Thanks for checking out Opinion-Expatriate and my adventures in the cultural capital of Europe; Vienna, Austria. I’m an American who married an Austrian. That’s how I ended up becoming an expatriate and living in such an amazing city.
By reading this blog I hope you get:
- A moment’s escape
- An insider’s view of Vienna and the Viennese
- Knowledge of what it’s like to live abroad
- A good laugh
Enjoy this sneak peek about life across the big pond.
About the Author
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. Vienna is a nice change in pace.
Prior Experiences Abroad
When I was in college, I took a semester to study abroad in the stunningly beautiful city of Salzburg, Austria. There I met my husband P. We fell in love, but I had to go back to L.A. to finish school. We had a long distance relationship for five months, and then he got a Visa and moved to L.A. He lived in L.A. for four years. He then proposed and we married.
Why Vienna, Austria?
P wanted to continue his education. I had always been intrigued with the idea of living in Europe. I thought Vienna was a good choice because it was big enough for a city-girl like me. I also like that Austria is generally a sunny country. All four seasons are usually mild.
Arrival Date in Vienna
August 2007
Likes
Being exposed to more people. In L.A. everyone is stuck in their cars and there is very little interaction between human beings. Crash the movie explains this concept well. Here I use public transportation to get everywhere. It’s usually a wild experience.
Dislikes
Austria is a land-locked country. No ocean to be seen. I miss the beach.
Hi,
i am living abroad right now and I am going to be attending a ball at the hofburg palace in early february. i was wondering if you had any recommendations about a salon where i can get my hair and make up done for this? i am sorry to bother you– i can’t find any other resources online at all and i need help! i don’t know anything about vienna. thanks!
Hey,
I’m really glad I found this website because I’m planning to move to Vienna as well during this year. And more of less for the same reasons as you: Because of an Austrian man.
I read some of your posts already and I guess my point of view is a bit different as I’m European but I think it’s really interesting to see how you see Austria as a foreigner. At the moment I’m looking for a job for summer and I’m planning to finish my degree at home in fall and after that move there.
So keep posting because I’m awfully curious.
Found your blog after seeing the HGTV “House Hunter’s International” episode where you and your husband purchased your apartment in Vienna. Congratulations and best wishes on your new home! Will continue to read your blog as my husband and I are planning a sabbatical and Eastern Europe is one of our destinations. We currently live in LA, so your experiences are very insightful!
My name is Melissa, and I work for Leopard Films in Islington, London. I stumbled upon your blog during my research for the US hit series House Hunters International.
Our hit show is looking for energetic individuals to share their story about moving abroad. Participating in our show is a lot of fun and a great way to document your exciting search for a home and new life abroad. We film each episode over four days by re-constructing your house hunt.
If you are interested in participating with our show or learning more, please send an email to MelissaGrassi@leopardfilms.com.
To view current episodes of the House Hunters International, you can visit the following youtube links (please copy/paste the links listed):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOiump3__Mo – Vienna from California
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh0Q6DYe3QM – London from South Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLmhKEzm5kg – Dubai from Illinois
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hety7cF7k0g – Czech Countryside from Prague
Best,
Melissa Grassi | Associate Producer | Leopard Films UK
T: +44 (0) 207 704 3300 | F: +44 (0) 207 704 3301
3 St Peters Street, Islington, London, N1 8JD UK
http://www.leopardfilms.com
Dear Britta,
My name is Melissa Diaz Paniagua I am contacting you on behalf of Just Landed, an information portal (http://www.justlanded.com) targeting expats and people abroad.
Our different information, resources and services (country guides, expat directory, expatriate community, housing portal, job market, classifieds) tries to help them to settle abroad.
We are currently working on the promotion of our country guides for Austria and Switserland and we are looking for some partners for link and/or content exchanges. I found your blog and thought that it could be interesting for both of us to make a partnership.
We propose you two types of partnership :
- Link exchanges
- Content exchange : You can send us an article about Austria you think is relevant and we will be post it in our “articles” section with your signature and a link to your website. In exchange, you will post a link to our website on your site.
Feel free to explore our portal http://www.justlanded.com as well as our Swiss and Austrian pages on http://www.justlanded.com/english/Austria and http://www.justlanded.com/english/Switzerland.
I am really looking forward to your answer.
Kind regards,
–
Melissa DIAZ PANIAGUA
Just Landed S.L.
Calle Maestro Lasalle 36
28016 Madrid
Spain
Telephone : +34 915 902 611
Email : melissa.diaz@justlanded.com
Hello! Just want to say thank you for this interesting article! =) Peace, Joy.
Hello!
I like your site. I’ve not read much of it, but I like it already.
May I link from my blog? (http://meinwien.blog.com)
Greetings, Shelby