About
I left Australia to explore the world and somehow along the way I met this Austrian boy…..now we’re living in Vienna.
What I’d like to be is a published writer, travel journalist, author.
What I currently am is a twenty-something expat adjusting to life in a foreign country.
This is where I’m working out how to combine the two.
There’ll be travel tips, stories from the road, bemused observations of Austrian life and some pretty heartfelt brunch recommendations.
More here:
Austrian Adaptation 
Such an informative blog about Austroia..keep it up. Writing about Austrian wine myself 😉
http://www.veltliner-wine.com/
Hi I enjoyed reading your blog. Specially the posts about all stuff Austrian. Having recently come to live here and finding it difficult. Reading your experiences are heartening 🙂
Hey Carly! Trying to reach you – have a blog tour idea and hoping you might be interested. I am one of the other four expat blogs from the April Local.at article. ( http://www.thelocal.at/20140417/five-of-the-best-expat-blogs-in-austria) My blog is: http://www.kcblau.com/blog/
Can you maybe send me some contact info so I can send you what I was thinking> you can reach me at kcblau (at) viennamuses.com >> would love it if maybe we could connect and work something out. Thanks! KC
I’m going to Wien in December and would really love some activity and must see recs! 🙂
Heya! Check out a few of my previous posts including Wiener Weekender pt 1 & 2 and Wachau Wine weekend…there’S also a few more updated tips coming soon 🙂 You’re going to love Vienna in Winter with the sparkling Christmas Markets!
I was searching for information about Austria because I might be moving there soon and I have to say, I could read this a million times and never get enough! This is brilliant, I really, really loved it !!! It’s really enjoyable and funny in a nice way 🙂 Carry on because clearly, you have a great talent!
Thanks so much that’s so lovely of you! ! I hope you find Auatria as delightfully intriguing and beautiful as I have – all the best for the move you won’t regret it! !
Celia that’s so lovely of you thank you very much!
Also stumbled across your blog (great stuff Carly) when in search of an answer to the question…do guys really sit down in Austria.. Okay, the brief story behind this is that I’m a Brit/Aussie who worked in Wien from 1999 to 2004…love the place, made many friends here and have been back almost every year since then, to the point where I just bought an altbau appartment (a pied a terre) here in Wien in June 2014. The other point to note is that of course living in Austria you quickly become familiar with the good old platform toilets…never liked them that much, but hey whatever..and noted that for guys it’s annoyingly almost impossible to avoid the splash-out. Okay, moved into the altbau apartment in 1030 district which I love, but hey it has a good old platform job in the dunny…ah well, not a deal breaker. The next thing I note though is that the toilet seat and lid won’t stay up whatever you do and is physically impossible to make it stay up unless you hold the damn thing …and guys rather need to be two hands free. Okay, so I’m standing there doing the deed marvelling at how the guy (I know it was a guy because mail arrived addressed to “Uwe”) who rented this place before me must have put up with this for the years he lived here!! On relaying this story (in passing 🙂 ) to one of my Austrian mates, he was quick to say “…it’s not a problem, guys sit down here” …well my jaw totally hit the deck in total Uberasschung … “you’re kidding”, says I, “nope” said he. So thats’s how I found your blog and thanks for it!! …I figured he had to be winding me up..but no!! Anyway, I now solve the conundrum by a strategically placed piece of Velcro…I’m too conditioned by years of standing to deliver!!
Hope you can add this Aussie-Austrian story to your blog Carly,
best Jeff Turner
Oh man Jeff this is the greatest example I’ve heard so far! Thanks for the giggle glad you enjoy the blog and er…good luck with your velcro situation 🙂
Stumbled across your blog when I was trying to research on moving to Austria. Love the humour you’ve knitted through your daily observations of life! What I really found helpful was the honest accounts of your adjustment to the country. Really echoed my own concerns of giving up my life in Melbourne to be with my partner in Austria. But in the same breath, it also gave me some positive re enforcement. Thank you. Keep writing!!
Hey Jing! I’m glad the blog can help – moving nations is pretty scary but so so worth it for the hilarious/incredible things you will learn and experience. I’m happy to give you any advice and tips in the lead up to your move so feel free to ask any questions – but trust me, as long as you and your partner are in it together, you’ll survive all the craziness 🙂 Thanks for reading!!
I love to hear from yet another adventure seeking ozzie Expat! Why are we are so hungry for travel?
Keep up the great blog, I’ll love to hear about what happens next.
Happy blogging!
In my opinion it’s not the best way to become famous by trying to be ‘funny’ in a blog. Some things may be true in here but you don’t have to make fun of the country you’re living in. Nobody’s forcing you to live here.
Hi Nina. I’m sorry you feel that way about the blog, it was never my intention to offend anybody, and I would never ‘make fun’ of such a generous and wonderful country. You’re completely correct, I have chosen to live here and I’m really really enjoying Austria and its people, plus the challenges of being an expat. Thanks for reading!
Nina – Please go away with your sour attitude. If there’s one thing Austria can use a big dose of, it is Australian humor.
I have always thought I am an Austrian, but as I never run round naked, never eat Schmalzbrot for breakfast – actually I had my last one a couple of decades ago, I do not have a moustache, I do not have a dirndl, Boyoboy, do I now have to leave the country????
I have Austrian family members, they love Austrian Adaptation, and have never felt offended nor do they think Carly is making fun of them. Keep it up Carly.
Aw thanks for that, glad your family enjoy it! !
I LOOOOVEEE YOUR BLOG! I am Austrian, but living abroad now so I got a bit homesick and then I found your blog! PERFECT I agree with every point! And I even have been to a Hoff concert, when I was young .. I dont like him tho’ 😉
Yesss, you have to try Kernöl 🙂
Keep on like this! Much respect to you 🙂
Aww, thanks so much! I really appreciate you reading it, and I know, I have to man up and try all the Austrian food and drink things hahaha!
Hi Carly, I just got back from a 3 week trip to Vienna, I have family living there, and my cousin (who is Austrian) send me your link. There is so much true to the things you’ve posted, my cousin’s husband said that because of my love towards their food, I might be the most Austrian guest they’ve ever had, FYI, I am Guatemalan by birth. Thank you for sharing.
Hey! I really enjoyed your blog entry! I actually just moved to Vienna myself, to live with my Austrian boyfriend, this May who i met in Canada where I am originally from. This blog post was spot on and I really loved the fact that I could relate to about 95% of them! Its really a whole new culture with their own set of rules and an exciting way of life. Im enjoying adapting to living here, but its definitely been an adventure and a half! All the best to you and your time here and hopefully your friends will learn to adapt to you not being at arms reach. Just know that you should never feel guilty for following your heart because it will keep you from living with regrets. All the best xx
your last blog entry** :$y
Thanks so much for this, and for reading the blog!! I’m Slowly adjusting to the guilts but nice to know there’s others out there going through the same thing!! All the best for your time in Austria, hope you have as much fun as I am!
I looove your blog!! Please carry on ❤
Thank you!
No ! You got it all wrong. Austria, and the Austrians think of themselves blessed by the Kaiser who left them a long time ago. Politicians and the hirarchie perpetuate a Austria, and in particular Vienna as the ikon it was in the 19th century. They think, learn, and conduct their business as if it were OK, let’s say the early 20th century. People in Graz, Linz, Salzburg, even in Schladmig don’t give a hoot about about the 21st century.
Be patient, take your time and engage an Austrian and you’ll find: Austrianer live in the past – always. (Geh, red doch net so an Blodsinn !)
I am Austrian, I am 24 and I love the Hoff! I know some people try to deny this fact, but all Austrians love him 😉
Because I am from Graz I have to tell you: forget the Heuriger, you have to go to the Südsteirische Weinstraße for Sturm und Kastanien and do not forget to try Kernöl.
Greeting from Kuala Lumpur
Having lived half my life abroad and here in Vienna, it is always a refreshing thing to have an “outsiders” point of view on our culture. But I agree with Jakob…the majority of people here don’t do the Hoff, unless they are 40+ and having other issues that need exploring.
I am excited that you are loving life in Vienna and Austria in general, especially coming from Australia, which for an insane amount of people in the States and Asia, seems to be the same place anyways. Also check out the real local events around Vienna, like the recent Neustifter Kirtag (also in various other districts) or the Ottakringer Braukulturwochen (http://www.ottakringerbrauerei.at/braukulturwochen), which are still going on!
I would have also liked to hear your thoughts on the “Beisl” or “Wirtshaus” culture, as well as the “Heurigen” for which Vienna, Lower Austria and the Burgenland region are particular famous for!
But it was most certainly a riot to read!
Cheers!
thanks for the tips – I’ve definitely enjoyed many Heuringer visits, so stay tuned for future posts 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Most of them are true but Love The Hoff? Maybe some grandmothers do but no one else does 😀
As a born Austrian its the best description I ever saw written someplace. I left Austria as a young Men to seek my future in Canada . but my Hearth is still there and I am not ashamed to tell you I cried as ii read your story > Franzl.
Thats so lovely – I hope it was happy tears!! thanks for reading 🙂
Hi Curly,
THANK YOU sooo much for your “28 agenda”. I just sit in Paris, having a day off between 2 tours. I love Vienna and I am a licensed tourist guide there. I could not stop laughing but at the same time I was quite sure, yes, that´s right, that´s a new point I nevern thought of before. How great and funny it can get, to be confronted with somebodies view from outside! THANK YOU again!
Wolfgang
Thank you for reading, so glad you enjoyed it, and I hope Paris is treating you well!
Hey how you doing. Like your post about the 28 things. Found truth in most of them. Particularly the one about sitting down peeing (a big issue when I move in with 5 girls). And the one about fassion too. Its taken me a little while to get usedto the austrian life but im addicted now. 🙂
great! being austrian i laughed a lot when reading those 28 points – all of them are so true but i guess, we are not so aware about them… 😀
hey! I like the things I read here but have to say that I couldn’t verify points 1, 17 and 26 during my life in Austria for my 28 years. Especially point 1!!! I have been on time only some times in my life (and so encountered problems in many other countries where I lived/worked/spent my vacation) so I wonder a little about point 1… but anyway, love to read all this on this blog which is now somehow viral among some facebook friends of mine.
Greets Alex (from Tirol)
g’day mate,
gush! to the point – a good outline of the Austrian soul.
what’s possibly missing is the so-called Austrian solution (die österreichische Lösung) 🙂 > the lowest common denominator (for an all encompassing satisfaction) which almost leads to the goal but without any exertion (after a long intensive planning of course).
“Des Österreichers beliebtestes Möbel ist die lange Bank!”
cheers,
T.
My Goodness !!! Awesooooome !! I have lived here for about a year and you are so trueee !! I laughed to death !! =)) :D:D:D
All the best!