Sunrise in Linz

Having a coffee at 8 o'clock in the morning in Linz not always has to be a grey experience. There are days in the winter time, when the Sun's energy reflects in a fabulous way. Despite of a low temperature (about -6C today) I took a camera and I went to our balcony. The sight was captivating. I took three pictures with manually set camera (ha!) trying to "seize the day".

The view from our balcony

I love the kitchen's balcony. I enjoyed a lot having coffee there when the temperature was Celsius positive, but today, after three pictures, I could feel my fingers burning.

In the center of the photo, up on the mountain, there is Pöstlingberg-Kirche the pilgrimage church on the Pöstlingberg hill. Here is its close up:

Pöstlingberg-Kirche

Second "special building" that can be seen in the first picture is Linzer Mariendom. It is the biggest cathedral in Austria, however, not the highest. Due to past Austria-Hungary conventions nothing could be taller than a South Tower of the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. It's beautiful anyway.

Linzer Mariendom

Have a nice, sunny day! See you soon!

Der Wissensturm

Very, very nice name has one of the highest buildings in Linz - The Tower of Knowledge. Really great place - full of culture and potential. It is located close to the Hauptbahnhof and... 10 minutes of walk from my house.



Der Wissensturm holds many cultural and scientific programs targeting almost everyone. There are University for Adults Volkshochschule, big City Library Stadtbibliothek, Learning Center LeWis and more.

I am really looking forward to the 2011, because on 17th of January my German language course will start. It will take place in The Tower and it will be very intensive. Four times a week for two hours. It's the most basic A1/1 level. Didn't I have German for seven years at school? Scheiße. Maybe I'll take the A1/2. It costs 198 euro for 3 months.

And there is a fast elevator! Watch that! (sorry for the Linz Weather)



There are some buildings that can be seen from the elevator's window: Hauptbahnhof (with OBB), Bundesministerium für Finanzen (the higher one on the right) and Landesdienstleistungszentrum (yeah!! just spell or pronounce it!!)


Hauptbahnhof - The main train station


Bundesministerium für Finanzen - Federal Ministry of Finance


Landesdienstleistungszentrum - Administrative Services Center

I know, photos are grey. This is not Spain. I'll try to make more sightseeing photos when the weather gets better.

My flatmate says that winters in Linz are grey and cold... she is right. I smile anyway :) Aufwiederschreiben!

Grüß Gott

That is the most popular greeting here - God greets you!

As I come from a country with the biggest Jesus on the planet, that little say hi should not be nothing unfamiliar, but it is. Everywhere: in shops, on streets, in trams, buses, swimming pools, restaurants and at Apple Premium Reseller store they greet with Grüß Gott. The bored and tired neighboor living few flats below me greets me with God and the young foreign women in McDonald's greet me with Him/Her.

And here it is - Christmas! Just right after the Linzer Torte shopping festival there is another - Christmas, Christmas, mas y mas Christmas. Buy this, buy that! Don't have a Christmas tree at home yet? Whatever! Buy Christbaumkugeln! ...and they will last for more than a month.

Here in small Linz Christmas on the streets, I must say, is just beautiful. The main street - Landstrasse is decorated and there are two Christmas markets. On each of them something really Linzig can be bougth or eaten. The aroma between the markets' booths makes you want to spend your last 3 euros for something. I didn't, but I surely will and will inform you how good it was!

Ein Kleine Nacht Video from the main Christmas market at the Hauptplatz! Bis später!

Language lessons and swimming pools

My flatmate Stefie teaches me German. These lessons are quite irregular and both of us have to feel the moment to begin one. Every Lektion consist of reading a relatively short article in die Tagezeitung which we get every morning to the door from some early-waking ghost, then translating it and drinking a coffee. I like these lessons a lot cause I can learn from a native speaker, but also because there is always that mental game in the background - when should I stop asking questions? Lately however, she leaves early and I get my ass up late. I miss the lessons.

Anyway I got the swimming pool carnet!
There are five swimming pools in Linz, all for that one carnet that is relatively cheep - 86 + 2 (carnet fee) euro for 6 months. I have no idea how they count months in Linz, but they are really user-friendly! In Madrid I could buy a month carnet for 45 euro which could last for a week (depending on a day when it's bought) - but here I got it until the end of May 2011. Yes, to the 31st of May, my birthday. That is 6,6452 months. Swimming about three times a week I pay approx. 1,09 euro for each session. I did not expect such a bonus in Austria!

How Austrians swim and why it is so hard for them to change their swimming habits is a different story. Of course they wouldn't call it a habit, but an order. I got even shouted by an Austrian swimmer. They swim like that:

• if there is one swimmer (on a line) he/she gots all the line (clever)
• if there are two swimmers in a line they have their own half of line! And they swim only on that half - back and forth.
• if there are more than two swimmers in a line then each half of line is in different direction.

Sounds good? Well... I thought that ommiting the point no. 2 would be easier as the point no. 3 can cover it, but... I still can't argue with someone in German. Soon. Bald.

Funny story. Old guy in a tram asked us to read his SMS as he could barely see the little font on his tiny cell-screen. I read it at loud: "Meine liebe Franz! Guten tag! Ich liebe dich!" He was so thankful! He asked us where we are from and we said "aus Polen". He was so happy about that! And I had been scared of nationalismus. We suspect that he makes many people read it for him daily.

Below is the photo of Linz specialty: almonds, hazelnuts and any-nuts in very tasty sugar-like ornament. Bon appettit! Mahlzeit!

Free furniture

I needed my space in our room. I had brought some stuff with me to organize a little "Corner Office", but as it occured it was not enough. I needed two crucial things: a desk and a chair.

Where to look for furniture in Linz? At first I thought about the easiest (but the most expensive) solution - buy it. Hmm... not so clever!

It is absolutely normal in Linz that people give their furniture for free! Of course it is not brand new, but I "do not look a gift horse in the mouth". Nevertheless its condition may surprise.

We got our new desk (which cost aprox. 69 euro) for free, because we posted an annoucement on the Anton Bruckner University mailing list. German girl told us that "the desk is not in the best condition and it was in the basement for a long time". I was a bit alarmed while penetrating the one of the unfamous austrian basements, but nothing happened. The standard in Germany must be different that the Polish one - as you will see on the picture the desk is just great!

We transported the desk with Asia (strong girl she is, indeed) to our 500-meters-away-spacious-room. Both very happy, wanting to celebrate it, we headed toward the McDonald's restaurant to compensate ourselves for the effort. Being very close to McDonald's it stood in our way! A beautiful abandoned child of the furniture fashion. The armchair. For free! :)



This is how my little corner (and our room) evolved. Wonderful. Now I can do programming all day. On the left you can see the city plan. The plan is the key.