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Guide to Graz, Austria
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GrazDespite having a weathered look to it, Austria's colorful city of Graz is certainly an upside to an otherwise bleak national layout. Sure, the Austrian countryside is comprised of an abundance of lush greenery that any eco-maniac would be rather soothed by, but since we habit ourselves to talking about particular destinations, lets take a look at what makes Graz tick. If you're above the old sector, you'll notice a lot of red. Yes, red is known for its excitability factor, but here you can hardly think of the grid any other way. Nearly everything is of uniform height - or so it appears. Hardly differently from one another, residential buildings have kept their brick edifices for decades, even centuries, and though there may be a few "uniquities" amongst those communal structures - facades draped in baby blue and immensely dark burgundies and whites - the flow seems, for the most part, easygoing. Surrounded by hills and mountains (the latter being quite distant from the city's limits), it's difficult to imagine much modernity making ground inside its border. Surprises abound here. One of the most embracing European economies of technology, the Austrians have been running on a "don't get left behind" model since ecommerce showed to be the wave of the future. Today, Graz is littered with access points that'll make booming Chinese towns envious, and there's little sign of a slowdown on the horizon. Contrasting well with the city's color-rich atmosphere is its people's affinity for art. Nearly every self-respecting worldly berg is home to art houses, but many are lacking in public displays apart from architectural accoutrements. Oddly charming, however, is the number of modern landmarks, particularly those of which reside within a quarter in existence even before the OED recognized petrol as a term.
When to go:
Hundreds of miles from the Austrian capital of Vienna, Graz is located in the southern half of the country, allowing it considerably warmer seasons - perhaps the warmest available in central Europe. Divided by the River Mur into an Altstadt and Neustadt (like most major cities within the region), a cool stream of air rides the canyon through town, brought from more elevated sources in the area. Riverside dwellers love these natural allowances, especially at high season (summer), when even the valley is not enough to provide comfort during the most heated months. If we are to whittle the choices down to a single period, spring will claim the title.
Getting there and around:
It does hold a reasonable number of international connections, but Thalerhof International Airport is difficult to get to if you're located anyplace else than Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, or other nations bordering Austria. Making a stop over in Vienna will save you grief, time, and money, though Graz's souvenir vendors will undoubtedly milk you of your Euros before any notion of saving substantiates itself. Well-serviced by the Jakoministrasse, a network of streetcars and buses, Graz is not a city for private drivers. Parking spots are few, and nothing is more fulfilling than a stroll through the Altstadt (Old Town), making a personal vehicle nothing but a nuisance and a cash cow.
Attractions:
Who said an island had to be ocean-borne? Graz's sliver of the River Mur is the host of its very own semi-dry protrusion, one that, interestingly enough, has, over the years, inspired the creation of a playground, amphitheatre, and caf upon its um...surface?. A productive use of space? We truly don't know. Though not upon or within the River Mur, the city's Kunsthaus, a collection of modern art exhibits situated on the bank of the wide stream, is a centerpiece for discussion among Graz's residents even today. Some consider it hideous; some see it to be intriguing. What do you make of a cylindrical blue enclosure with seeming portholes of light?
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