Travel stories

Differences between Vienna and Barcelona

Sidewalks

One noticeable difference between Austria and Spain is the sidewalks. In Austria, they’re made of asphalt, unlike the ones in Spain. Also, there are many bike lanes spread throughout the city. Since Vienna is flat and well-paved, lots of people move around using scooters, skateboards, bikes, etc. I really liked that — it’s eco-friendly and faster than walking.

I didn’t get the chance to use a scooter or a bike, but if I had, I would’ve really enjoyed it.

Food

I was surprised to learn that their most famous and beloved dish is schnitzel. When I was invited to a local restaurant and they recommended it, I expected something elaborate (like paella or fideuà). But what I got was a breaded pork cutlet with salad.

That’s Austria’s national dish. It shocked me how simple it was — but despite that, the portions were large and every place I tried it, it tasted great.

When it comes to desserts, Austria clearly excels — especially with the Sacher torte. I had tried it before, but in Austria it felt like a totally different dessert. The balance between chocolate and jam was perfect.

Near where we lived (in Wachau), they make an apricot liqueur called Wachauer Marillen Likör, which I had the chance to try. It’s smooth and tasty, and it's handmade, not industrial.

The Company

I did my internship at Frequentis, a company with around 1,600 employees across multiple countries. In Vienna alone, there are about 900.

I think it’s a high-level company. They treat their employees well, offering services like free high-quality coffee. There’s also a café and a canteen with affordable food (up to €8 max), and the company even gives employees a monthly allowance to spend there.

My schedule was 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (with 1-hour lunch break), except Fridays when we finished at 4:30. In the final week, I worked until 5:00 due to an Erasmus extension.

Having shorter days at the end was really appreciated — we were already quite tired by then.

Internship Tasks

The first two days, I had no tasks because my mentor Martin was on vacation. When he returned, I spent the week learning their error handling and testing language. The next two weeks, I worked with real error cases and compiled them in an Excel file (which no one used).

Martin asked if I knew JSON — I didn’t, but I studied it and the next day I was already working with it.

Our relationship was strictly professional. One of my colleagues had a closer bond with their mentor and even had lunch with him once.

I preferred it the way it was. This was my first job experience, and I assume this is what work relationships are usually like — I don’t want to have false expectations for the future.

What surprised me most was the flexible schedule. I’d only seen that in companies like Google, Apple, or Microsoft.

Also, the atmosphere was great: everyone treated each other equally, regardless of rank. On day one, they told us to address everyone by first name — no formalities — except for the top 4 executives.

Personal Reflection

I adapt easily to new environments, so by the end of the first week I was already into the routine. While such a big change could be hard for some, none of us had major issues adjusting.

Living with the group went well. We were four boys and one girl. Of course, we had a few disagreements at the start, but we resolved them and everything else was smooth.