Oh Austria

I was going to start this post with 'Austria is a land of contrasts' until I realised that what land isn't? That's like saying: Austria has people in it.

Anyway I just thought I'd give you a distorted and unjustified snapshot of why Austria confuses me, politically and economically speaking, by highlighting a bunch of stories that all ran in the same Sunday tabloid last week. And if you sit through that you can have the link to looads of pretty pictures I've been saving up.

So yeah: the newspaper. What first hit me were the stories that just don't seem like they could ever belong to a british newspaper. Firstly, the austrian finance minister in an interview saying, basically, yes, our budget deficit is again under control and below the EU limit of 3%, so we should be off emergency measures soon. Yep, got a bit hairy there for a second, but we're totally on it. Can you imagine that being true in the UK any time soon? Ok so I am simplifying a bit as Austria is relying on some new bank tax regulations making it into law to make up its budget, but still. The optimism from a politician is confusing to a British person such as I...

News 2: Austria is in the top 5 countries in the whole eurozone for growth, and has the best unemployment figures in the EU, 4%. FOUR PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT. Whaaaaaaaat.

News 3 (front page): (Paraphrased) OMG a russian born girl won Miss Austria, this is NEWS so we can put her on the front page in underwear! Sigh.

News 4 (paraphrased): Hey Britain, remember when last week you all got completely outraged when the government suggested it might start tracking all your emails and internet traffic? Well, that is ACTUALLY A LAW in Austria. As of a couple of weeks ago, all my internet action is saved for six months by the Austrian government. I probably ought to take measures to somehow prevent this, if possible? I need to solicit technical help. In the meantime, anyone planning Oceans 11 or The Italian Job, email me at your own risk!

News 5: The 'Freedom Party of Austria' under H.C. Strache (did even that name ring alarm bells?) is again courting controversy , now being sued (by the King/prince of Marocco, no less!) for a billboard in Innsbruck that read 'Homeland-love instead of Maroccan thieves!' (catchier in original as 'love' and 'thieves' rhyme in german, 'Heimat-liebe statt marokkaner Diebe!'). This would almost be comically racist, (ie you would assume it was satire, I don't think racism is funny per se!) except that the FPOe gained 18% of the vote in 2008 national elections. That's right, Austria, one of the most economically successful and beautiful countries of europe, sadly 20% of the population vote for a party that is basically a cleverer and better looking BNP. Sigh.

Yeah, well at least the cake's good? And we aren't lead by no descendant of William of Orange. But it makes laughing at british politics from afar tricky...

And now, as promised, pictures! I have been enjoying the heck out of my walking guide to the Wienerwald, it is now cemented as my absolute favourite thing about Vienna this year. Here are two galleries of my wonderful discoveries in the woods.

Plus I finally overcame my Viennese resistance to seeing the rest of Austria and visited its second city, Graz. Graz is small, but perfectly formed. I also manged to get out into the woods round Graz too.

Got RSS working again now I think??!
Till some other time, the Tom.