Me and The Mayor of Graz...

....we're pretty tight. We just hammered out an economic deal where all the beer I buy in Graz is half price. We're shaking hands to seal the agreement.

There was a reception this afternoon at the Rathaus (city hall) for the exchange students. They took us into this fancy room that reminded me of the Senate Chambers in the Iowa Capitol building. The Bürgermeister (mayor) came in and welcomed us to Graz and wished us a pleasant stay. Five minutes before this, Doris, who is in charge of the exchange programs here asked me if I would stand up and thank the mayor for visiting us. So I didn't listen too closely to what he said, I was too busy trying to think of what I was going to say in front of all those people. Fortunately, I didn't hyperventilate and was able to say a few sentences about how we appreciated him taking the time to see us.

After that, they let us out onto the balcony of the Rathaus which overlooks Hauptplatz. It was a beautiful day:

Then we had some appetizers and wine, and people got to chat with the mayor and take photos. I was worried about being underdressed with just a polo shirt and jeans, but another exchange student, wearing a t-shirt, baseball cap and jeans, had his photo with the mayor. The mayor even took off the guy's hat and wore it himself for a picture.

UPDATE: Another picture of me with the Bürgermeister (corrected spelling) is available on the City of Graz website. Also, the Technical University of Graz has more photos from the event on their News Page.