Grüß Graz

Another late night means more YouTube videos. This time the only thing I was able to find on Graz that is halfway interesting was a very random video on the Graz Police with techno music playing throughout the video.

Check it out:

Labels: Graz

After the Graz program is over on June 23, I plan to do a little traveling around Europe before I fly home. Here is my rough itinerary for after the program:

June 23: Graz to Venice, Italy
June 24: Venice, Italy
June 25: Venice, Italy to Kaufbeuren, Germany
June 26: Kaufbeuren
June 27: Kaufbeuren
June 28: Kaufbeuren to Munich / Munich / Munich to Berchtesgaden
June 29: Berchtesgaden
June 30: Berchtesgaden to Nuremberg / Nuremberg
July 1: Nuremberg/ Nuremberg to Berlin
July 2: Berlin
July 3: Fly home from Berlin

This isn't definite yet, but this itinerary covers many of the places I want to see after the program in Graz is done. Here's why I want to visit these places:

Venice, Italy
I do not know any Italian at all, so this leg of my trip may be interesting. Basically the reason I want to visit Venice is because it is one of the most famous cities in Europe.

Plus, it seems as though this city shows up for a cameo appearance in most movies anymore. In fact, I was watching "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" last night when, surprise, there was a scene set in Venice.

The canal system and the fact that the city is sinking also adds to its charm. How cool would it be to take a small boat to work? While I am there I will definitely make sure to take a boat ride through the canal system.

Kaufbeuren, Germany
Last year I was an exchange student in this little Bavarian city so I am going back to visit the family that I stayed with. I have scheduled a few days here because I hope to be able to take a few strolls through the city and visit some of the shops that I missed during my last visit.

Munich, Germany
I have only allotted a few hours to Munich between trains because during my trip to Germany last spring I visited the city twice.

Two to three hours will be plenty of time to take a walk down to the Marienplatz to see the beautiful Rathaus (City Hall). Also, I will definitely be stopping in at the Hofbräuhaus again.

Berchtesgaden, Germany
Berchtesgaden is the home of the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest). The complex was built as a present for Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday on the top of Mt. Kehlstein in the Bavarian Alps. Ironically, Hitler was allegedly afraid of heights so he rarely vacationed at the home.

The house is now a restaurant and museum. From the house, visitors can see a stunning view of the valley and lake below.

Nuremberg, Germany
I wanted to visit Nuremberg because it is a very historical and beautiful city, plus it is between Berchtesgaden and Berlin.

Nuremberg is infamous because it is essentially the birthplace and death place of Nazism. During WWII, it was heavily bombed and much of the city today dates back to post-WWII reconstruction. That said, Nuremberg is still a very beautiful Bavarian city.

I plan on only staying one night before leaving for Berlin, but I hope to visit a few of the cities museums along with the Hauptmarkt and the St. Lorenz Kirche.

Berlin, Germany
There is so much to see in Berlin that I allotted extra time for sightseeing. I honestly do not know where to begin in Berlin.

The Reichstag? The Brandenburg Gate? The Berlin Wall? Tiergarten? Checkpoint Charlie?

This city is just a really awesome city, and I am very much looking forward to my visit.

Hiroshi Motomura summed up Berlin the best: "Berlin combines the culture of New York, the traffic system of Tokyo, the nature of Seattle, and the historical treasures of, well, Berlin."

Here's a building I photographed last year in Reutte, Austria.


When I arrive in Austria on May 11, it will not be the first time that I have set foot in the country.

Last March I was an exchange student in Germany for 10 days. During that time, I talked my friend from Germany into taking me to Austria on the last day of the trip. She reluctantly obliged after I insisted that I wanted to see another country. (I believe she wanted to take me to a castle near Munich.)

The weather at that point was mid-50s and constantly raining; it really felt like Seattle. There was a little snow left from where it had been piled up.

My friend chose to take me to Reutte, a small ski town south of Füssen, Germany. Unfortunately, we were in a ski town when there wasn't any snow. To make matters worse, the city museum was closed because it was not ski season.

We had allotted four hours for our Austrian excursion, and there was not much to see or do. Luckily, however, several shops along the main road were open for business since it was a unusually warm day.

At this point I had grown accustomed to Germany so Austria was a new experience. As far as differences, there were a few things that caught my attention.

Buildings looked a lot cooler in Austria because they had painted shutters around the windows. I had seen this a few times in Bavaria, but not as much as I did in Austria. Most buildings in Reutte had painted shutters.

The second main difference that I noticed was the dialect. I was taught by a native Bavarian German speaker in high school so when I walked into the first shop in Austria and heard "Grüß Gott!" it really caught me off guard. In fact, I think I asked my friend what the shopkeeper had said. "Grüß Gott" is the preferred way to say "Hello" in Austrian German. Translated literally, it means "Greet God." In Germany, I was accustomed to saying "Guten Tag" or "Hallo" when walking into a shop. When I exited the shop I heard "Servus!" which is a way of saying "Goodbye."

But what amazed me the most about Austria was how easy it was to cross the Germany-Austria border both going to and coming from Austria. We took a bus into Austria, and there was merely a road sign that said, "Welcome to Austria." It was literally as smooth as driving from Indiana into Ohio. Once in Austria, I didn't have to worry about exchanging money because Austria, like Germany, uses the Euro. Say what you will about the European Union, but it sure makes travel a whole lot easier.

Labels: Austria

As can be seen by the time on this post, it is ridiculously early in the morning. That means only one thing: YouTube time.

Between watching a clip from the Cream Reunion tour in 2005 and a weird "I am the Walrus" video, I found this interesting video on Graz:



It's a neat video that shows some of the places to see in the city, but wtf on the music. That definitely isn't the music that comes to mind when thinking of southern Austria.

Labels: Graz

Hello and welcome! My name is James Brosher, and I am a sophomore at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana) majoring in Journalism and Germanic Studies.

This summer I will be studying German in Graz, Austria for six weeks (May 11-June 23). After the program is finished, I will be spending an additional week sightseeing in Europe. I created this blog in order to chronicle my experiences and thoughts from my time in Graz and my journeys in Europe.

I have not yet left for Graz, but I am already starting to get nervous about the trip. What will my host family be like? Will I get lost? Will anyone understand my broken German? Basically, I am freaking out at this point.

What will happen? Stay tuned ...

Labels: Announcements, Graz, IU Graz Program