Our last piece of homework was much more effort - this time, we not only had to write a single paragraph, but connect several of them together to a letter. Unfortunately, longer writing tasks also mean more potential mistakes. Our teacher only underlined ten sentences which needed some improvement but did not comment on them.
Honestly, I was quite desperate at first, because I had little clue whether it was the grammar that was wrong or whether there were only logical and idiomatic problems. After reading my letter over and over for an hour on my bus ride home, I had an idea of what could be the problems and how I could improve my text. Just after I had typed the correction, I found out that there are teacher's suggestions after all! I was glad to find out that most of the improvement ideas were similar to what I had come up with myself.
The way our homework was corrected this time definitely made me reflect on my written work and my expressions even more than usually. I was glad that there were suggestions provided, though, because I could identify what was unclear in some sentences but found no way to express myself better and needed inspiration.
Dear Christine,
Thank you for your letter with all the details about your house and area. I appreciated the information about public transport in Brussels, but I was wondering if it is easy to get around by bike? If so, where can I hire one? Also, I am planning to spend a day or two in Amsterdam. I would be grateful if you could tell me the fastest way to get there and whether I need to book the tickets in advance. Apart from that, I don't have any questions at the moment, so, as promised, here is everything you need to know about my place.
As soon as you exit the train station, you will find yourselves in an open space from where the busses depart. Look for the stop on the far left side of that space, where busses number 58 and 63 leave. You can take either one of these busses, but you need to have a valid ticket. You can buy single tickets or ones that are valid for 24 hours from the bus driver. If you plan to use public transport regularly, however, I suggest you buy a weekly ticket from one of the vending machines at the train station. Get off the bus after six stops. The name of the stop is 'Wormgasse'. Stops are usually announced in the busses and additionally displayed on small screens in the bus. When you get off the bus, you will see a light yellow building across the street. Even though my flat is in this building and you can see a door on the front side, you need to go down the side street to the right of the building and use the green door there in order to get in.
I have arranged to leave the keys with a friend, who will wait for you in front of the building to show you the way to my flat, which is on the second floor. There is a lift you can use, though I consider it rather useless as it only stops on the floors with an uneven number and therefore not on the second floor.
I think the rest is fairly self-explanatory. I have left notes wherever you may need help. The only thing I should warn you about is that you absolutely must close the blinds whenever the sun is shining. Otherwise, my southward-facing flat becomes a sauna.
If you want to buy ingredients in order to prepare your own meals or just want to buy snacks, there is a SPAR supermarket around the corner. Simply follow the small street where the entrance to the apartment complex is – it is impossible to miss. If you want to try traditional Austrian food, I can recommend having lunch at ‘Landhauskeller’ in the heart of Graz. Altnernatively, there is the ‘Ristorante Paradiso’, which is great for fans of the Italian cuisine. It is a little difficult to find because it is located in the inner courtyard of the department store ‘Kastner & Öhler’, but their handmade pasta is definitely worth the effort.
I could tell from your letter that you are already well informed about the sights you are planning to see in Graz. If the weather in sunny you might also want to consider a trip outside of Graz, for example to the ‘Schöckl’, a mountain north of the city. Bus number 250 will bring you to St. Radegund, a village at the foot of the hill. From there you can either hike to the top or opt for the more convenient ascent - the cable car. The mountain’s plateau is great for short walks and there are activities for children such as a summer toboggan run. If you want to enjoy a breath-taking view and a typical Austrian dessert, ‘Kaiserschmarren’, try to find a vacant table on the terrace of the ‘Stubenberghaus’.
I think that is it for now. If you have any further questions, you can contact me any time.
Best regards,
Sarah
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