Théophile Rougevin-Bâville, IRCOM, France

Because of its mountain landscapes, lakes and unique folklore, Austria is a country that attracted me a lot.

 Its glorious past, built by many empires, also gives it an important place in the heart of European history. I therefore chosed this country for its rich culture, its proximity to many other countries such as Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, etc., and also to effectively improve my level of German!

I travelled a lot and I left Linz and the Danube valley to travel through the Alps and visited typical villages on the lakeside of the mountainous Salzkammergut region. Among them, Hallstatt is a charming village on the Hallstätter See lake. There I visited the oldest salt mine in the world! I also went to Gmunden, on the Traunsee lake, or to the Hoher Nock mountain whose its 1963 meters overlook the Kalkalpen national park. The view there is simply magnificent and made us quickly forget the 5 hours walk it took us to get there! I also did a road trip through the surrounding countries: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary. It was wonderful to travel like that and compare the different cultures! I keep a very good memory of this experience.

The semester in Austria was therefore very rich in discoveries, this stay was a great experience for me. I found Austrians very proud of their country and the cultural offers are numerous, operas and concerts are within everyone's reach. In this country where Mozart was born, classical music is given pride of place. Moreover, as Austria is located at the end of the Alps, there are many hiking trails which wind their way through the mountains and promise breathtaking scenery!

I also made several friends at the university who helped me to improve my German. Thanks to them! And thanks to Angelina who welcomed the erasmus students very well!

Liebe Grüße !