Life, Easter and Coffee

I haven’t made a post in awhile… But, I honestly don’t have much to report. The internship continues to go well – it’s been a month, so I am at the half way point. The manager of my section offered to talk with me about different career paths and I think I will have to take him up on that. Graduation is starting to loom over me and I am feeling the pressure to figure out my next step. I will take any offer for help and advice at this point!

Vienna also continues to be fabulous. The weather lately has been all sun and upwards of 18 degrees. I love it. It will be nice to be able to get out and explore once the internship is finished. It’s only 27 days until the family arrives, so that too is exciting.


This past weekend I found one of the traditional Viennese Easter markets. It was absolutely beautiful. There were eggs piled everywhere. Eggs with painted flowers, bunnies, cartoons, typical Vienna sights, funky patterns - everything imaginable. They even had real bunnies, which I of course befriended. They were so cute and soft. One almost came home with me!



I’ve booked my spring break vacation… It’s off to Croatia on Thursday morning to meet up with Jordan and Erin. I fly into Zagreb, then will catch another flight to Zadar to meet them. We’ll spend a couple days checking out the local sights before heading to Plitvice lakes, a National Park and UNESCO site. I can’t wait!

Now, for some education. Because I have some visitors coming soon I figure I should educate you all on the fine art of ordering coffee. Austria is both the musical capital of the world and the coffee capital. Knowing how to properly order your beverage of choice is an essential part of life here – if you can’t do it, there is a very likely chance you won’t be served. It’s not the same as in Canada. No one here is going to understand you if you say I’ll have a double-double – that quite simply does not exist. Nor can you just say I’ll have coffee. No, there is a way to avoid any confusion you may evoke on some poor cafe server. Here is all you will need to know about Viennese coffee:

·Kleiner Brauner and Groß Brauner: Means “little brown one” or “large brown one” this is close to what you would consider ordinary coffee: black, steamed with a bit of milk.

·Melange: This is similar to what most think of as a cappuccino. It is a mix of frothed milk and steamed coffee.

·Milchkaffee or Café latte: A large coffee with frothed milk. One of my favourites… This is what I will be holding when I greet you at the airport.

·Einspänner: Strong, black coffee typically served in a high glass with a dash of whipped cream.

·Fiaker: No, this is not the horse-and-carriage, the Fiaker is a rather not-so-common drink of coffee with a shot of Austrian rum and whipped cream.

·Mazagran: Coffee, ice, a shot of rum – and possibly a bit of sugar.

·Konsul: A black coffee with a small spot of unshipped cream. I’ve never actually seen this on a menu yet though.

·Verlängerter: A large diluted version of the Großer Brauner, served with milk.

·Schwarzer or Mokka: No, this does not have chocolate like I first thought… It is very strong, black coffee, normally you add a lot of sugar, but it is served without.

·Espresso: Another favourite of mine…. Strong coffee in a mini cup. It’s as cute as it is delicious!

·Türkischer: Strong boiled coffee with the grains still in the cup.

·Eiskaffee: Cold coffee with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and whipped cream… This one is bound to become a favourite it the summer months!

·Cappuccino: Coffee and whipped cream.