a heart in the city

The photo is a view of Graz’s Kunsthaus from the Schlossberg. This Kunsthaus or also know as “The Alien” is actually the city’s museum. The Alien, as the name implies, looks totally different from the rest of the city’s infrastructure and I guess that is to show the city’s openness for modern art.

Frequent art exhibits are carried out here. The last time I visited this place was in the autumn of 2010. Around that time the entrance fee was 7Euros/person. Entrance fees vary according to what is being exhibited there and the type of visitor you are. Students always get discounts. Anyway, the building’s interior is as fascinating as its exterior and it is frequently remodeled to accommodate certain exhibits. I visited this place twice and during the second time, the interior looked totally different from the first time I visited it.

The eastern part of the city has the reputation of being better than the western part. This may be due to that fact that there are a lot of immigrants living on the west side of the city. This may also be due to the fact that Graz’s Altstadt (old city) along some of Graz’ beautiful architecture lie on the eastern part. I am not so sure of the reason but one thing I am sure of is that there are some really nice buildings just on the west side of the river Mur. Some of these buildings houses some really fancy hotels. Actually one of my favorite restaurant in the city, Der Steirer, is on the west side of the river.

buildings on the west side of river Mur

buildings on the west side of river Mur

This is how the community we live in looks like. It’s in the suburbs of Graz, particularly in the south of the city. The west, north, and east parts of Graz are more hilly compared to the its flat and farm-field south. Understandably, the city’s airport is also in the south of the city.

I took these photos while taking a walk around my neighborhood. The houses are usually light colored, neat, beautiful and are not that big compared to American houses (or at least compared to the ones I see in Wisteria Lane). Anyway, what fascinates me most is the gardens. Austrians love their gardens they tend to it like they do to their houses’ interiors. It’s very rare to see an unkempt yard here–everything’s neat and very nicely decorated with plants and other garden accessories.

very neat and kept yard

colorful and lovely houses

It's just early spring so there's not so much green yet.

Me walking around Graz last summer

Soon, days like these will happen again–days when I can put on a pleasant top, a simple pair of shorts, and a comfy pair of shoes or flip flops, and saunter around the city. I’d probably stop by a shop to buy some small things, or sit beside a fountain while I savor a cone of ice cream. I’d have a camera on hand ready to shoot anything that I find peculiar, funny, fascinating, or pretty.

I love this photo. Yes, it is blur because it’s just an aim-and-shoot-kind-of-shot but this photo reminds me of pleasant carefree days in Graz.

Murinsel in Graz: a modern architectural structure in the middle of the Mur river. Another famous landmark of Graz, Murinsel serves as a bridge, amphitheater, and a very nice piece of art.

Spring is finally here. Soon, the flowers will be blooming and the trees will be budding again. The weather will be warm enough for people to sit outside and eat ice cream. I like Graz during warmer seasons because the city seems to be more alive. People come out and fill the streets. They also move a bit slower as if to prolong their time under the sun.

Today is the official start of the spring season. It’s still a bit chilly but clear sunshiny days come more often now. Also, there’s not a lot of greenery yet but I am sure that after a couple of weeks, the plants and trees will paint the city to a fresh color of green.

We’ve been having some really nice weather in the last couple of weeks here in Graz and in Austria as a whole. Sunshine and mid-spring temperatures—it’s heaven! Although, it is a little odd considering that it should be deep winter now, I am not complaining. A bit of warmth in the midst of the winter season is not bad at all. It makes me feel braver to sit outside for hours to enjoy the fresh air.

My first winter in Graz was a complete different story. It was two years ago but I still clearly remember it. I remember having weeks of gloomy, sunless, and depressing winter. And this weather situation made me feel like it’s never going to pass. Snow was abundant that time and it was a sight to see, but at some point, it just became an annoyance. First, because it made driving much harder and second, the snow was taking so much of the parking lots. I was just a new driver back then, so these were some of the most striking things about the winter in Graz for me. I also had my first car accident that time—thank God, nothing really happened except for some scratches on my car.

Here are some photos taken two winters ago.

view from the window of our then, attic flat.

yup, some people are crazy enough to ride a bike during winter

if your the owner of one of these cars, you have to dust off the snow and scrape some ice before you can drive away. that's also annoying thing to do!

the Statdpark is just lovely when it is snow covered

Graz is not known to a lot of people. Honestly speaking, it was not until my 26th year of existence when I learned about this city and I don’t think I would have learned about it if I had not met my husband.

Before, when I hear “Austria,” I was only able associate it to three cities namely; Vienna, which is the capital city; Salzburg, because of the famous Von Trapp Family; and Linz, because my country’s national hero was educated there so I’ve encountered Linz in some of our history books.

The Clock Tower is the most famous landmark of Graz

I’ve been to those cities and there’s no doubt that they’re worth visiting but I like Graz most because to some degree, it is like my home city, Baguio. This is not to offend anybody. I know for a fact that Graz is far more advance in many aspects than Baguio but some things about the two cities are similar (in my point of view, at least).

Like for example, Graz and Baguio are university cities. Meaning, both of them house a lot of universities and colleges and as such, the population highly consist of young people. Graz is a home to a lot of students who are from neighboring towns and also from neighboring countries. It’s really a melting pot of cultures!

Another example, both cities enjoy a better climate than the rest of the country where they belong. Graz is known to enjoy warmer temperatures than the rest of Austria and Baguio has cooler temperatures than the rest f the humid and hot tropical Philippines.

Graz has been my home for almost two years now but there are still a lot about Graz that I don’t know about. There are still places in it I haven’t seen. Graz is a like a box containing a myriad of small pleasant surprises all for me to discover!

I so heart this city!

narrow alley

This is a narrow alley that branches out from the Hauptplatz (main plaza) and it’s called Sporgasse. This is the way to Nespresso where we get our supply of coffee from and to Cafe-Konditorei Strehly.

open air cafes along Herrengasse

Open air cafe are abundant along Herrengasse and its branching alleys. During warm weather, people would rather like to eat outside to drink their coffee or to eat their meal so they can also enjoy the sun and the weather.

window shopping in Graz

Herrengasse is a haven to shoppers. This busy street is lined with different shopping stores and most of these stores have huge glass windows showing the stores’ products. Walking along Herrengasse without buying anything is a big challenge to shopaholics. H&M and Zara are two of the stores along Herrengasse where in usually shop for clothes (if I feel I need new clothes) but since I am not that much of a shopaholic, I can be happy with just checking out the others shops’ window.