This past weekend was our first time traveling outside of Vienna! The three other students on my program and I decided that over the weekend we would go to Prague. CASUAL. A round trip train ticket from Vienna to Prague was about 44 Euros and only a 4-hour ride. We found an amazing hostel for around the same price for two nights. (hostelworld.com)

A hostel is kind of like a casual hotel. They are much cheaper than a hotel, and you typically get a bed and a locker with a padlock to keep your items secure overnight. It is really common for other student travelers and young people to take advantage of these accommodations. Our hostel-Hostel One Miru-provided us with a bed, towel, locker and FREE home-cooked dinner every night!!!! It was such a cool way to get to know the other people in the hostel (just in the first night I spoke to someone from Chile, Japan and met someone who lives about an hour from me back in Pennsylvania!) and an even better way to save money on going out to dinner.

On Saturday, we visited Prague Castle which included going inside of the castle, exploring St. Vitus’ Cathedral and strolling down Golden Lane where we got a few souvenirs.

Afterwards we walked across Charles Bridge and around the main square.

On Sunday, we visited the John Lennon Wall (started in the 1980s) and happened upon some very talented street musicians. We ended our afternoon in a cafe + meditation center, where I ate some AMAZING mustard that our waitress told us could be bought across the street, before taking the train back to Vienna. (Spoiler alert=I returned to Vienna with two containers of Czech mustard in tow. The equivalent of 38 US cents!!)

Traveling, no matter how many times you have done it before, takes a lot of energy. I was surprised that I felt relieved to be back in Vienna. I am glad to be back somewhere that speaks German. While almost everyone we met in Prague also spoke English, it is always easier to speak to someone in their native language. And to actually understand road signs. I never thought I would see Vienna as somewhere familiar and comforting. We are coming up on our 4th week of living here, but it already feels kind of like a second home.

With that said, this week also means the end of our first German language course! Next week we will move up to the next level of German. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone, nor how much time we still have left. Talking about traveling and moving to Marburg is becoming more real. I am excited, but I really want to savor the rest of our time here in Vienna. We have a lot of things planned this week, so hopefully my next post will be full of more exciting stories!

Thanks for reading and have a great week 🙂

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BkbYVv8r1k6mjcRp9 – click or copy and paste to remember that this is a wonderful world

As promised, this post is mostly dedicated to how I have been eating vegan in Vienna. Before I start, I want to give a quick update about the past week!

In the same building as IKI there is a yoga studio where for 10 Euros, you can try 5 classes within a span of 10 days. I’ve been into yoga for a while but only ever really did it on my own with youtube videos to guide me. So, I tried going to a studio for a few classes and it was amazing! Signing up ahead of time forced me to go even if I tried to act like I was too tired to leave my room. It was an awesome way to hear and learn more German and also to feel like I was taking care of my mind and body. I look forward to sticking with this studio and hopefully finding another once we get to Marburg!

I also had the chance to going to Oberes Belvedere and see the art exhibits featuring medieval artists, expressionists, impressionists, landscape painters and more! It was over 50% Austrian artists and so interesting to see works by Klimt, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Munch and Funke in real life. I wrote down the names of so many Austrian artists that I want to learn more about! (Look up Ship of Fools, Oskar Laske, 1949 if you’re bored).

On to being vegan abroad! This was one of the obstacles I was most worried about overcoming and it has worked out better than I could have ever expected. Food is labeled meticulously here; there is a key on almost every restaurant menu. A=gluten, C=eggs, F=soy, G=milk, N=sesame, etc. This makes it easy to know what I can and cannot order out. Additionally, almost all vegan foods in grocery stores are labeled with a big, green V that is hard to miss.

But if you are vegan or vegetarian, you know that just because it’s vegan/vegetarian, that doesn’t mean it’s healthy. There are tons of packaged and processed foods that are vegan, but the best things for you are whole fruits and vegetables. Luckily, there are lots of those in Austria! I recently bought a blender with one of my roommates (YAY) and have gotten both fresh and frozen fruit for smoothies. I have also tried frozen vegetables, mostly because I know they will last longer, but they don’t taste the same as when they are fresh. Most of the produce in stores here is labeled if it is grown in Austria and aside from exotic fruits, most of it is. I like to buy things a little under-ripe or just ripe so that they last me a bit longer while they ripen in my kitchen.

Here is what I like to keep stocked:

• oats (Muesli can be eaten raw or cooked and is sort of similar to granola)
• some type of grain (Normally rice or quinoa)
• fruits (I have found some great Austrian peaches!)
• milk (My favorite here is Hafer-Mandel which is a mix of oat and almond milk)
• veggies (Lettuce, peppers, zucchini, carrots) *one problem I have found is you can’t really buy small or single quantities of carrots or potatoes, so you have to use them pretty quickly*
• beans (I love chickpeas and they have them canned or baked)
• seeds (Chia, pumpkin, just for extra nutrition and crunchy toppings)

Some extras I keep around are dried dates (best snack ever), bread for toast or sandwiches, vegan yogurt, salt, pepper and thyme (spices here can get pretty pricey) and oil and vegan butter for cooking. I also like to get some form of vegan meat or cheese, though those can get very processed so read ingredients! beolingus ( https://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/ ) is my choice of German-English dictionary.

While groceries here are much cheaper, vegan brands are still more expensive like in the US. Some vegan brands whose products I have enjoyed so far are Vegavita and veganz. The best way to shop vegan on a budget is buying what is already vegan without having to go to a special section of the store where all the vegan food is located. Oats, grains, beans, seeds, fruits and vegetables are almost always vegan and can be found in any aisle. Grocery shopping might take a little longer but your wallet and body will thank you for it later!

To finish up, I’ll add some pictures of food I have cooked and eaten out. I will write again in a week or so, thanks for reading!!