I’ve introduced myself in this way at least 12 times in the past 3 days and over the course of the next week, I’ll be doing it again at least 10 times more. As I write this from my frankly massive and still slightly bare bedroom in Ried, I cannot help but think about just how far I’ve come in just three weeks. Last week was training week, which took place in the mountains in the small ski resort town of Hinterglemm. The week was incredibly intense and involved seminar after seminar on all aspects of school life in Austria; a traditional Schuhplattler evening and huge amounts of food and beer. The week also involved a couple of visits to the charming, yet somewhat disturbing Hexenhäusl – a witch-themed bar. But I won’t say too much about that! As the somewhat clichéd saying goes: “what happens in Hinterglemm stays in Hinterglemm!”
Teaching this week has been absolutely amazing. All of my classes have been attentive and extremely friendly and I think I have managed to hear every single student speak some English (they all did fantastically and far better than I would have in German at that age!) I have been so pleased with how well my introduction lesson went and would love to hear some advice as to how I continue to make my lessons interesting for my students! At the weekend, I visited Schärding and went to Passau (in Bavaria) with Charlène, a French Assistant who happens to be living in the same WG as me! We had a great time exploring some new areas and I am really looking forward to seeing some more of Europe and spending time with some friends from my training course in Linz this weekend. It would be fantastic to hear about some other places that I could go as well!
Teaching and Travel 
Sandi97
12/10/14/ 09:45 a.m
I`ve read that you have already seen Passau and Schärding and you would know some other places in Europe, where you can go as well.
I could recommend you Salzburg. There you can see the „Mozarthaus“, where the world-famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born. Futhermore you can visitg the castle „Feste Hohensalzburg“ and „Schloss Mirabell“ with the beautiful and famous garden.
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Hi Chris!
I have just read your blog post and I must admit that I really liked it. You wanted to know some places where you could go. I would recommend you to visit Vienna. It is a great city and there you would be able to admire a lot of sights, which most Austrians know: Schloss Schönbrunn, Schloss Belvedere, the Stephansdom, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Vienna State Opera, the Wiener Prater and much more. If you like shoppiing, then the ” Mariahilfer Straße” is the right place for it.
Do you like Austria? What do you think about the people here? What about the Austrian food ?
I wish you a lot of fun and a good time in Austria!
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Hy Chris!
Your introduction lesson was very funny. We had a lot of fun with you and also learned something new. I think you are on a good way to teach.
I hope you will see many other beautiful places and things here in Austria and wish you a lot of fun.
I`m looking forward to seeing you in our English lessons.
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Hello Sandra!!
Thanks for your comment. Speaking of Salzburg, my family are coming to visit me at the end of the month and we are planning on spending a night there. Could you (or anyone else) recommend some more things to do there? Especially if you know of anything that we can do on a Sunday!!
Thanks again!
Chris
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Places which you can visit with your family in Salzburg;
If you like to visit a zoo I could recommend you “Hellbrunn”. There you can see many home animals, but also tropical animals. I like the museum “Haus der Natur” (“house of nature”). I visited it with friends three weeks ago, it is a very entertaining and interesting museum. The coffee there is really delicious. If you want to go shopping or look for a good restaurant, I would walk comfortably through the “Getreidegasse” (“grain lane)”. I wish you a great time with you family.
I enjoy your English lessons and hope that they run furthermore so diverse.
Natalie
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* native animals 🙂
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Hi Natalie! Thank you for your comment and for your wonderful suggestions. I am really looking forward to going to Salzburg with my family. I will try my best to keep the lessons interesting!!
Chris
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Hanna
14th of October 2014, 6:50 p.m.
Hi Chris!
If you go to Salzburg this weekend I would recommend trying a Mozartkugel. It has a flavour of marzipan and it tastes really delicious. I really like them, but not everyone is keen on them.
Wish you a great time while you are here in Austria!
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Hey Chris!
If you are looking for some places to visit, I would recommand the zoo in Schmiding. There is an aquazoo, and the most important thing to know is, that they have unicorns.
Just kidding… but don´t be too disappointed, they have kangoroos!
Enjoy your time in beautiful Austria!
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Scheinixoxo
16/10/2014/ 18 : 45 p.m.
Hejj Chris!
In my opinion your post is very interesting because I like the way you introduce yourself and your experiences in Austria.
You have mentioned the tradional “Schuhplattler” in your post, I would like to see a little performance in our next lesson. I´d like to tell you that I really enjoy your English lessons and that I am always looking forward to them.
A place which is worth visiting in Austria is the “Thermen resort” in Geinberg. There you can spend a wellness day and relax in the water. Furthermore you could go to the “Toasteria” and eat a special toast. I was there some time ago and I can recommend this.
I hope you will have a great time in Austria, Chris!
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Eva W.
October 16, 2014 at 09.02 pm
Hey Chris!
Another cool place to visit is the Aquapulco in Bad Schallerbach.
There are 5 waterslides and a “Piraten Welt”! It´s a great fun!
I´m sure that if you visit it, you will enjoy it 😉
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Lisa W.
October 16. 2014 at 09.12 pm
Hey Chris,
If you are looking for places to visit, I would recommend the zoo in Schmiding.
They have a aquazoo, and the most important thing to know is, that they have unicorns! Just kidding 😉 but don´t be too dissapointed: they have kangaroos!
I hope you have a great time in beautiful Austria.
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Leonard Ling
October 19, 2014 at 06:00 pm
Hey Chris,
I would suggest that you go skiing, especially in the winter holidays, because it’s wonderful there and you can try the typical Austrian food
Have a good time.
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Hey Chris,
A place which you could visit i can recommend you Linz. In my opinion it’s a nice city with some cool sights and you could enjoy your time there.
I am looking forward to more lessons with you and hopefully you will have a great time in Austria.
🙂
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Hi Chris,
I would recommend you to go skiing in winter. You could visit the beautiful mountains of Tirol – for example ‘The Stubaital’ or ‘Kitzbühl’ ! You can spend the night in a nice hotel and apartment and also explore the town in the evening.
Wish you a beautiful time in Austria – enjoy it!
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Hi Chris!
I´m wondering what languages do you have to learn at school in UK and why you are studing German, because it´s not one of the usefullest languages;)
Furthermore I want to invite vou to our “Kirchenkonzert” from our traditional Musicband in Zell an der Pram on the 22nd of November:)
Greetings, Hannah
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Hey Chris!
I really enjoyed reading your blog about your experiences in austria. I am interested in your statement about the level we speak english.
What languages do you have to learn at school? Are they obligatory? And why do you decide to learn german?
Enjoy your time, Mona
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Hey Chris,
I have just read your blog entry about yourself exploring Austria.
I wanted to refer to your visit in Schärding and Passau, because I wanted to tell you about some other places worth seeing in Austria, like Braunau.
Its the most beautiful city in Austria.
Have a good time
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Hy Chris,
I find it really interessting that you´ve visited Schärding? What do you think about that beautiful city? I´m living close to Schärding and I think it´s a place worth seeing.
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username: anonym
date: 22.10.14
Hey Chris,
I´ve read that you felt very amazed after your first englisch lesson, because all of us were nice to you.
Were you very nervous when you met us students the first time?
What do you think about our System in School?
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Hey Chris,
What have you done in Hinterklemm? 😉
You can also visit the Christkindlmarkt in Salzburg when the advent begins. It is amazing and really big.
I hope you enjoy your time in austria. 🙂
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Judith.hoch
October 22, 2014 at 09.00 am
Hy Chris!
In your blog post you have mentioned Charlene, a French assistence. It seems that you spend very much time with her and she sounds quit nice. Maybe you both schould visit a spa or have a romantically candle light dinner?
Have a good time. I’m looking forward to see you again. 🙂
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Hey Chris,
An another interesting place in Austria which you can visit is the “Dachsteingebirge”. There you can drive with the gondola and go to the “five fingers” to enjoy the sight. At the same place you can take a guided tour through the “Eisriesenhöhle” (ice cave).
I hope you will have a great time in Austria.
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Hi chris,
So at first i wanted to tell you that we really enjoyed the lesson with you as our english teacher today. The way you try to teach isn’t “normal”, you could definitely call it “new-school”, but it is entertaining and it would be quite interessting to see, if pupils can improve their marks with your teaching method.
I’m really looking forward to our next lesson together and wanted to thank you for the new experience I’ve made today.
Greetings
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Hi Chris!
Your post is really interesting.
Refer to the places you want to hear about:
I wanted to suggest the “Knödelwochen” in Waizenkirchen to you, cause you can eat (as my classmate explains) the best Knödel all around the world.
I was a little bit too slow, so you can decide on your own if this is true.
If you ask me they were delicious.
Another place to go is the Cinema in Ried where you can watch a good film and afterwards go to the near new club and have a drink.
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Steffi
22.10.14
Hi Chris!
Did you enjoy the dumplings in Waizenkirchen ?
Another place you could visit is the thermal spring in Geinberg. There you can relax while it`cold outside.
I hope you have a great time here in Ried.
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Hi Chris 🙂
Your blog on teaching and travel in Austria is really interesting.
You said you’ve learned about the aspectsof school in Austria. Do they really differ so much from British? What did you find the most outstanding?
There is also another question: How is it possible to talk a whole week about Austrian schools, or did you learn about teaching aspects in general too?
Anyway your way of teaching is quite amusing and I really enjoyed your lesson.
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Hi chris,
Your blog post is really interesting.
I would recommend you to go skiing in winter because it is an amazing and funny sport. You can eat the traditional “Käsespätzle” or “Germknödel”. These dishes taste very delicious.
I hope you will have a great time in Austria.
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Hi Chris..
You said that you have seen Passau. I live near to Passau and I think it’s so beautiful. What do you think about Passau? You also saw the traditional dance “Schuhplatteln”, did you enjoy it? I would also recommend you to go skiing in winter because it’s so beautiful.
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Betty
23.10.1997
Hi Chris,
You asked for some advice where to go in Austria and heres my tip for you.
You must visit Salzburg because the city itself and the Getreidegasse, where Mozart is born, are very beautiful and also historical. Of course there are many other sights to visit in this City!
If you like to shop some presents for your family or friends in Salzburg, you can go to the Europark, which is the largest mall in Europe i think.
Hope this tip was useful. Enjoy your time in Austria!
Betty
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Hi Chris,
Your Blog post is really interesting! Refer to the “Schuhplattler” evening, i’d like to ask you if you may show us the “Schuhplattler” in our next lesson ? 🙂
I hope you have a great time in Ried 🙂
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Hi Chris!
Your blog about your exchange year in Austria is really interesting.
I suggest you to go to Vienna, to make a sightseeing of Vienna´s attractions. You could visit the “Schloss Schönbrunn”, which has beautiful grounds and there is also a big zoo with lots of animals. In Vienna is even the “Prater”, an amusement park.
I enjoy your english lessons and I am looking forward to the tea time with you.
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Hi Chris,
Your blog post is really interesting!
Refer to the “Schuhplatter” evening, I’d like to ask you if you may show us the “Schuhplatter in our next lesson? 🙂
I hope you have a great time in Ried! 🙂
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Hi Chris.
I like to read the articles on your blog, especially this one 😉
You said that you have already learnd how to do “Schuhplattel´n”?
There are so many traditonal things you have to get know. Maybe you can listen to some traditional Austrian musik? It´s called “Volksmusik” here 😉
I enjoyed your lesson in school. Your way of teaching is so entertaining.
I wish you a great time here in Ried. I hope you enjoy it
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Hi Chris!
I would recommend you to try a “Germknödel” which is a delicious desert often eaten in the “Skihütten” when you go skiing. It is served with some vanillesauce. In my opinion it is a typical austrian food, especially in winter.
I hope you enjoy your time in Austria!
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Hi chris,
I would recommend you to go to linz on a christmas market. The advents time starts in the last week in november and lasts during christmas. There you can drink some mulled wine, eat sausages and see the beautiful christmas lights hanging over the little cottages, where you can buy something.
I hope you will have a great time in Austria.
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Hey Chris!
Firstly, I have to say that I really like your blog and I was amused when I read it.
You sayed that you’ve been in Passau. Did you like it?
I live almost next to that city-in Freinberg. So if you want to see Passau from a wonderful view, come here! (It’s definitely amazing!)
There’s a nice reastaurant called ‘Blaas’ where you can enjoy the view, the food and also the Freinberger-beer (I read the article about Hinterglemm and you seem to like beer!)
-since September we’ve a special Freinberger-Beer. It’s worth trying it!
Greetings,
Michi
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Hi Chris!
I’ve just read your blog post and it’s really interesting.
Referring to the places you should visit, there have already been made many good suggestions. I would also recommend you to go to Innsbruck. It’s a really beautiful city and the dialect of the people there sounds really nice. You have the chance to go skiing as well because it’s surrounded by mountains. 🙂
I hope you’ll have a great time in Austria!
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Hi Chris!
I’ve just read your blog and you said you would love to hear about some other places to go to in Austria. You definitely have to go to Vienna. It’s a beautiful city and you can do anything there, there are lots of shops, museums, restaurants and bars. Vienna is really worth visiting. You also shouldn’t miss visiting the „Salzkammergut“. I’m sure you’ll be fond of the beautiful landscape and the lakes there.
I hope you will enjoy your stay in Austria and travel through the country as often as possible to visit all the great places. Have fun!
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Hi Chris!
As I read in your blog you’re searching for some places to visit. I would recommend you to visit St. Johann im Pongau. It is a small city 55 km from Salzburg. There you can experience the traditions we have in Advent, for example “Advent im Gebirg”, an exquisite Christkindlmarkt on the last weekend of November or the traditional “Krampuslauf” on 6th December. And there is also the possibility to go skiing in the “Skiwelt Amadé” in St. Johann – Alpendorf.
I wish you a great time in Austria!
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Hi Chris,
I really enjoyed to read your blog.
You said you would like to hear about some places worth visiting. So maybe you like to visit the beautiful “Ausseerland”, were you can admire an incredible landscape of blue lakes and green mountains. I was there with my class for our last school trip. It was amazing.
See you, Annemarie
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Hi Chris,
It’s great you enjoy austria so much. If you like climbing and making new experiences you should definetly drive to “Attersee”. There is a huge outdoor climbing hall you could join in. This isn’t very difficult and I’m sure you will like it.
I hope I could give you an available advice.
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Hi Chris!
So you`ve tried some Austrian food? What kind of? Did you enjoy it?
And have you tried Innviertler Speckknödel yet? I think they are delicious, even better than the typical Schnitzel, if you ask me. You`ve got to try it and tell me what you think!
And by the way: the lesson with you was so much fun! I hope we can do this again!
Enjoy your stay here!
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Hi Chris!
I would recommend you to visit Vienna because in my opinion it’s one of the most interesting cities in Austria. You’ll definitely like the “Stephansdom” and “Schloss Schönbrunn”. I was there with my class and it was really amazing.
Enjoy your time in Austria!
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Hi Chris!
I really like your Blog and I’ve read lots of comments, I think they are very useful und I also recommend you Salzburg. It’s a beautiful city even if you only walk around.
You asked for some advice how to make lessons interesting, but I think you don’t even need any advice because your lessons are very funny. Altough you know how to teach, we like you – I think you are on a good way. 😉
I really enjoyed the lessons and look forward to see you again.
Enjoy your stay and have fun!
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05.11.2014
Hi Chris,
I really enjoyed to read your blog and also your lesson was quite funny for us all.
I would really recommend you to go skiing, because its really fun and the mountains are very beautiful in Austria. I read that you have already been in Hinterglemm, but when the whole scenery is covered with snow it looks completely different and so beautiful.
Hope you have enough time to try it out and it will be as much fun for you as it was for me.
All the best,
Isabella
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Hi Chris!
You asked for some places you could go and i can strongly recommend to visit Hallstatt. It’s a very beautiful little village near a lake und worth seeing it.
If you want to have some action you could go to the “Hochseilgarten” in Haag/Hausruck.
You requestet some adivce how you can keep yor lessons interesting, but I think as long as you stay how you are ( extremely funny) they will never get boring.
I hope you have a nice stay in Austria!
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As I read you have already seen some places from Austria! Therefore I have some questions. Do you like the landscape of Austria? How was the “Schuhplattler” evening and do you think Schärding is more beautiful than Ried? What do you think about the culture of Austria and about people?
If you want some more places to visit in Austria I would recommend Vienna, Salzburg and Graz!
I wish you a great time in Austria!
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I read your last post and I would really like to know more about Charlene and her areas you explored. Do you like her? Or the better question would be: In which way do you like her? I hope you enjoy your time in Austria, especially with Charlene, and I am looking forward to see you in our next English lesson.
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Hi Chris,
It’s quite interesting to read how you spend your time in Austria!
I would like you to break the promise and tell me what had happened in the Hexenhäusl…
The second thing which I’d like to know is how you find Charlène. Do you want her as a girlfriend? 😉
Moreover, you could make your lessons interesting if you choose a variety of teaching like talking with the pupils, letting them work in groups, do numbers in the book etc.
You already had a couple of lessons with my class and I really must say that I like your funny way of teaching! I also hope that you’ll answer my questions and that you’ll have a lot of fun in Austria.
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Hi chris!
I’ve already written a comment referring to another post, but my teacher said it was too short 😦
You really should visit the Attersee, because I think there are so many beautiful places.
Also you could go to Bad Ischl and/or Hallstatt. It’s also very marvelous there! If you want to go out at night near Ried, you should decide to go to the “lusthouse”!
I can’t think of any other beautiful places I can recommend..
Hope you had a great day! 🙂
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Hi Chris!
I recommend you the christmas market in Riedau. With a museum and the world’s biggest crib made out of wood just beside, you
can spend a whole afternoon there. You can also go the the church of Riedau and listen to some christmas music. You find more
information here: http://www.lignorama.com/319.0.html?&L=0
Another place that comes up to my mind is the canopy pathway in Kopfing. Maybe it’s too cold now to go there and you will have to wait till next summer,
but it’s just a great way to spend some wonderful time in the nature. There’s also a big tower of 40 metres where you can appreciate
a gorgeous outlook of the surrounging landscape. Here are some more information: http://www.baumkronenweg.at/
Hopefully You will try one of this places 🙂
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Hi chris!
I like your Blog a lot! It’s amazing, that you love Kaiserschmarrn as much as I do!
I hope you enjoyed being in Ried so far & you made a lot of experiences.
How was the Schuhplattler evening? I really want to see a video of you dancin’ the Schuhplattler 😀
Any other beautiful places? Hmmm.. I think you should see the Wörthersee in Carinthia or the Attersee. Furthermore the Thermal water resort in Bad Schallerbach is excellent for relaxing or for having fun!
I’m looking forward to our next english lesson!
Sandra
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Hi Chris,
I’ve just read your blog of your week in Hinterglemm.
First of all I want to ask you, if the Schuhplattler are known in England? Did you like them? I know that everything what happens in Hinterglemm stays there, but I am very curious – what did actually happen?
Actually I think that your lessons are interesting and entertaining (!!!), I can’t think of another english assistant who made such an effort to filling everybody with enthusiasm for english. I would carry on with your “hyper activity” in class. 😉
There are loads of very nice places in Austria. I would recommend you to visit Hallstatt or Innsbruck! Hallstatt is a very marvelous little city (even an asian country has rebuild Hallstatt in there country).
I am looking forward to having another lesson with you!
Enjoy your remaining time in Austria! 🙂
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