| Destination: AUSTRIA | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Things To Know The Land The Habsburg Legacy Crossroads of Europe Proud Traditions Environmental Issues Sauerkraut and Strudel Summer and Winter The Last of the Knights |
Proud Traditions
Despite sharing a common language, Austrians are very different from their German neighbors - more lighthearted, and generally
more relaxed in their approach to life. They see themselves, correctly, as hospitable and cordial, thus defining the term
Gemütlichkeit. This manifests itself in an easy friendliness to everyone, and it's one of the first things visitors notice.
Every region sees itself as the best, and people proudly wear regional dress and enjoy traditional music and festivals. So
when you encounter people wearing Lederhosen (leather pants) and Dirndl (bodiced dresses), it's for their benefit, not yours.
There's an elegance and ease to much Austrian life; cafés buzz with the chatter of people, Bierkeller (taverns) are packed
with young and old, and streets are full of strolling crowds. Manners are conservative, even old-fashioned; this is a country
where children open doors and give up seats for adults, and outside of the cities nearly every stranger is greeted with an
amicable “Grüss Gott.”
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
