"Graz - one & only! :)" a Graz Travel Page by polardabar

Well, what to say about Graz? It's the capital of the Austrian region called Steiermark, it has around 230 000 people & is one of the top destinations in Austria. Grazers have really put a lot of effort (and money) into making their home town a great place, which made it a worldwide famous destination when it was proclaimed

the European City of Culture 2003.

Back from Graz again! :)

There's quite enough material now (both texts & photos), so I think I'm gonna need quite some time to update it all. Check out what I've done so far & please come back again & read my story about this great city!

Graz has always had a special place in my heart - not for a precise reason at first, but then I got the hang of it... :)

Since Graz is pretty close to the Slovenian border - which makes it close to Croatia - it takes me only about 2,5 hours to get there by car (it's 180 km). The main reason for Croats to go to Graz is shopping & that's how I 'visited' it a couple of times. You can find all the shops you could ever wish for, it's small & cozy & a great place to spend the weekend.

While planning my trip to Scandinavia, I decided to make a short stop in Graz, visit my relatives & check out the city from a bit more of a 'touristy' perspective. I've wanted to go there since it was the City of Culture, but this the first chance & I was really looking forward to it.

I used to have that let's-go-shopping attitude - until I was supposed to start living there! That was more than 4 years ago, when I was supposed to spend my freshmen year at Karl-Franzens-Universität. Unfortunately, the paperwork deadlines collided, so I ended up stuck in Zagreb. :(

Anyway, I've been there a couple of times since, trying to experience the city in a different way. I was successful, 'coz it really is a GREAT city! I've been there in Aug 2004 on my way to Scandinavia, but I didn't have a camera back then. Using that as an excuse I went there again last weekend! A friend of mine got a scholarship over there, so we just took the car & hit the road. :)

She lives in a great big flat with a couple of people, just enjoying what the city has to offer. Although it's pretty small, it has a great University with people coming from all over the globe. I'm also gonna apply for a scholarship over there & hopefully I'll get it! Fingers crossed! :)