Music

Bring a scarf to the opera

Vanessa Quirk

03 Feb 2009

Austria

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Vienna is known for its classical music scene, which you can take part in for an amazingly cheap price. You may have heard that on the day of a performance, you can get ridiculously discounted student tickets in the standing room section (I saw Puccini's Tosca for four Euros!), but you probably haven't heard of the golden scarf rule. It's quite easy - just bring a scarf with you to the opera, find a good spot in the standing room section (it's first come, first serve), and wrap your scarf on the banister to mark your territory. Voila! You've officially carved out your spot for the rest of the night - now you're free to wander around the opera house to your heart's content.

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Slang

Austrian German: It Ain't Your Mama's Hochdeutsch

Alaina Rose

18 May 2010

Austria

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Before I left for Austria, my German advisor warned me about the dialect here, saying it was much different than the Hochdeutsch (standard German) I learned in school, so I felt prepared. ... Ha, ya right. From my arrival until this very minute, I've had a difficult time understanding the Austrians. The dialect even varies from village to village! (Though it has, admittedly, gotten easier.) While it's damn near impossible for an outsider to learn fluent dialect, there are a few words you should know before arrival... Grüß Gott or Grüß di - Hello, Pfiat di or Wiederschauen - Goodbye, der Oachkatzlschwoaf - Squirrel's Tail (very important!), Fad - Boring, Most importantly, stay patient and keep your ears open!

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