This episode could be subtitled no paper, no plastic, bring your own! It's the weirdest thing when you go shopping. If you go to some stores, they give you plastic bags for your purchased items. Going to Mobelix (kitchen items, linens, desks, things like that), they'll give you a plastic bag. Or to Muller's which has a lot of makeup, toiletries, baby items, soft drinks, weird assortment. But if you go to Tesco's in Hungary (like a Walmart - they have everything) or to one of the grocery stores here in Austria, no bags at all. At Merkur, the grocery store we like, you can buy a plastic bag at the checkout (Tragetasche - 21 cents); it holds about 1 1/2 to 2 times the amount a Randall's plastic bag would hold) for your groceries. You can save it and use it again - if you remember to take it with you. You also can't get a grocery cart unless you insert coins into a slot - I think you get the coins back when you return it - not sure. Since we don't have a kitchen, we haven't bought a lot at any one time so we haven't gotten a cart yet, but you always get more than you think so we both have our hands full with items.
Okay, now the choice of items. You can get Colgate toothpaste or Sensydine but not Crest. The generic version here is My, which has shampoo, toothpaste, all toiletries, etc. You can get Dove soap (lots of Dove products) but not the fragrance-free kind. Blistex is available but not Chapstick. It's odd, what is available and what isn't. And you can't get any medicines of any kind anywhere but an apothecary. You can get bandaids but not first aid ointments. You can get all kinds of stuff to clean teeth but not anything topical for a toothache. No aspirin or eyedrops; we keep thinking of things to look for and keep on being surprised. Lots of types of mayonnaise and ketchup but no mustard except in Hungary, and it's not the yellow you're used to. Spices can come in the small jars, but plastic envelope-style containers are more common. And probably the biggest disaster of all - from my perspective - no diet cherry coke or diet cherry pepsi! So where are we - Afghanistan? At least you can get coke zero and coke and pepsi light, but heavens, no diet cherry drink! The world has rocked on its axis, or, to be more specific, my axis.
One very odd thing, from our perspective, is the hours these stores are open. For the most part, they close at 6 or 7, Monday to Thursday, 7 or 8 on Friday, 6 on Saturday. And nothing retail in Austria is open on Sunday! Restaurants are open at least. McDonald's in Eisenstadt is open the latest of everything, like ten during the week and midnight on Friday and Saturday. Tesco in Hungary is open on Sunday as are many of the shops there, but that is a legacy of the communist era when God was frowned upon. A few people have told me the Catholic Church is still very powerful in Austria and fights to keep businesses closed on Sunday.
Yesterday the company lawyer picked me up and took me to an office in Eisenstadt to sign some papers - it was in German so I hope I didn't sign myself into indentured servitude. It was for immigration purposes. They kept examining and re-examining my marriage certificate like they didn't believe it or something. Michael (the lawyer) and I had to walk several blocks in Old Town to take some passport-style pictures (apparently my passport picture isn't enough) and get some papers notarized (even though the marriage licensed is a certified copy from the Harris County Courthouse). We then went back to the office where the little old lady has about eight or nine 16-inch stacks of folders on her desk; sitting in the chair facing the desk you couldn't even see her. I think I'll get a residence card in a couple of weeks which is good for three months; then you go back and do it again for the next 18 months. I guess bureaucrats are the same the world over!
More next time!
This is Schloss Esterhazy - cut-out is composer
Joseph Haydn who worked at schloss for 40 years
Vineyard country east of Eisenstadt
Vineyard country east of Eisenstadt
Vineyard country east of Eisenstadt
Vineyard country east of Eisenstadt
Vineyard country east of Eisenstadt
None of the big stores in France have given out bags for at least 5 years. There is usually a used box corner where shoppers who forgot their bags can pick up a box to take stuff home in.
ReplyDeleteIf you ask at the customer service desk, they should give you a free token for the carts. No one leaves carts around the parking lot 'cuz they all want their coin/token back!
Happy shopping.
Linda
I remember that the stores in Australia (back in the 80's) had hours similar to the ones you described. They were open late on Thursdays - reminds me of how the stores were in Houston back when the Blue Laws were in effect.
ReplyDeleteWe are accustomed to having more things at our disposal whenever we want it - shopping, TV, internet, etc.
Martha
Thanks for the grocery list. I'll try to bring some of the items when I visit in June!! A lot of the stores in Maryland don't provide bags or you have to pay for them. We have an assortment of adorable cloth bags but Glen always forgets (on purpose) to take them - so frustrating! How's your body clock? Are you still up late, sleep late? xo, Kate
ReplyDelete