K & L's Travel Blog

I was exhausted by our travel day and slept 10 hours straight.  Our apartment in Graz is on street level and usually that makes me nervous, but scaffolding is all around from recent construction.  It is ironic as it blocks the view, but the barrier helps me feel safe.  

I am honing down our requirements with AirBnB.  In choosing an apartment I was focused on the outdoor balcony space, but I realize that a priority for me is feeling safe.  And boy, are we aware of the noise factor after Budapest. I can go back and look at the descriptions of the properties we chose, and with a discerning eye see the whole picture.  For example, our Budapest apartment, “in the center of everything,” “vibrant and alive,” and “close to all the action.”  It is a code. I did see a description of our Budapest street in Lonely Planet that fit: “Wander down Kazineczy on a Friday night and it can feel like the whole world and their best friends are here.”  The description goes on to describe “jostling with the hen and stag parties.”  Bingo.  The information was available but we did not have the critical eye to discern it.  

Our first day in Graz is a joy.  The weather is balmy and sunny.  We start out in the farmers market right across the street from our apartment! The quality of vegetables and fruit is staggering.  I am too overwhelmed to think about actual cooking, but later in the day we wander into a middle eastern grocery store and I am thinking about one of my favorite chefs, Ottelenghi.  I may try and tackle on of his recipes before we depart.  The diversity is surprising.  Much more diverse that Budapest! Black people, brown people and lots of veils and head scarfs on the women.  

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We head up to the tower and castle ruins above the city to enjoy our picnic lunch, left over “fried chicken” from last night.  I italicize the fried chicken because is not like ours.  The crust is much finer and harder.  I would season more of course.  And they cut up the chicken differently.  The wings and drumsticks are the same but after that it is entirely different.  They include the back with hunks of the breast and thigh.  You get the little dollop of meat on the back bone.  (pardon to my vegetarian friends).  

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We hit 10,000 steps (my fitbit vibrates to inform me) as we explore the old town.  We stop for a beer at the Gösser Biergarten.  My favorite Kitty quote of the day on her new crush: “At last a waitress whose tits aren’t smashed up against her chin.” We were here 34 years ago.  I don’t recognize it at all.  I try and decide if it matters.  Then as we leave we go through the indoor portion of the restaurant and there it was.  I remembered the wooden tables and the beer.  Lorena kept detailed journals and she recorded that we were scared we would not have enough money to pay.  Things don’t really change.  

Lorena had read about a vending machine that sold marijuana, “Weed4You.” Really it is just CBD products, but off we trekked.  You could see the people look at us like, “Why are they here?” Lorena says to me, “Isn’t this fun to be where the ‘real people’ live?”  I am surprised by the cleanliness of the space and efficiency of the machines.  Lorena is happy with her purchase.

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Off to our apartment to nap and dine tonight on market purchases.  Another great day.