The Smell of Freshly Baked Bread

I have a well-known weakness for freshly baked bread (and for cheese). Where do I go in Vienna when I want the smell of baked bread, you may wonder. To a grocery store of course.

Austrian grocery stores know the fact that many people are like me and they try to take advantage of this by having in-house bakeries that bake bread, semmel, or strudel quite frequently. Although I know that this is a trick to make me spend more money, I don't complain. I just love the smell too much.

But not all grocery stores are equal. Here are my views on some grocery stores in Vienna:
- Merkur: This is my favorite grocery store chain. They not only have round-the-clock fresh bread but also the best customer service.
- Billa: My second choice.
- Spar: Although they have in-house bakeries, they don't bake frequently. Moreover, They have the worst customer service. You get thrown away from the store if you are still inside 5 minutes before the closing time.
- Discount grocery stores: There are quite a few of them in Vienna. I think none of them have in-house bakeries.

Define me Family

Yesterday my wife and I went to the Europe's first baby fair, the so called BabyExpo Vienna. As expecting parents we were expecting an opportunity to find various child care products that you don't see in regular shops. Alas, our expectations were not met at all.

The first problem we faced was the entrance fee they requested. I'm not accustomed to pay entrance fees when I go to a shopping mall. Why would I pay any fees when I want to go a sales fair? Because I live in a non-consumer-oriented market place (it's rather an employee-oriented place, more on this in upcoming blog posts), I didn't complain. Then, I saw the rates:

• Single person: 9 Euro
• Family (including 2 adults and up to 2 children): 15 Euro

We were a family of two adults and a baby still in his mother's belly. So I wanted to pay 15 Euro. But the sales person behind the cash register said something to my surprise: "You're not considered as a family, you must pay two adult rates separately."

This is strange in a country where you and your cohabiting partner are considered almost like a married couple. You may ask whether I complained. The answer is yes. I complained to no avail. That complaints result in no difference is something many Europeans know (but still give a try). As I said, it's an employee-oriented market place. Europe is the place where waiters or other kind of employees are always right, not the customers (even though they have a job thanks to customers in the first place).

We didn't buy anything at the BabyExpo because we couldn't find anything worth buying. We could just go the the main shopping street of Vienna (Mariahilfer Str.) and find more product choices. And, we wouldn't pay any entrance fees just because we wanted to shop.

Hallo aus Wien

This is my first post for this brand new blog HalloWien. As a foreigner living in Vienna, Austria, I wanted to start a new blog and rumble on everything I experience here, from a foreigner's point of view.

Follow me and enjoy!