Traveloteacher

My childhood memory of Vienna is rather traumatic: in a park near a castle (Schoenbrunn?) I was accidentally hit by a little Viennese girl because I came too close to her swing. She was all dressed up in a dirndl. Luckily, my successive visits to Vienna have been less aggressive and more pleasant, but other people's clothes are more often than not the focus of my attention. My country used to be part of the Hapsburg Monarchy, traces of which can be found in the architectural style of Downtown Zagreb and the lingo the Zagreb citizens have been using for more than a century. Since it takes only five hours to get to Vienna, I often take my students on day trips to see the sights and visit an exhibition or two. Because being as rich a city as Vienna is, it'd be a shame to miss such perfect opportunities to see the world famous masterpieces in numerous Viennese museums. We've seen the paintings by Cezanne, Picasso, Van Gogh, the Impressionists from the Paris Musée d'Orsay, D...

I've just uploaded the photos from Minimundus on Picassa and I still can't believe how my sons have changed over those 4 years. They're no kids anymore, well, at least when I compare the past and present photos of theirs. Fortunately, I don't see so many changes (i.e. wrinkles, kilos, gray hair etc.) on me!!!.... uh, just kidding. However, I'm still young at heart. This is another good thing of being a teacher - the students simply don't let you grow old... or am I kidding myself again???? Minimundus Anyway, it was back in 2003 when we had a lot of fun in this terrific park called Minimundus, near Klagenfurt in the west of Austria. Around 150 models of the most beautiful buildings, bridges, castles, towers, churches... from all the continents can be admired there. Close attention is paid to each and every detail of the models, set in the masterfully designed landscaping. The Zagreb St Mark's Church with its unique tiled roof is the only representative of my ...

Graz Austria is not very far from Zagreb. It takes us only two hours to get to Graz, my favorite shopping city. We usually go there twice a year, for winter and summer sales. Ironically, I don't buy in 'Austrian' shops. It's the Swedish brands I go for. H&M for clothes and Ikea for furniture and other house goodies. When they finally open up in Croatia, I guess we'll stop going to Graz. However, I'm not sure it will happen soon. Shopping malls aside, Graz really is a cute city. We spent three days there several years ago and acted like genuine tourists. Amazing, isn't it? All over the world I don't want to look touristy, but in Graz it seems all right, somehow. The city was given a new touch after being the European Cultural Capital in 2003. The new Kunsthaus, the Lift im Berg and the Murinsel are very modern indeed, but the old part of the city still has its old flare. Schloss Eggenberg is also definitely worth a visit.