Embassy of Austria

The embassy of Austria is so postmodern! With a foyer built to entertain guests and hold events it is definitely one of the more hospitable embassies around.
We were here for a journey through the 20s 30s and 40s with a brief stop in the 50s as we were serenaded by some lovely vocalist who’s name I fail to remember. Though it ended a bit earlier than listed on the program I had no problem with that as it was a weeknight.
Events here are fun and cheap what’s not to like? Check it out sometime when you need a dose of some culture in your system.

I came here on their open house during Europe Week and it was one of the best houses we visited. They had free sausages, which were passed around, with mustard and bread. They also had elderflower lemonade which was a treat to taste. They also served free coffee, chocolate and apple strudels. They had several tables lined up with travel brochures and we picked up a couple of nice city maps for our future trips.
The space is modern and open, so it doesn’t resemble a house, so it has a less personal feeling.

One of the perks of living in the D.C. area is being close to the countless number of foriegn embassies that are located downtown.
The Embassy of Austria is the only embassy I’ve actually been inside, only because a friend of mine works at the embassy.
The Austrian embassy is not that hard to get to, just a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Van Ness metro stop. Unlike many of the embassies located along ‘Embassy Row’, it’s not a converted old mansion, instead has a modern style. There is a small hallway when you first walk in that leads to an atrium that is used for large events. There is a room at opposite end of the building that resembles a living room/​study with couches, wooden bookcases, etc. From here you can go out to a spacious patio at the back of the building.
I went to two events held by the Austrian Embassy. The first event was sponsored by Austrian Airlines and Redbull. It was incredible. They had a DJ, excellent free beer and wine, bar servers dressed as airline stewardesses, free Austrian food and the ambassador herself made an appearance.
The second time I went there for an event was for the Euro Cup soccer championship this past summer between Germany and Spain. This event was also alot of fun. They had free mini flags of Spain and Germany for supporters of each team to wave. They also had traditional Austrian sausage and beer on hand for free.
The embassy sponsors a great variety of events, the frequency can vary from month to month. In the past it has hosted classical music concerts, lectures, film screenings, wine tastings and open houses.

I went here to check out the Germany v. Spain UEFA 2008 Championship.
Everyone was very nice. They also served free (yeah, FREE) beer and food.
Although I had to watch Germany lose, it was pretty fun because they had 4 big screen TV’s in 2 rooms and a projector in another room. The main TV was about 10 feet (diagonally of course) and the other screens were big too.
I don’t know anything about what they offer with regards to tourism but what I do know is that they know how to throw one hell of a soccer party!

Another embassy that surprises me by its modern appearance is this one.
The interior is sunny with interesting watercolor painting high up on the walls. It has a nice large open space for entertaining. At the event they had great Austrian wines to sample and they actually gave you some background on each one. The Hillinger Zweigelt was my favorite; fruity with a black pepper zing to it. They say Whole Foods carries it @ around $ 12.99!
I’d come back for a social event if they offer something to the public again. They had lots of information on tourism to share.