A drawing of the mountains outside my window

Week 5

   This morning it was very cold.  The sky was covered in clouds so I couldn’t see that in the mountains it snowed sometime yesterday.  As the afternoon began I saw an opening in the clouds, and a white peak emerging into the sunlight.  Although beautiful, it seems strange to imagine that in a thirty minute hike I could reach the edge of the snow, and yet none reached the city streets.

Skiing is a very important pass time here in Austria, and especially in Innsbruck.  Many of the people I’ve met have told me that it is worth getting a year ski pass.  My roommate was telling me that you could easily go every weekend.  I hesitate though because I wonder if I’d really have the time.  It does not take that much time to get to the slopes though.  I think the nearest one could be reached in about ten minutes.

One of the studios at the architecture school is dealing with sport oriented cities and activity using Innsbruck as a primary example of a city that is geared toward mountain sports, and investigating how that might guide and shape its development.  I was intrigued by the topic and considered taking the course; I chose however to take another professor who came highly recommended.

My studio course had its first meeting last Thursday.  Our topic is dealing with the voids in the fabric of Berlin.  Berlin was bombed during the war so many spaces and even buildings still remain empty and abandoned.  Of course, the fall of the Berlin wall also led to many industrial warehouses and factories becoming abandoned.  These warehouses where the spaces that hosted the various underground rave parties that took place in the early 1990’s; without their abandonment and the lack of jurisdiction and police the underground culture became the night club culture that thousands of people from all around the world come to visit.  The moment also generated artistic and musical movements that now are the popular almost mainstream culture of Europe, and maybe even the U.S. 

I’m not sure what we are going to work on yet, but I know we will have to make a series of proposals that engage this artistic culture along with the remaining voids.  There is a threat that the voids could be filled by developers and investors.  The issue isn’t that economic activity is taking place in Berlin, but that if the voids get filled with luxury apartment buildings and condos, the culture that is Berlin now could be lost, and the charm of the empty spaces that can be used as passage ways and hiking routes through the city, would become closed. 

Taking this class I have realized what is so important about the experience of a place, and how even what might be considered beautiful buildings, could ultimately destroy the experiential atmosphere of the place.  After all, it’s the local restaurant with cheap pizza, or the café tucked away in an alleyway where we meet friends, that create the joy of our experience in a city, not the monuments or land value.

Since school has started I have to say that I am extremely happy to be working on something.  Before I was soaking in the sites and getting situated to my environs; now I am making friends, going out, working on projects, and getting a sense of what daily life is really like here.

I have three supermarkets within about 5 minutes walking.  One of them is a chain that was started in Innsbruck by a family that owned a bakery.  Now they are a supermarket that has a special bakery section in it that serves fresh and cheap bread.  I usually go there to get it.  On Fridays a there is a farmers market where I can buy local produce.  I get vegetables from one stand, cheese from another.  Another sells honey and mead. 

While the food quality here is really good, everything is closed by 6 or 7.  So I have to carefully plan my day in order to get everything I need by the morning or early afternoon.  Then I spend the later afternoon working on things at home.

I also began a German course.  It is quite difficult, but my roommate today was surprised by my improvement.  I wish I could learn everything so quickly, but language is more of a habitual kind of learning, and getting used to the vocabulary and grammatical rules are habits that build on top of each other, so it can never come immediately.  From an outsider’s perspective, however, it may seem to happen at lightning speed, especially when the student is immersed in it.

Last Saturday I had a chance to put my German skills to some use.  A new friend of mine invited me to a housewarming party where I knew no one except for her.  I arrived with some difficulty because the apartment was located on the other side of the city.  Innsbruck is not very large, but it is dense, and it is not organized in a square grid, so orienting yourself is not as easy as in the U.S.  I did arrive at last and began to meet people and talk to them.  I always greeted in German, and attempted anything I could say in the course of multiple conversations.  Soon enough people were helping me by teaching me new phrases, correcting my grammar.  It was a fun night.  I didn’t realize it, but it was soon 3 AM and everyone was leaving, but not to go home, to go out dancing in clubs downtown.  There is a little district in Innsbruck of clubs that are all located underneath the railroad.  The railroad is raised up on brick arches, and so under these arches are multiple clubs, bars, and music halls, and so when I arrived with the party, most of Innsbruck’s students were out on the street or in the clubs.  This is something that does not exist in Dallas.  There are some small areas with a few bars or maybe a club to dance in, but they all close around 2 AM, and then everyone has to drive home.  The best part about this district here in Innsbruck is that it is within walking distance to most of the city.

I think beginning the school year has market the beginning of me becoming part of the city and culture; the beginning of new friendships and deeper experiences.  I do miss Mexican food though.

Until next time,

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lucas.n.hoops' photostream on Flickr.

Week 3 and 4

        Life became slower once I had settled into my new home.  My roommates finally arrived toward the end of the week.  I took some time to get to know them.  David is an architecture student in the bachelors program.  He is from near Freiburg, Germany.  Alexandra is from the Netherlands.  She is the youngest of our group, just now going into her first year of business management.  She told me that she decided to come here because she loves the mountains.  I think David came for the same reasons.

Last Wednesday we got together and cooked a meal; pumpkin curry soup, a potato salad, and weinerschnitzel.  Weinerschnitzel is a piece of flat thin meat, breaded over (like milanesa) and fried.  I put Lemon juice on mine, and ate it with some cranberry sauce.  It felt slightly like we were having a miniature version of Thanksgiving.  I don’t think my roommates considered that though. 

I purchased a bike from a bike store.  I got a decent mountain bike so I could go riding around trails nearby, or to nearby villages.  Riding a bike is actually very exhilarating and risky.  Innsbruck is relatively dense for its size.  It has bike lanes along the sides of roads, and along alleyways behind buildings.  The way to my school luckily has a nice alleyway to ride along at least half of the way there.  The other half is along a relatively calm road.  The only real traffic along it are busses that pull over for bus stops.  I pull into the back of the Technical Faculty to arrive at school and I lock my bike up underneath a cantilevered building.  I walk up some stairs that enter in next to two small lecture halls and the large studio space where students work on their projects.  The lecture halls hold not only architecture classes but computer programming and mathematic courses.  In the basement is a huge computer lab, or rather 5 computer labs, each designated to different fields of study.  As I walk into the basement area I turn to the left where the architecture lab is located. 

I sat down the other day in the computer lab to use Photoshop to work on my portfolio.  One of my hopes is to find some intern work in the area.  I began to get a hang of the school system.  Essentially the main course is the Entwerfen, or studio design course.  Along with it can be taken some lighter electives in theory, or doing a smaller project.  Some of the electives can last the whole semester, and some are only a two week intensive block.  Studio meets once a week, which seems nice.  I’m still not in the throw of things so I have yet to see how it works out for me, but I can say that in comparison to how studio is run in Texas where we meet three times a week, it might be more fruitful to meet only once a week.  The issue for me is that it’s not always possible to complete something new, or make a significant development in a project in two days, however, given a week to work out details, issues, and actually make something that is somewhat presentable it may be better.  It certainly has a bit more freedom to it. 

I went to see some presentations on what studios were offered for the semester.  The were very interesting and strange on many levels.  This was the first lottery I had for studios, and it was difficult to choose from all the interesting choices.  I think my main problem was that I don’t yet have a sense for how the school works.

There are several “institutes” in the school.  Each institute somewhat specializes in a particular methodology for architecture.  One, the Hochbau institute focuses on generating detail rich designs, a neo-baroque sort of style.  Another focuses on urban design, while yet another is interested in dealing with existing historical buildings, and respectfully adding on to them. 

Since the institutes approach different issues and have different methodologies for working on architecture, each institute also has its own character and pace.  Some institutes are extremely demanding, while others are more conceptual.  I wanted to choose an institute that would challenge me yet also allow me to have a unique experience while I’m here.  I had to put my top three preferences; I will not know what I ended up in until next week.  

My roommate had his twenty second birthday party this weekend.  He invited around 30 people to the party.  It was hard at first because everyone was speaking in German.  I must have seemed like an idiot sitting off to the side nodding my head.  I did try to say a few things, but my German vocabulary is so small at this point that I always run into obstacles expressing an idea, and so I have to revert to English.  It’s simply easier for me to generally communicate with people in English at this point. 

My German has improved greatly since I arrived, but it is disconcerting when I am actually trying to have a conversation and I can only proceed up until the point where I’ve finished introducing myself and explaining what I am doing here.  It was ok though, eventually people seemed to loosen up and I was speaking with people, even though it was in English.

As I spoke to people I began to realize that many students come to study here because it is cheap, and its near access to the mountain sport culture.  My roommate David has two bikes.  One he uses for around town, cheap and replaceable.  His second bike is the mountain bike he uses maybe once a week.

The day after the party we went on a hike up into the mountains.  My apartment building is on the foot of the “northern wall” so the mountain trails are literally at my doorstep.  We hiked for two hours up to a small cabin in the mountain that serves food and beer to the mountain climbers.  It was great, and I think I see the motivation for people who climb the mountain after trying the food.  I also wondered how they get supplied up to the cabin because the drop is so steep there are no roads going there, only foot trails and bike trails. 

The view of Innsbruck was beautiful.   It was my first time getting a good look at the whole valley.  There are many small villages outside of Innsbruck not too far away, but higher up in the hills from Innsbruck.  Seeing it from so high up also gave new meaning to the area.  The people here have existed climbing up and down the mountains for generations.  Mountain activities are part of life here, and I’m sure at one point they were a necessity.

As we walked back down the mountain through another route, I saw many old fountains that taped into mountain streams.  I wondered how old they were.  Some even had carved statues of saints that watched over the fountains.  It was great to take a drink from fresh ice water flowing down from the tips covered in snow.

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if you click on the photostream link you can see all the photos

Week 2

This week I had unbelievable luck; I found an apartment.  This may not seem like something so lucky in other cities; in a week’s worth of searching it may be possible to find several options.  The statistics here are about 60 applicants for each room/studio apartment.  I spent last Monday morning searching the online listings and calling people to set up appointments.  I think in all I must have called ten to fifteen people.  I ended up arranging about six appointments. 

Monday afternoon I found an apartment listing requesting either an Erasmus student (the European University exchange system) or a language assistant.  Both girls in the apartment were studying languages and they wanted someone in the apartment they could speak to in English, or perhaps another language. 

Their apartment was promising.  It was furnished and located centrally in the city.  The only issue was that the room I was going to be staying in was also the way through the apartment for one of the other bedrooms.  The girl living in it would have to pass through my room to get to the bathroom or kitchen.  Although she had let me come and take a look, she told me that she might be looking for another girl.

The second place I looked at was nice.  It was a single room in an apartment inside a sort of dormitory/ski lodge.  The room was a bit small, but all amenities were included.  What I liked about the place was that it was not actually in Innsbruck, but in a small village up on the mountain side.  It overlooked the valley and had lighter air.  This would be an issue, however, when snow came and I would be riding my bike up the slope every day.  The price seemed reasonable to me in comparison with other prices until he told me that a 1300 Euro deposit was also required; let me also mention that it was not furnished.  I debated whether I should try and negotiate about the deposit on the bus ride back to the city.  I decided to wait until the following day to finish up the rest of my search.

The next day I met a woman from a sort of real estate agency that had a few studio apartments being offered.  She showed me two.  The first one had a new interior with new cabinets and bathroom.  It was nice inside, but a bit small.  It was also unfurnished.  The area also seemed a bit dingy and grey and the apartment was placed somewhat in the middle of nowhere along a sort of highway leading to the west side of town.  The second studio was much nicer; it was located inside a neighborhood with several supermarkets and cafés.  The building was nothing special, but the apartment was furnished, and it had a south facing window.  The interior was a bit old, but the price was a little better than the first one.  I still wasn’t sure, so she gave me her number and we parted outside.

I sat down at a café nearby because my next interview was around the corner, but I needed to wait about an hour.  So what is a good price in Innsbruck?  It’s difficult to say because there are many hidden costs.  For example, all apartments require a deposit, but they vary.  Some ask for two months of rent; some ask for four.  All of the apartments I had looked at until now had asked for about 1000 Euros as deposits.  I would receive them in full at the end of my stay, but what good are 1000 Euros when I’m returning to the U.S. and not spending them in small trips around Europe while I’m here.

The other hidden costs are utilities and furnishing.  The first apartment I looked at was asking 425 Euros a month, but that included everything and it was furnished.  The second place I looked at was asking 270 Euros, but he asked for a high deposit for the room, and then another deposit for the electricity box and the internet modem.  Then utilities etc., the rent became more like 350 Euros a month.  On top of that I had to furnish the room, which he said I could do for about 300 euros at Ikea.  The two studio apartments I looked at were a bit expensive, but I looked into them just to see what was being offered.  The first one was 490 euros a month, but all expenses included, along with a similar deposit for the apartment.  The second one was 400 Euros, but I would have to pay for utilities.  Another charge that was added onto that was the commission for the realtor. 

The next place I looked at was really nice.  I was also a studio apartment, about the same size as the other two, but the vibe was better.  The guy living there was named Lukas.  He was also a student and he was moving to another place.  He had a Neil Young poster and a guitar in the corner.  The room was furnished with a bed, closet, bookshelf, desk, and a couch.  It also had a small balcony facing north, so I could see the closest mountains.  He told me if I got lucky I’d be able to see some famous skiers from there.  The rent was 310, along with utilities 350.  The deposit was three months of rent, and he said he’d sell me the furniture for around 300.  I thought it to be the ideal situation.  He told me he would call in a few days.

I had two more places to see, but I thought that my preferred choice would be that one, and since we had gotten along so well during the visit I thought I would be able to pick it.  I went to the next interview inside an apartment with two other people.  The location was very nice.  It was a few blocks north of the downtown area.  The interior of the apartment was very nice, modernly furnished and very clean.  There was a balcony facing the interior garden of the block.  Most of the blocks downtown have a sort of interior with gardens, and maybe parking.  I liked the apartment, and it was decently priced, but I think I seemed strange to the kids there.  They were undergrads.  I think perhaps I intimidated them somewhat even though I’m not much older.  Although I liked the place I left with the feeling that I wouldn’t get invited to live there.

I think the whole situation is a bit stressful.  You have to give the best impression you can to each place you visit because landlords or Sublette’s have so many interested people to choose from.  At some point it begins to feel like a popularity contest, and you can’t help but feel a little depressed after each attempt and each rejection.  You begin to feel when you aren’t a candidate in the running line. 

My last interview was at 6:30 in the evening, and I had a few hours to kill.  I went shopping, bought myself a frozen pizza, and came back to the apartment I was staying at.  The guys were out, studying or doing their daily business.  I was so exhausted from the whole ordeal that I got in bed dressed and took a nap.  I woke up to the sound of the guys moving around in the kitchen.  It was a little after 5:30 so I came in said hi.  They asked if I had had any luck with the interviews.  “Maybe” I told them.  I was still holding out for Lukas in a few days.  I told them that I had another interview, and I needed to leave soon. 

The interview was not far from where I was staying.  I had to walk downhill.  I got a bit confused about the address at first.  I knew of a road called Höttinger Au, and the Address I had was Höttinger Auffahrt 1.  At the time it seemed that Au was just an abbreviation for Auffahrt.  It was a simple mistake, but I couldn’t find Höttinger Au 1 because it didn’t exist.  I called the girl whose number I had for the apartment and asked her where it was.  It was up the street closer to where I was staying than I had thought.  It turns out that Höttinger Auffahrt is a road that goes up the hill and crosses Höttinger Au which runs sort of perpendicular to it along the base of the hill. (The Hill’s name, and its neighborhood is called Höttinger)  I made it, a bit late, but I had been in contact with the girl about my situation so it was no problem.  She was extremely nice; much less formal than all the other interviews.  When I walked into the apartment she told me to lay my backpack down.  She showed me the room.  It was furnished.  The apartment was on the fifth floor.  The room was as large as the studio apartments I had looked at, but it had a large balcony.  In fact the balcony was huge; all four bedrooms had an individual opening to the balcony, but the space was one large space, very long, and fairly deep.  To guess it was about 6 feet wide and 40 feet long.  The kitchen was spacious, and the toilet was separate from the shower.  The view was also spectacular since the building was so tall.  The girl offered me a glass of water, something none of the other interviewers offered.  We sat and actually were able to talk for a little while, discuss the situation.  I had a chance to think of questions, and to give information about myself.  This was the apartment I thought seemed to fit my criteria in price, location, and living situation.

I did not really want to live alone.  I wanted some roommates to share small conversations with as we passed each other in the kitchen or hallway.  That night I took a break and went to watch a soccer match with the friends I was staying with.  During the match I received a text from Barbara, the girl from the last interview.  She told me she had discussed it with the others and she wanted to invite me to live in the apartment!  This seemed almost as if divine intervention had united us.  I said yes and asked when I could move in; she told me anytime.  I moved in the next day. 

The week I spent wrapping up affairs, signing the contract for the room, getting to know my new roommate.  The other two roommates come back from vacation later this week, so I’ve been hanging out with Barbara, cooking, talking, watching TV in German, and shopping for food, bed sheets, etc.  Barbara also invited me out Saturday night to meet her friends at a bar to hang out and talk over a few drinks.  Several of them are architects who studied at Innsbruck.  They also were interesting people.  Most of them were from the Italian side of Tirol.

The region I am in is called Tirol, and the northern half is in Austria, while the southern half is in Italy.  In the Italian region they learn German and Italian in school.  It also seems to be much warmer on the Italian side, even though it’s only two hours away. 

Now I am preparing for school, and looking into architecture firms in the area.  I have discovered that I am allowed to do a few hours of work with my residency, and I would like to possibly to an internship with a firm here.  Maybe one day a week.   Now at least I feel as if I’ve finally arrived in Innsbruck.  

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