o R t ep TEXTING EUROPE e u r i b

Muggings and robberies are commonplace in many countries. But in Austria, no l

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matter where I go, I feel confident that nothing will happen to me – going to m

school in the morning or coming back from a party at 3 a.m. Austrians don’t E P a a i rt tr really appreciate that. 18:04 ✓✓ I. Aus

They do, however, appreciate when the streets are swept and the parks are tended to. Did you ever notice that one of the first three things Austrians talk about when coming back from their holidays is how clean (or dirty) it was? Perhaps that’s petty, but it also shows how much Austrians care about their environment. 18:48 ✓✓

Spritzwein Well, they certainly know how to turn every creek and hillside into a business opportunity for tourism! When the mothers and fathers of the Second Republic sought to reinvent Austrian identity after World War II, they turned to the beauty of the land and its great traditions in art, culture and cuisine. It’s no wonder the Kebab Austrian anthem starts with “Land of mountains, land of rivers.” with 18:56 ✓✓ Two young Austrians, one living in Brazil, with an occasional trip home, the other just back in Vienna, after extended stays in Prague, Strasbourg, Paris and Yes, and its author Paula Preradović was the granddaughter of an imperial officer, Petar Preradović, the Croatian national poet, showing just how deeply Austrian identity is defined by its place in northern Italy, talk about Austria – because there are things about the country Mitteleuropa (Central Europe). Hungarian Gulasch (goulash), Bohemian Palatschinken (sweet pancakes) and Wiener Schnitzel, an import from Italy, are part of everyday Austrian culinary culture; that you only realize when you live abroad. much more even than tourist attractions like the Imperial Spanish Riding School. ✓✓ by Jacob Lassar & Benjamin Wolf 19:14

JACOB BENJAMIN I also believe Austria has become more open. I remember my mother telling me how is a Latin culture and music is a history and language buf provincial Vienna was back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The establishment of a United aficionado. Originally from Vienna, enamored with Central Europe. Nations headquarters in Vienna (1979) and the fall of the Iron Curtain (1989) truly changed the character of the city – and it made the country more open, more he graduated from the University of Originally from Styria, he now outward-looking overall. ✓✓ Birmingham and now lives in Brazil. works for Metropole in Vienna. 19:18

My father used to say Vienna was the first city of the Eastern bloc in the West – well, Benjamin, you know what I miss most about Austria? The bread. A Styrian local patriotism may have played a role in him saying that, too. Now, with Central dark Vollkornbrot, a crusty brown loaf of bread from the local bakery. Europe thriving, that same sentence could well be seen as praise. 19:34 ✓✓ It’s been a while now since I’ve been home. 09:16 ✓✓

It’s funny you would say that about Styria, though. Having I feel fo you. Baguette and Panini are great for breakfast, but for a hearty afternoon Jause, grown up in Vienna, it always struck me how people from other dark bread is the best. When I visited my grandmother, she would ask if I wanted a Bundesländer (federal states) moved here, yet all staunchly kept Butterbrot (bread with butter) and prepare it regardless of what I replied. 09:36 ✓✓ their local identity. 19:38 ✓✓

So, what does being Austrian mean for you? 11:56 ✓✓ Absolutely, that’s so quintessentially Austrian! I love living in Vienna, but if anyone asked me, I’d say that I’m Styrian. My Czech partner teases me For me, it’s home. I often think about those Austrians who were forced to flee the country in the when I tell him what’s unique in Styria or how differently first half of the 20th century. Wherever they went, they saw glimpses of their home country. Stefan we pronounce words in Styrian dialect. In Italy, it struck me that Zweig famously remarked that the most beautiful thing about Petropolis were the green hills that dialect was seen as antiquated and only spoken by older people. In Austria, dialect is alive and kicking! ✓✓ reminded him of the Styrian Semmering. 12:16 ✓✓ 19:45

The Austrian character has also changed over the years. You used to have the typical Wiener, That may sound provincial, but Austrians, our generation included, draw a great deal of strength from to many embodied by Michael Häupl, an easy-going Viennese with a glass of Spritzwein at the knowing their home country is always there – with its stunning mountains and rivers, its waltzing and Heuriger. Then there are the mountain folk who are seen as sporty and down-to-earth. skiing, its sweet dumplings and Schmäh. Though that comes with a large dose of small- and But going hiking in the countryside, I’ve seen how these traditional characteristics are changing. narrow-mindedness, and a funny obsession with cleanliness and water. 12:17 ✓✓ Immigration is part of it. In a small town in Lower Austria I like to visit, a Turkish kebab ✓✓ shop in the center is wildly popular with the locals. 19:55 It’s like a family that makes you laugh and cry – but it’s family regardless. ✓✓ 12:18 So, Austria – Vollkornbrot and kebab, with a glass of Spritzwein on an idyllic mountainside? 20:06 ✓✓ Austria is also comparatively safe. For more than a year now, I’ve been living in quite a dangerous country, and that made me realize how fortunate Austrians are. In most countries, you have to be careful where you walk, Aber sowas von! (You betcha!) ✓✓ especially at night. 15:26 ✓✓ 20:18

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