Home Away From Home

With only a week left in Linz I am overcome with a sense of nostalgia. To think something I dreamed my whole life of doing is coming to an end in just one week. I would like to apologize for my lack of blogs. Over the last month I spent most of my time in Linz hanging out with fiends and studying for my last exams. I did take one day trip to The Eagles Nest which for those who do not know is a house up in the mountains that was built by Hitler as a kind of hangout. It is technically on the German side of the Alps but, the view is of both Austria and Germany. The Eagles Nest is near the town of Berchtesgaden and the views are absolutely breath taking! 

Over the past couple of days I was lucky enough to have my grandparents come to Linz and visit me. Having them come visit me gave me the perfect opportunity to be a so called tourist in Linz. As many of my friends and family have asked me about Linz this is the perfect opportunity to tell you all about my home away from home. 


As many of you know, I have spent the last 5 months living in the town of Linz. Linz is a city of 200,000 and it the third largest in Austria. Linz is also the capital of Upper Austria and sits along the Danube. Many of you have most likely heard me complain about Linz and how small it is as well as how I am bored here. In all honesty though, Linz is a very nice city with plenty of restaurants, museums, and bars. The university I go to is about a 20 min tram ride from the city center and for just 10 euros a month I have been able to use all the public transport I want. I will probably miss the public transportation the most. 

In 2009 Linz was ranked as the culture capital of the world, and all though I did not visit the Ars Electronica Center or the Lentos Museum I have heard really good things about them. Linz also boast to having the largest, not tallest cathedral in Austria. There also is a very nice castle, although it does not look like much you can get a pretty good view of Linz from it. The streets near the city center are also very quaint and my grandparents made the comment that Linz's streets are very typical of Europe. After traveling to many european cities I agree. 

While my grandparents were here I took them to Postlingsberg which is a church at the top of a hill. At the top you have a spectacular view of Linz and the Danube. We also took the chance to visit Linz's Botanical gardens. The gardens were like any other botanical gardens I have been to but, since we were able to be there on such a nice day it was very beautiful. 

Probably my favorite thing about Linz was hanging with my new found friends and going to various festivals and restaurants. Every fall and spring Linz is host to the Urfahraner Market. Here there were beer tents, carnival rides, delicious food, and live music. There were also plenty of people walking around in traditional Austrian dress the Dirndl and Lederhosen. Going to this festival was super fun and really immersed me into the Austrian Culture. Linz also is host to Bubble Days which is an outdoor concert as well as wake boarding contest that takes place on the Danube. I also participated in going to a Street food Festival which reminded me off all the food trucks you see at First Fridays in Kansas City. Lastly, because of the Euro Cup I had the opportunity to cheer on Austria at the Public viewing Area. 

Cheering on Austria

Linz may be a small city with not a lot of attractions but it was my home for 5 months and I will miss living here. Although, I am beyond ready to return to Kansas City. 



Be on the lookout for one last blog about my last adventure in Europe where I will be traveling to Zurich, Innsbruck, and Salzburg.

"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles." - Tim Cahill
As always, Love Alex