Ivan

Ivan Abičić Osijek, Croatia-- Linz – the city of cultures The spectacular view from Hohenrausch Linz As a fifth year medical student who mainly wanted to experience another hospital's working conditions before my last year of studying, I couldn't even imagine that a two month summer practice in Austria would change my perspective about another cultures, prejudices about other people and help me become more open about trying new things. Life in Linz Living in a 200,000 people city with so many cultures will make you embrace every new thing that comes to you. For such a small city, Linz was so full of events, concerts,festivals and many other things that I have been enjoying for the past two months here. The most beautiful thing of all – festivals, museums and most of the sights are totally free! With the city map and tourist information about upcoming events you can be sure to find something interesting for every day of your stay! El Flecha Negra band making an ubelievable atmosphere during Linz Pflasterspektakel Festival in July Pflasterspektakel carnival! Austrians are cold - WRONG! Before leaving my hometown, I was often told that I won't see many friendly Austrians during my stay and that I should not expect any help from them. I was so happy to see all the steretypes gone in a moment. So, on my very first day in Linz, I wasn't able to find my teaching hospital and ,as my last possible option given the opinions of my people, I desperately asked an old mister if he could help me. This gentleman personally went to a half an hour trip by tram with me,showed me the hospital, knocked on professor's door and in the end, paid a taxi for two of us on the way home. And in those two months I bumped into hundreds of very helpful and patient Austrians who showed me who they really are as a nation. Handling the money Since my summer practice was under Erasmus+ exchange programme, I got 1100 euros in total and I had to use it to find myself accommodation, buy food and all the stuff an average person needs to survive. I found myself a room in a students' home and paid it 520 euros for my two month stay. Basically, I was left with 580 euros to live in a country where minimal salary is around 1300 euros. And you can make it with that money! The key is that you buy groceries in markets (such as Penny, Hofer or Billa) and make your own meals.Their markets always have a week discount on a specific grocery so it is good to take advantage of it. On the other hand, I have to admit that eating in the restaurants can be very expensive there. Museums and churches – a must visit! As I have already mentioned, all the museums are totally free which makes this city way more affordable in compare to Salzburg or Vienna where you have to pay for every museum. Another great thing about museums and churches is that they are mostly located in the city center. It is fair to say that I was shocked with the amount of information and technical advances in almost every field of science that was presented by Ars Electronica Center, one of the most interesting things to see in Linz. 3D printing of the sketches you make is just one of many great stuff you can experience there. Another great museum is Schlossmuseum located on a hill with a beautiful view. It offers historical wealth back from Roman empire up to now and it is definetly worth seeing! Among dozen of unbelievable churches in Linz, I would like to point out Neu Dom, the largest church in Austria which can take more than 2000 people! If you have enough time like I had, don't forget to visit Steel World and Lentos Ars Museum, two museums that will immediately amaze you. I would like you to remember that there are lots of concertc on the squares during the summer, especially Classic music concerts which are very popular here. The churches also organise concerts and it can be really amazing. Ursulinekirche near the center of the city is well known for its cembalo and violin concerts during and after the Holy Mass. Ars Electronica Center at night The inside of Neu Dom church Nature, nature and more nature This city offers some really amazing things to enjoy. My favourite place was a part of town called Postlindberg, placed on a hill with a beautiful view of the whole city. Postlindberg is full of parks where you can make a picnic or sit on the benches and relax. There is always a concert during the weekend so it makes it even more adorable. If you are a garden lover, you must visit The Botanical Gardens. They are not so far from the city center and you will be able to enjoy more than 10,000 plant species in a peaceful atmosphere where you can easily relax after a hard day at work.In addition, like at Postlindberg, many concerts are organised in the Gardens. For those who really like long walks, running or cycling, the ideal environment is Danube park. It is next to the city center and it provides extremely long path for your activities. You can also see lots of big sculptures in the park and on the other hand, there is a great river Danube with lots of big cruise ships and other boats. But what I was really thrilled the most with is a park called Volksgarden. It is a really huge park located 10 minutes from the city center and it is always full of people ( Volk means people in German ). I liked to go there as often as I could because you can see so many different cultures, different ways of dressing, people dancing and smiling, having picnics and small parties, playing sports etc. I used to sit there with my colleagues from hospital and just watch the joy of uniting so many different cultures in one. It really gave me hope that people can live together without fights and wars and it really made me love Linz even more. My experience Even though I came to Linz with some prejudice and stereotypes, I am so happy now that I finally realised that every culture is beautiful and it is even more beautiful if you can embrace more cultures at once. It is only two weeks that I came back from Linz and right know I am considering to come back next year for another boost of culture that helped me become a better person. Parks of Linz