Honestly speaking, it was not until my 26th year of existence when I learned about this city and I don’t think I would have learned about it if I had not met my husband.
Before, when I hear “Austria,” I was only able associate it to three cities namely; Vienna, which is the capital city; Salzburg, because of the famous Von Trapp Family; and Linz, because my country’s national hero was educated there so I’ve encountered Linz in some of our history books.
The Clock Tower is the most famous landmark of Graz
I’ve been to those cities and there’s no doubt that they’re worth visiting but I like Graz most because to some degree, it is like my home city, Baguio. This is not to offend anybody. I know for a fact that Graz is far more advance in many aspects than Baguio but some things about the two cities are similar (in my point of view, at least).
Like for example, Graz and Baguio are university cities. Meaning, both of them house a lot of universities and colleges and as such, the population highly consist of young people. Graz is a home to a lot of students who are from neighboring towns and also from neighboring countries. It’s really a melting pot of cultures!
Another example, both cities enjoy a better climate than the rest of the country where they belong. Graz is known to enjoy warmer temperatures than the rest of Austria and Baguio has cooler temperatures than the rest f the humid and hot tropical Philippines.
Graz has been my home for almost two years now but there are still a lot about Graz that I don’t know about. There are still places in it I haven’t seen. Graz is a like a box containing a myriad of small pleasant surprises all for me to discover!
I so heart this city!
by myla on August 29, 2010
narrow alley
This is a narrow alley that branches out from the Hauptplatz (main plaza) and it’s called Sporgasse. This is the way to Nespresso where we get our supply of coffee from and to Cafe-Konditorei Strehly.
by myla on August 28, 2010
open air cafes along Herrengasse
Open air cafe are abundant along Herrengasse and its branching alleys. During warm weather, people would rather like to eat outside to drink their coffee or to eat their meal so they can also enjoy the sun and the weather.
by myla on August 27, 2010
window shopping in Graz
Herrengasse is a haven to shoppers. This busy street is lined with different shopping stores and most of these stores have huge glass windows showing the stores’ products. Walking along Herrengasse without buying anything is a big challenge to shopaholics. H&M and Zara are two of the stores along Herrengasse where in usually shop for clothes (if I feel I need new clothes) but since I am not that much of a shopaholic, I can be happy with just checking out the others shops’ window.