Everyday Life as a Nomad in Europe (part 2)

Kelly fixing the dryer in one of our apartments.

It's Friday. I'm listening to a Canadian themed playlist as I write this at 1000m above sea level in Lower Austria. The dogs are snoring and dreaming on the couch, bagged from the 10km+ we logged this morning on a mountain hike. Kelly is outside wiring some lights on the truck. And I'm siting at my laptop; the past few months swirling through my head - the good, the bad, the embarrassing....

Before this trip, I don't think we ever imagined we'd be laughing at ourselves in our attempt to do simple, normal, everyday things - We're Adults Dammit!!

But here we are, relearning how to do basic 'grown up' stuff like going to the grocery store, and doing laundry.

(Author's Note; Kelly is now back inside trying to figure out our German Language clothes dryer...I haven't heard any swearing yet. Although, he did buy a new shirt today, and he's wearing it because it is the only clean, DRY shirt he has right now.)

Everyday EU life includes a lot of naps...

So, without further adieu, here is Part Two of what it is REALLY like to live a nomadic life in a foreign country.

4. Grocery Shopping

Average size of our fridge in Europe - holds just a bit over a day of food at a single time.

This is pretty straight forward, right? First, you go to the store. While there you find your items. You then pay for your items, and return home. Easy-peasy.

In Austria, you need a survival guide before heading to the store. Why? Allow me to share:

Shopping Carts: Austrian shopping carts have a mind of their own! If you want them to go left, they go right! The more you put in it, the higher the chance you will crash into a shelf or display (which is SOOO embarrassing). Wearing flip-flops to shop in? Well, might as well accept that steering the cart will NOW be impossible (for those interested, there is actual science behind this)!

You Never Know What Will Be Available: In Canada we are really lucky to have such a wide variety of both international and local food available to us - even more so on Vancouver Island. I've been a stanch meal-planner for a number of years now, which started when Kelly needed to change a few things with his diet. And this has been great, as I love to cook!

However, all planning goes out the window over here, as I never know what we might be able to find. In Europe I feel like everyday is an episode of MasterChef Canada - launch myself into the pantry hoping to create a 'top-quality' meal with the ingredient I find in my path!!

Also, every store is set up differently - so finding things can take a really long time. We set aside at least an hour in the store for each trip we make - even if we are picking up only one or two items.

Packing You Own Bags is Practically an Olympic Event: After the Cashier rings in your purchases, they launch them down to the packing area with such speed that everything will crush in minutes if you're not pragmatic with a strategy for arranging things on the conveyor. In fact, if you don't strategize, there is absolutely NO TIME to even put your items IN a bag! Just pick them up as fast as you can, drop them in your cart, worry about bagging later, and pray you didn't put the eggs on the bottom.

Must Weigh Your Own Fruit & Veg at Some Stores, but not ALL Stores: It has taken me almost 3 months to remember this one. And God forgive me when I forget and end up at the Cashier anyways. Okay, here is a real-life example of me in Vienna...

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[Long line-up behind me at the Cashier...]

Cashier: Looks at my bananas - tells me something in German

Me: 🙂 (trying to see if I can figure out what she just said)

Cashier: Repeats herself, but louder and motions to the scale on the counter at the end of the store.

Me: (Oh right! I need to weigh the bananas!) "Ja, okay. Danke! 😁 einen Moment bitta" (I go to the scale...it's only numbers. NOOOO! I though I had this!!! Banana is spelled almost the same way in German!!)

Cashier: "fünf­und­dreißig"

Me: (Oh no, I can only count to 10 in German!!)

Cashier: (SHOUTING) fünf­und­dreißig!!!!

Me: 😨 *Starts to Panic*

Next Customer in the cashier line behind Me: (SHOUTING IN ENGLISH) "35!!"

Me: (Selects 35 - returns to Cashier, face completely red...Maybe I'll just make light of this....?) Line-Up: NO ONE IS LAUGHING.

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5. Living Out of a Suitcase (all the time)

We Never Have the Right Clothes for the Weather: Before we left Canada, we thought we were being smart by packing a little bit of this for spring, and a little bit of that for summer. However we did not anticipate for the hottest July on planet Earth since records began in 1880.

I mean, how do you even plan to pack for something like that?! And it's not like we were wonderfully ocean-side in Spain in July. Nope, this July we were smack-dab in Vienna, where clothing isn't exactly 'optional'.

We've had to buy a few things here and there, but for the most part we are doing our best to grin and bear it (as opposed to bare-ing it). And we have learned to stow an extra high-end casual outfit, shoes, hiking layers and socks in the truck 'just in case'.

What I have for 1 year (less my winter gear, which is stored in the truck)

Why Always Being on the Move (kinda) Sucks: Alright, full disclosure, here is the heart of the reality we live in - We have a year's worth of clothes packed into 2 suitcases, and if you are staying in one place for just a couple days, or even a week, it is a lot of effort to pack, move, unpack, then pack, and move again.

This is why we are super happy that after the first six weeks after arriving, we booked ourselves monthly stays. It allows us to unpack (albeit briefly), put the suitcases out of sight, and have the opportunity to feel like we genuinely LIVE somewhere. This is one of the parts I like best about this adventure - always having a new backyard to explore & enjoying that feeling of experiencing a new place for the first time, all the time! (I feel like a kid again!!)

6. Accessing Services (or maybe NOT Accessing Services)

I think this has been the biggest surprise of being overseas. It might state on a website, Google, or an ACTUAL shop door the hours of operation for a service or a business, but all of that seems to be up for interpretation.

We've encountered this with barbers, doctors, restaurants, pubs, and mechanics. However, we have experienced this the most often with vets.

We have been in Austria since June, and we are still trying to figure out what normal hours of operation for vets might be. In the Tyrol region, vet offices were open for no more than a single hour at a time (example: 9am -10am or 4pm-5pm) a minimum of three days a week. HOWEVER, even if you go to said vet during the stated hour, there is a 90% chance that they will not actually be open.

Kona, when we FINALLY were able to book him for a haircut here in Graz, Austria

Here, in the Styria region, listed operating hours for vets seem to be more generous. And just this past Monday we made a plan to visit a local vet to order some things for the dogs, and schedule some blood work for Dahlia. We made sure to check the hours online, and were happy that they would be open from 11am to 1pm! *Yay!*

When we arrived, the door was locked, so we used the bell. A older woman answered the door. Kelly asked here if this was the location the vet office. She replied "Yes, but we are not open. We open today at 1pm....maybe 2pm. You need call first. I will get you the number" She gave us a business card, and reminded us we had to call first. However, we could not call before 2pm.

So, we gave up on going to the vet that day.

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Thank you so much to everyone who sent in questions for us! Please feel free to keep sending them our way, we love hearing from you!! 😄

Big love to everyone, and remember to go after your dreams! (& Keep laughing at yourself while you try!!)