On Nov 18th, 38 scholarship holders from Vienna met in the morning for a day trip to different places in Lower Austria.
Our first station was the Seegrotte in Hinterbrühl, where we enjoyed an interesting tour through the old mine. Our guide Kinley, originally from Bhutan, guided us through the big underground world of the Seegrotte. Participants were impressed by his great sense of humour and his jokes throughout the tour.
He led us through a labyrinth of tunnels and underground passages as we learned about the history of the place.
The atmosphere in the Seegrotte was very special indeed, and an Iranian student raised her voice to remind us of the problematic situation of the people in her country. Furthermore, a Ukrainian student studying at the University of Vienna performed the Carol of the Bells in Ukrainian. You may find the video here.
Hereafter, the visit to the Seegrotte was topped off by a boat ride on Austria's largest underground lake.
After enjoying a typical Austrian Lunch (Goulash or Lentils with Dumplings) at the Mautswirthshaus in Mödling, we drove to Baden.
In the afternoon, we had a guided tour through the centre of Baden, where we learned about the history of the city and particularly famous people who lived there: Mozart and Beethoven.
As it was pretty cold and rainy during the city walk, participants were invited to taste a few sweet chestnuts and a Non-Alcoholic punch at the Christmas market in the beautiful park of Baden.
Our participants gave nice and positive feedback:
"A great chance to meet other scholarship holders and to learn more about Austrian history and culture."
"I liked the lovely atmosphere created by the OeAD team, meeting people from all over the world, and visiting secret spots even locals do not know about. :)"
"I was very happy to learn more about Austria. Everything was amazing."
"Thank you for the winter excurion. I made friends with the other Ukrainian boys and girls, saw the Seegrotte and I learned about the history of Baden."
"During lunch we got to know each other and had time to talk. Punch and Maroni at the Christmas party were perfect."
"It was a great chance to meet other scholars and get to know more about Austrian culture and history!"
