Practical Tips for the Young Musician Traveler to Germany and Austria
Whether it’s your first time, or your tenth time, a European
summer program or festival is one of the most enriching, enlightening, and
sometimes even life-changing adventures that you will embark on as a young
musician in training. Here is a list, non-exhaustive of course, of some things
that nobody really tells you about before you leave that you wish you had
known! Since I have mostly been travelling to German speaking countries lately,
this is where we will focus our attention.
1- Packing
Less is more! Over the years, I’ve learned to pack
everything I need for up to 8 weeks in one suitcase and one carry on. You will
have access to laundry facilities, and every toiletry item is available for
purchase, so you don’t have to bring tons of everything with you.
If you will be going to concerts, remember that audiences
tend to dress up more. But remember that just like everything else, concert
venues are usually not well air-conditioned, if at all, and it can get really
hot in the summer.
The rest of your attire should be summer clothing, some kind
of a rain coat (and umbrella), good walking shoes.
2- Jet-lag/traveling
Traveling
east is difficult for your biological clock. The 6 to 9 hour time difference is
difficult to take in that direction (easier on the way back home). Here are my
personal tips:
- Do
everything you can to sleep on the plane over. I always do better if I manage
to get at least 3 hours of sleep on the flight. So maybe don’t watch 3 movies
in a row, no matter how excited you are by the little screen in the seat in
front of you...
- You will
arrive in Europe the next morning, which means that you have a whole day ahead
of you, sometimes with more travelling. Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE A NAP. Try
and stay awake until at least 8 or 9 pm. I find that doing something outside is
very helpful--walking through the city, for instance. One time, I went to the
Hamburg zoo, even though I never go to the zoo, but it kept me distracted from
my own fatigue.
- Get on
your new eating schedule right away. You will be hungry at odd times, but
establishing your new eating routine right away is important.
3- Money
It helps to have some Euros with you
when you arrive, but there are ATMs everywhere, and you’ll get a better
exchange rate by taking cash from them (double check fees that your bank may
charge for conversion, they differ from bank to bank). In large cities, pretty
much every merchant will take the major credit cards, but in smaller places
they will look at you askance if you try to pay for your Kaffee und Kuchen
(coffee and cake) with your credit card. Better to have cash to cover smaller
charges like these—also because some credit cards also charge conversion fees!
The Euro makes it super easy to travel from one country to the others on your
days off, too...
4- Electricity
Don’t forget your adapter plugs!!! (Guilty of that on this
trip!) Both the plug and the type of current are different.
Voltage in Europe is 230V, but all your electronic devices
will be fine. You might want to check for other small appliances you want to bring
(hair dryer, electric razor etc.). It should say somewhere on them whether they
work for 120-230, or only 120. As a general rule,
anything that heats up (like a curling iron) should NOT be connected to a
converter. Better to buy one in country.
5- Shopping (Food or
otherwise): A few things to keep in mind
- Schedule:
Almost everything closes early on Saturday, and will be closed on Sunday and holidays.
If you forgot to go food shopping, you will have a hard time finding anything
open. One exception: bigger train stations tend to have a little food market
that is open when everything else is closed. (Gas stations also often have a
little food section that has saved my life many times)
- You will
find great food in the supermarket, at reasonable prices. I always find that
food shopping is cheaper, and that the quality of the products is better (thank
you, EU regulations). SO the supermarket is a great option. But don’t forget
about the open-air markets where the local farmers, butchers, bakers etc.
assemble several times a week to sell their freshest items. It’s a lot of fun,
and a great way to experience life as a local (and try your hand at some
German).
- At the
checkout line:
·
bring your own re-usable bags (you can buy them
there for cheap, but there won’t be plastic bags available).
· cashiers don’t like it when you hand them a 100
Euro bill for a 5.62 purchase. Very often, they will ask you if you have the
.62 cents in change (you will find that you’ll be walking around with A LOT of
coins in your pocket).
· cashiers don’t bag your items for you, you have
to do it yourself.
· the biggest source of food shopping stress:
BAGGING your items. If you hold up the line even a little bit, you will most
definitely feel the disapproving glare of everyone behind you. The best
technique I’ve observed (and now use all the time): put everything back in your
cart/basket as the cashier scans your items, and move away to the designated
bagging area beyond the register, where you can take as much time as you want!
- One last
thing: pharmacies are for drugs and medicine. The other items we are used to
find in a pharmacy won’t be there (shampoo, soap, etc). Rather, you will go to
a “Drogerie”, such as DM or Rossmann.
6- Eating out
A great way
to discover new foods. Touristy places will have menus in English, but part of
the fun is trying to learn the name of food items in a new language. If you
don’t know, take a chance! Here are a few things to know about restaurant
etiquette:
- In casual
establishments, you usually don’t have to wait to be seated. Just pick a table
and sit down, especially in outdoor spaces.
- You can
always spot the Americans and Canadians in a restaurant: we tend to be the loud
ones!
- Waiters
won’t rush you, or expect you to order more if you want to stay longer. You can
literally spend all afternoon and only order one coffee.
- This
non-intrusive waiting style can sometimes make it tricky to get the bill. They
won’t bring it automatically, so you’ll have to ask for it (“die Rechnung,
bitte” or “ich möchte gern zahlen, bitte”). And it seems to be an unwritten law
of the universe that your waiter/waitress will be nowhere to be found when you
want to pay and leave, especially when you are in a rush...so be patient and
plan ahead! :)
- Tips:
service is included, so a tip is just that, a tip. On a check up to 50 Euros, I
will leave somewhere between 1 and 4 Euros.
7- Alcohol
The drinking age in Germany and Austria is 16 for beer and
wine and 18 for spirits (I guess they think that one can’t really get drunk on
beer...). So basically, undergrad students will be able to drink legally. This
may seem hugely liberating and very exciting, and while partying is certainly
part of a summer trip abroad, also remember what you came for. You don’t want
to ruin your musical and learning experience because you have a hangover every
other day!
This being said, you will have the opportunity to try a
great variety of beers, often brewed locally, and served in large quantities (order: “ein großes Bier, bitte”), or small
quantities (“ein kleines Bier, bitte”)
8- Air
conditioning/fans
One thing that is always a shock for most North American visitors is the very limited use of air-conditioning in Germany and Austria. Private residences practically never have it, and it is also rare in most public places. In the US, we are used to feeling chilly indoors, but that won’t be the case in Europe, where you will be hot everywhere, and pretty much guaranteed to feel uncomfortable, and always a little bit sweaty. Public transportation is also often not air-conditioned, so on a hot day, be prepared for a moving-sauna experience! (Add to this the fact that most people don’t like to have moving air on them, so you won’t encounter many fans, and bus windows will often remain shut, even on a 100-degree day).
9- Getting around
Be prepared
to walk a lot. And to climb stairs. Many older buildings don’t have elevators,
but some newer ones don’t either. Bring good walking shoes!
Public transit is generally very
well laid out and user friendly, so don’t be shy about taking the
bus/tram/trolley... In most cities, the transit authority will have a website
and an app where you can get instructions on how to get from point A to point B.
10-
Excursions/Traveling in Europe
You will
have some down time, and wherever you are in Europe, it is fairly easy and
inexpensive to travel to other places (usually by train), whether for a day
excursion, or an overnight stay. German and Austrian trains are convenient,
frequent, safe and comfortable. There are often discounted prices for small
groups, or according to your age. Make sure to inquire about these... Here are
the websites for the Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Österreichische BundesBahn(ÖBB):
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Hope these little tips will help make your transition smoother! And when in doubt, the local people will be more than happy to help and answer questions. Most will also make every effort to speak English if your German is not up to snuff yet.
Gute Reise!
--François
--François
