the Wall Centre

The Wall Centre

I suppose that not many people know a lot about the “Wall”, in which our department of translation is. For this reason, I thought it would be nice to get to know some facts about this historical building.

In former times there was a printing plant in this building until it moved to Straßgang for space reasons. From the company's founder, Alfred Wall, the building takes its name.

Since 1994 departments of the University of Graz are located in the Wall Centre, but the listed chimney in the inner yard and the logo of Alfred Wall on the outer wall remind on the old days as a factory.

Interesting to note is also that the arc with posters at the staircase to the first floor is considered a work of art and is by Manfred Erjautz and Michael Kienzer.

 

The statue in front of the building, which we walk past every day, shows Ivo Andric, nobel laureate in literature. 

Summer in Graz

Summer in the city

Finally the cold and rainy days are gone and summer is back in Graz.

The good weather changes the city and brings a lot of advantages.

A few of these advantages are:

1.    no overcrowded buses anymore

When it is getting warm outside, many people prefer to ride a bike instead of taking the bus or the tram and that means seats for loyal bus driver like me, even in the morning.

2.    the Spritzerstand opens

The Spritzerstand at the Uni is a wonderful opportunity for drinking something cool between lectures, while lying comfortably in the meadow.

3.    Citybeach opens

I guess almost everybody knows about these great concerts in beach atmosphere under the Mur-bridge!

4.    the Stadtpark

It is so much nicer to learn in the Stadtpark while tanning, than at a desk at home.

5.    sitting on the Schlossberg

One of my favorite things to do on warm nights: sitting with friends on the Schlossberg when it gets dark and looking down at the city! Of course, in good weather, it is also much nicer there during the day.

Food Magazin Article

Shellfish and its impact on Irish food culture

Ireland is an island with impressive 7,000 kilometers of coastline. Therefore, it is no wonder that many of the typical Irish dishes are made with seafood. Especially in coastal cities such as Galway and Dublin, the sea has always been the main source of food. It is important to note though that the Irish were late in discovering the fishing industry, compared to other European countries. This is probably attributable to the fact that they didn’t want to sail out into the dangerous Atlantic. What a blessing for the Irish that certain shellfish could literally be picked up at low tide and so became an important source of food on the coast.

Shellfish is a broad term for crustacean and mussel seafood like shrimps, oysters, prawns and crabs. Initially it was considered as poor man’s food. This is partly related to the fact that during the Great Famine between 1845 and 1852, many starving people came to the coast to search for food. Over time that changed, mainly due to the lesser incidence of shellfish in Irish waters. Shellfish was eaten less frequently, got more expensive and today is a popular dish for everyone.

To maintain the traditions of eating shellfish and to honor their historical importance appropriately, many seafood festivals are held annually. The most famous of these is the Galway Oyster Festival. It is certainly one of the most important festivities of Ireland and has been held since 1954 on the last weekend of September, in order to celebrate the annual oyster harvest. The highlights include the opening ceremony, during which the newly crowned Oyster Pearl is presented, and the Guinness World Oyster-Opening Championship. However, eating oysters and other shellfish dishes such as the Irish Dublin Lawyer, lobster prepared with whiskey and cream, is the most important aspect of this festival. The 22,000 annual visitors show the enduring importance of shellfish for the Irish and their food culture.

Correction PC1

The ultimate Styrian food experience

There is nothing more typically Styrian than a real Buschenschank. If you ask me, to get the real Buschenschank feeling, you have to visit one situated in the countryside. The reason why I highly recommend visiting one in the countryside is the special atmosphere you will experience there. In a remote village, people don’t often meet foreigners, they might not even speak English. Therefore, you will have the pleasure of hearing real Styrians talk real Styrian German. Even better than the funny accents is the gorgeous food you can get there. Freshly baked bread, cold meats, several kinds of dessert and many things more. If you are adventurous in your tastes, you are best trying Verhackertes or Saure Zunge. These dishes you can really only get in a Buschenschank. However, you better try to figure out what that is before ordering. In addition to the extraordinary food, you can get all kinds of wine and fresh fruit juices there. The wine and the other alcoholic drinks are the reason why I would go there in autumn. Autumn is Sturm season, delicious sugary drink typical for Styria. You can get it in white or red or even with fruits in it. It’s really something you shouldn’t miss! A kind of alcohol I would steer clear of is Schnaps, a very popular but terribly strong drink you can get in every Buschenschank. Trust me, the people in the Buschenschank will make every foreigner drink Schnaps, but the following day you will think about me and the advice I gave you. So, for all these reasons, I really hope you won’t miss visiting a Buschenschank. 

Riegersburg

Riegersburg

In this blog entry, I am going to write something about my hometown: Riegersburg. Riegersburg is a pretty small town in the South-East of Styria, close to Feldbach and the Zotter chocolate factory. Not only is Riegersburg famous for having the best “Buschenschanke”, but also for the great castle, the Riegersburg. It is probably the best known, when not the only, sight in this area. The castle is situated on top of a dormant volcano in the middle of the town and was first mentioned in 1122. Since 2003 the castle is easy accessible by lift, but it is also possible to enter it by climbing up the foothpath or for the adventurous there is the via ferrata. Inside the castle is a very interesting witch-museum I can highly recommend. At the foot of the castle is the lake swimming pool, also very beautiful. Besides the castle and the pool, there are numerous hiking trails in and around the town.

So if someone thinks about participating in a “Buschenschank-tour”, don´t miss having a look at the amazing castle of Riegersburg.