you know you're in Austria when...

you are told that you speak American. This really happened. In philosophy class, our professor was listing of languages (i don't remember why) and he said: German, Italian, Spanish, French, English, American... without even wavering. Then asked us why we were giggling. We thought it was hilarious, but SO true.

mountain dew is illegal... something about the caffiene content being too high...

the legal drinking age is 16. These people love to drink. In all of Europe, Austria is the second leading country in beer consumption (like 150 L per person per year) behind the Czech Republic.

there are about a billion coins to the money system. ok not a billion but ALOT. there are: 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent, 1 euro and 2 euro coins... a bit excesive I think.

you have to pay to go to the bathroom (it's a European thing)... seriously!? Everyone has to go to the bathroom, why do they make us pay to go in public restrooms? It means you really have to plan ahead (and makes it hard to travel with children).

there are NO water fountains... in Vienna, one might find this spout thing that has a constant stream of water, but there are no water fountains to be found, anywhere... I have noticed that in all the European countries I have visited...

you can hear the church bells ringing from miles around. Especially at noon and 7am and 7 pm. This is a very Catholic country. There is both a monestary and a convent in the altstadt area, and they ring bells before mass and prayers, as well as noon. Bells also are rung during the concecration, which I find interesting.

the public transportation is EXCELLENT. Here in Salzburg there are buses that go all over the city, and even to the surrounding countryside. And then there are the trains... the train system here is very extensive and good. You can go pretty much anywhere on a train (for a lot cheaper too).

every student has to go to a concentration camp as a field trip (in thier version of high school)...

everyone dresses so nice (ok thats a European thing). Jeans and a t-shirt are not typical. It is an unwritten rule that sweatpants or pajamas is not acceptable in public.

the dates are written backwards... I get so confused sometimes. instead of 11-16-10 they write 16-11-10, which is ok if the date is greater than 12, but gets really confusing if it is not.

the hill are alive with the sound of music :). 62% of Austria is mountainous...Enough said.