Today my hosts took me into the city to show me where my classes will be held. I will have to take the bus to school everyday, but it isn’t a big problem because they seem to be very simple to use.
My route will take about 15 minutes to the city center with bus No. 31. Then I can walk or take “die Straßenbahn” (street car) a few blocks to the building. My classes are actually held right around the corner from the “Rathaus” (city hall).
After finding my classes, we walked around town for a few hours. In front of the city hall building there was a street festival with tents and food vendors.
We took a small side trip to a small supermarket located not far from the city square. When we entered the building my host, Heide, pointed out a bum who was begging for change next to the entrance of the building.
When we left the building I started to feel sorry for the guy because he got up from his spot next to the supermarket entrance and appeared to be moving to another location. Then he pulled out his “Handy” (cell phone) and answered a call. Nonetheless I did not feel as sorry for him as we headed back to the city square.
We also saw a group protesting in front of an expensive clothing store. The group was upset with the store because they sell clothing that is made of animal fur. They weren’t dumping paint on people wearing fur coats, but rather wearing gas masks and holding a large sign that read, “Stop the sell of fur.”
We also visited the “Murinsel.” It is a man-made floating structure located in the middle of the Mur river in the heart of the city. It has a small area for people to sit and picknick, a cafe and a small play area for children.
The structure was built in 2003 after Graz was named the European Capital of Culture.
Our last major stop was the Schloßberg. It is a fortress built in the 1700s that sets on a hill overlooking the city. (The banner for this website has a photo of it.) Luckily, we took an evavator to the top. It is about a 30 minute walk to the top.
The top of the Schlossberg has some great views of the city below, but I was unable to get any spectacular photos because it was very overcast and rainy today.
I will definitely return there again, but perhaps on day when the sun is out.