Teddy’s Diner isn’t a place one stumbles upon by accident as the location is seemingly hidden, behind the shopping street Mariahilferstrasse and right next to the Haus des Meeres aquarium, it’s where I went specifically to see if it lived up to its reputation. The interior design is amazing, the signs on the wall, the little booths, the bar-type place, and even the paper the food is wrapped in is true to its inspiration. It is a little small, but people usually stay up to 45 minutes inside so you’re sure to find a seat. The food was prepared fast, tasted good and was very filling. The menu isn’t very big but the typical diner foods are there, and even though it was a little pricey (we spent 18 Euros) the experience is worth the price. I wouldn’t go again for a regular meal, but I might take my visiting friends when I show them around, very Riverdale-esque if you know what I mean 😉
Waking up to the sound of rain trickling on your window is so romanticised in cinema, but in reality it’s just wanting to skip class to stay in bed, wearing 3 layers, a raincoat, and a hat, and lugging around an umbrella only for it to be raining to lightly to even open it and still getting wet. And honestly, Vienna on a rainy day is a difficult task as so many activities require the outdoors, so basically the whole month of May is a struggle.
Whether you like new European/German releases or want to be up-to-date with western cinema, Viennese movie theatres show a wide a range of movies. For European movies you can go to any cinema at all, but that usually includes German subtitles. If you want to watch an English movie in its true form (as in no subtitles) you should head to an English cinema. My personal favorite is Haydn, located on Mariahilferstrasse, as it’s super convinient to book/buy tickets online, and they also frequently have reruns of older classics so if you’re lucky you can catch one of those.
Tip: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are saver days so the tickets are at a discounted price (7-9 Euros). Students discounts are also always available, if you show a card.
The library is one of my favourite places to go to study in peace or read a good book, the rain outside is only an additional plus. The options for this are endless, but if you prefer a more scenic experience you should head to the National Library(which is also a museum), or the UniWien library (usually crowded). The one I like to go to is the Hauptbücherei am Gürtel as it’s very big and you’re sure to find a free desk, and at the back there’s couches with giant windows overlooking the street and you can spend hours curled up reading.
This ones an obvious one as Viennese coffee-house culture is in a league of its own, but go to any small cafe, there is one on every street, and you can expect kind and fast service and you can stay for a long time. Sit in the back and people-watch the wide variety of customers, read a book (a big hobby of mine clearly) or study, it doesn’t get very loud. Take this opportunity to go to a lesser-known cafe and order something new!!
A rainy day is the perfect opportunity to go see some art, imperial riches, or animal corpses ,and by the time you leave the rain might have stopped. Walk around and engulf yourself in the content, it really helps to clear your mind. Vienna is full of amazing museums and it depends on what you want to see, there is one for any type of person. My favorites would have to be the Naturhistorisches Museumwhich has many interesting showings, including a moving model of a T-Rex(a biased choice because of my major), and the Albertina which is constantly bringing in new exhibitions so there is always something fresh to see.
Buy a poncho
The last option is to suck it up and buy the wearable version of a plastic bag, throw it on over your clothes and enjoy Vienna in the rain. You can find a wide selection of ponchos in any store in the city center. The city is very serene when it rains, and the centre is relatively free so just walk around without a map, get lost, eat a Wurst, drink a Wiener Melange, and then find you way back home.
My final advice is to not let the rain stop you from enjoying the day, it might not end up being the trip you imagined but there’s still many things to do, even when its pouring :).
The only thing that makes getting through the many many 3AMs studying under the dim light of the lamp which only works in a certain position is the promise of a good breakfast outing the next morning. Well, also the vision of my hopefully incredibly successful future, but also the breakfast :). And its just so happens that i have coincidentally moved to one of the cities with the best cafes in Europe.
I stumbled upon Cafe Melangerie on Lerchenfelder Str. 94-98 by accident, while searching for coffee and decided to sit down for breakfast. Their menu is very diverse, as it offered pre-made sets but also gave you the opportunity to build-you-own-breakfast. The sets were very well put together, with a variety of choices, whether you want a classic english breakfast(DAS ENGLISCHE), a viennese breakfast (DAS KLEINE/GROSSE WIENER), or the healthier option (DAS G’SUND UND FIT). You also have the complete freedom to choose what you would like to have, any type of egg, bread, jam, cheese, meat combination your heart desires. The coffee always tastes great , and the homemade lemonades really bring the whole meal together.
Cafe Melangerie isn’t the cheapest cafe for breakfast in Josefstadt, but in my opinion it totally makes up for its price(usually around 15 Euros for a full breakfast). Sometimes the service is slightly slow, but its understandable as the place is busy on weekends, but outside seating is offered and the sun shining on your face is always a good wake up. Even if it gets a little chilly you can wrap yourself up in the baby blue blankets placed outside (great instagram photo) and enjoy your food!
Waking up to your roommate’s four alarms at 6 AM, being stuck in the laundry room because your door was locked or getting tons of mail and none of it ends up being yours…..the joys of dorm life. Teen movies portray life in shared housing as a nonstop party, and thats what raised my expectations but the reality turned out to be very different.
To set up the layout, each floor has 5-10 apartments and inside there are separate rooms, a shared bathroom and a shared kitchen with a dining area. The separate rooms are either 2 double rooms or 4 single rooms. I personally share a room with one girl and a bathroom/kitchen with 3 girls.
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THE POSITIVES
· Interactions
Yes, it is easier to make friends, but it really depends on your luck. Many exchange students already have friends who came with them, but thats not always the case. Your flatmate might know someone, who might know someone who brings their roommate along, and then maybe you meet someone by the mailboxes who you invite and somehow you end up in the common room in the afternoon with a group of 15 people from different countries and sometimes even different dorms (don’t ask me how). But maybe you land in an apartment with people who keep to themselves and the people you see in the elevator don’t show any interest in interacting with you and you spend all the whole semester all by yourself.
· Cleaning/Maintenance
The very clear plus in living in a dorm is the services offered by the company. The area is cleaned once a week, usually on the same day and its super convenient (even when they come
way too early in the mornings sometimes). If anything is slightly damaged you’re able to report it online and the maintenance guy comes the next morning and repairs it, unless it’s the weekend in which case you’re
going to have to power through.
· The Room/Space
The rooms vary from floor to floor but they are usually very nice. The double rooms have enough space to have a clear seperation into two sides, and you are provided with all you need,
a bed, a closet, a table and chair, a lamp and even a sofa if you happen to get the better rooms ! You are also provided with kitchen utensils and the kitchen space is small but if only one person is cooking, it’s not
too bad.
my room
· Location
The dorm I live in is on Tigergasse, right at the heart of the 8th district and only 10 minutes away from city hall (Rathaus). Josefstadt is a popular place for young creatives, as it hosts theaters, open air markets, small cafes, and its accessible
from any part of the center as the tram number 2 runs from the building, and the U6 and U2 subways are only a few minutes away. It’s really the perfect location for a student.
· Bills
You don’t have to deal with bills, as everything is included in your rent which is one less thing to worry about. You do have to pay for laundry (2.50 every load), and you can
never do laundry on weekends, the loads change so fast you dont even see the people go in or out, you just have to wait until monday (sometimes even tuesday.)
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THE NEGATIVES
· Interactions 2.0
If you plan on sticking around in Vienna for the whole length of your studies and maybe afterwards too, friendships arent going to be easy on you at a dorm. As most residents are exchange
students who only stay for 1-2 semesters, its hard saying goodbye and then coming back to their empty room next semester. SO if you do move in, try not to get too attached to the people or find those who are going to stay
too !!
· The NOISE
The noise is the biggest negative, yet not the most unexpected as it is a student dorm. Whether it’s a group of 4 having dinner in your kitchen area or the sound coming from the balconies and common rooms, it’s usually hard to focus if you’re trying to study later in the day. It’s not rare that the police get called by the neighbours if it’s loud after curfew (10 PM), and whether that’s a good thing when you’re cramming last minute exam material or if it’s a bad thing when you’re the one having fun and end up being fined, that’s on you.
· The Oven
There is no oven. Thats a problem. Apparently thats a common austrian thing but still !!!
My final opinion is go for it !!!! If you’re planing on studying in Vienna, you should definitely consider student dorms, as they’re affordable and the pros outweigh the cons. And if you find out student housing is not really your thing, you can cancel your contract or wait out the semester and move to a different accommodation in the next year.
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Rozi's Life Abroad 