I drove. She shopped.

Which is my preferred method of doing things.  Of course though, that also means that December rolls around and I haven’t done a lick of Christmas shopping.  I don’t recall my father ever doing any Christmas shopping,  and my father-in-law would dole out some cash to some hapless family member who then had to go out and try and find a couple things before Christmas.  My memory’s dim,  but I seem to recall it that way.  Or maybe he just gave out cash? 

Wonder if I’ll end up the same way?  I have an uneasy feeling.

Not a big shopper. 

If they only had a decent tool store in Parndorf,  I’d be all over that.   Alas,  only clothes,  purses,  kitchen gadgets.  And throngs of people from all over.

 

Instead,  I took one for the team.

That’s the thing about just about any restaurant of café in Europe, and certainly here in Austria.  You can sit down with a paper,  order a coffee,  and they’ll basically leave you alone.   There can be people clambering at the door to get in,  and it won’t make a difference.  

Although I must admit,  when we first arrived in Europe, oh those many years ago in the Netherlands,  it did take us a bit of getting used to,  to make sure to get the attention of the wait staff at some point after having finished our meal in order to actually extricate ourselves from the dinner table.  Like I said,  they just leave you alone.

As a matter of fact,  the Dutch in particular,  and this may apply to other Europeans when visiting Canada or the US, consider it down right rude to be served with the bill after the last plate has been cleared.   As norteamericanos, we never give it a second thought,  and figure that,  once you’re finished eating,  it’s time to make tracks.  

Different strokes.

I think I prefer the European way,  to be honest.  I will sometimes just ask to pay right away,  (“Wir werden sofort bezahlen”),  if we only order coffee and have places to go.  Otherwise,  forget it.

 

So that was a good outing.  Travelling Companion picked up a couple things.  There are indeed some Christmas items in there,  so the contents can’t be divulged.  Sorry.

 

Then,  just for kicks and giggles,  we thought we’d revisit the Naschmarkt here in the city, to pick up a few little goodies that can be a challenge to get anywhere else. 

No sitting with a coffee for Bob.  

Into the fray.

 

We were pretty much on a mission though,  so there wasn’t too much meandering involved.  It’s the meandering that drives me right ‘round the bend. 

 

Over the last year or so,  the city of Vienna has been doing some renovating at the Naschmarkt,  and my impression is that the isles are even narrower than they used to be.  Mind you, the place is mobbed on a Saturday anyway,  so we didn’t linger any longer than it took to get what we wanted,  and got out.

 

The temperature was getting up there as well.   The readout in the car was showing 28°C,  and the news is it’s going to get hotter over the next few days.  Summer hasn’t released us from it’s grip just yet.

Have I said how glad we are to have air conditioning?  

 

It’s going to be a quiet evening.   Hope you enjoy yours.

 

Thanks for coming on by.

 

 

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