Shopping, Viennese Style.

Its a well known fact, to those who know me well, that I like to shop. I really do. And shopping in Vienna is a real treat. Be it big name brands, or the little boutique shops hidden away in side streets, Vienna is a shoppers paradise. But what choices exist. I thought I'd type up a quick list.

A few quick notes.

Before you go off on a mad dash around the shops, Vienna has a few rules. Opening hours are different than the UK. Most shops will open Monday to friday from 9am till 6 early in the week or 8 in the evening towards the weekend. Most supermarkets open earlier and close between 7.30 to 8 in the evening. On saturday, all shops shut at 6.30 at the latest. Sunday, almost no shops open with the exception of a few small supermarkets around train stations. So plan ahead for your sunday lunch. If you miss saturday's chance to shop, it'll be monday before you can get what you need.

The other thing to know is that Austrian supermarket's love a bundle deal. but rather than the UK norm of Buy on get on free on say a jar of ragu, or a bottle of laundry detergent, expect a BOGOF on an 6 jars of ragu, with 6 free, or a 400 wash laundry detergent with another free. And don't think you can just grab the one. No these offers will be already tied together, ready for to heave them home. In the past I've seen massive boxes of washing powder, 6 litres of cola and 48 rolls of toilet paper, all on sale at great prices, and all far to large to carry. Oh and don't expect to get a box of dishwashing tablets in less than 50 pieces.


Groceries.

It's said that an army marches on its stomach, well so do shoppers. Getting your weekly shop in is essential. Vienna offers plenty of choice for the intrepid grocery shopper.

1. Budget Supermarket.

Hofer

When it comes to budget supermarkets, The leader in Vienna is Hofer. Its all a bit familiar. The logo, the layout. Low and behold Hofer is actually Aldi, But for some reason, In Austria, Hofer is the name they trade under. They opened their first store in Austria in 1968 and today offers over 400 stores in the country. Like the UK supermarkets, Hofer is cheap, cheerful, and for the real bargain hunter, they offer weekly bargains on everything from skiwear to Laptops. Like the Germans, the Austrians love a bargain and the weekly offers have a bit of cult following.


Zielpunkt

Zielpunkt is one of Austria's own supermarket chains, mostly based in the East of the country. It sits above Hofer and is about on par with the UK's old Kwik Save brand stores, only nicer looking. It offers everything you'll need from cheap dinner rolls and up. own brands offer good value for money.

Lidl

German favourite Lidl has a much smaller presence here than its rival, with just shy of 200 stores in Austria. But just like the UK, Lidl offers good value and those pesky weekly bargains ensure people pass though the doors

PennyMarkt

Like the others, this German supermarket chain is cheap and cheerful, thier medium size stores are
akin to the larger Nisa shops in the UK. Like the others, expect cheap products at cheap prices and own brands.

2. Regular Supermarket.

Billa

Although this Austrian supermarket is now owned by German company REWA, Billa is Austria's most well known supermarket. Almot every other street in Vienna features a Billa. Most are smaller in size than the average supermarket, but often cram more in than you expect. the Smaller stores are more like Tesco Metro here and the produce they offer is often a bit more up market. Fresh bakery breads and sandwiches, deli meats and upmarket goods. All can be found here. If you want to know how big Billa is, Vienna Airport has huge store just outside the terminal. Ideal if you want to pick up a few things when you get home.

SPAR

I know that just seeing this title will cause confusion and laughter. But SPAR in Austria, and the Continent in General, is far removed from the little expensive corner shops we find in the UK. Here SPAR come in many flavours, from the smaller SPAR's up though EuroSPAR to the Might INTERSPAR. INTERSPAR's are the Tesco Extra of the SPAR world. They stock everything, or so it seems. Household goods, furniture, toys, DVD's and even more, SPAR is nothing like its UK counterpart. Nowhere is this more evident than the sight of Pierce Brosnan advertising SPARs own upmarket brand. With nearly 1500 stores in Austria, This Dutch firm is a ever present feature of the Vienna street scene.  If you get a chance, try an Interspar cafe for a stunning and cheap meal, Especially after 4 in the after noon.

3. Top Of the Range. 

Merkur

Merkur (Translated as Mercury) is one of Austria's top brand Supermarkets. Owned by the same company that owns Pennymarkt and Billa,  Merkur only have 100 stores in Austria, but the stores are the Waitrose of Austrian supermarkets. Beautifully laid out, and featuring their own restaurant, cafe and bakery, Merkur is one of the top and most expensive supermarkets in Vienna. Bargains can be had though, and being a Friend of Merkur offers you various discounts from crates of beer to restaurant meals and even show tickets and holidays.

SPAR Gourmet.

Small shops, but with soooo many nice things. Spar Gourmet's offer a taste of luxury for that occasional treat. Expensive bottles of wine, rich chocolates, all butter pasties and so on. Spar Gourmet has something for everyone.

Billa Corso

Billa's upmarket brand seems at odds with its sister company Merkur, but like the others, it offers a higher end item, with a higher end price. Try the store in the Ringstrassen Gallerien for a nice taste of luxury.


Clothing

Vienna is a great place to shop for clothes. There are plenty of big stores offering clothes to suit all tastes. Here are just a few to choose from

H&M 

The Swedish retailer is a familiar sight though out Vienna. The jeans are just a tad to skinny, but the prices are often good and if your looking to bang up to trend, H&M will get you there. Wait for the sales to get the real bargains. The only annoying thing about H&M is they seem to be everywhere. Every mall, every big shopping street  has at least one store. Like acne, they seem to pop out of everywhere

New Yorker

Much like New Look, This Fashion store mainly appeals to the younger crowd, but offers some great clothing at great prices. Sales are fantastic and it's not uncommon to see people spend €100 at a time to get what they want. Like H&M though, they can litter a mall with ease.


Forever 21

Upmarket 20 somethings fashion store, Forever 21 can have so really great things in them, sometimes  its off the wall. Either way, Forever 21 i a great place to shop for that nice top or cute hat.

Primark

Yes Primark. The Irish firm who's stores in the UK often look like a bomb has gone off has just made it to Austria. Just 3 stores exist in the entire country, and amazingly, I've been to two and will see the third in may. Unlike their UK counterpart though, Primark Austria doesn't seem to suffer from the same untidiness. Things live happily on rails and shelves without ever seeing the floor. The stores also seem to have slightly better quality clothes and things that seem a little more tasteful than at home. The Austrian's love primark, with their new flagship store seeing queues prior to opening this last november.

C&A

the Fashion brand, once a familiar sight on UK high streets, still lives in Vienna. This Dutch firm is popular with the Viennese and I fairly popular with me. I love their lingerie section, whist their clothing is of good quality and cheap. They may not be cutting edge, but their great for picking up the staples like plain Vest tops or a standard pair of Jeans.

Palmers

Austrian Lingerie store that offers girls only the finest. From seduction to thermal underwear, Palmers  has everything you'll need, at a price.

Triumph

British Lingerie brand Triumph has a big presence on the Austrian high street. The underwear is expensive and often a bit plain, but every now and again, something special will turn up that is a change from the norm.


TV, PC and other Electrical goods.

1. Saturn

This German company is the equivalent of Curry's/PC world, but so much more. Saturn has everything you'll need for you home, at least if it has a plug anyway. From PC's to washing machines, Irons to Large screen TV's (I'm talking about 80 inch 4K TV's that I saw just this december in several stores) Saturn even has DVD's CD's and LP's! There are huge racks of PC games to. Stores are often found in Malls where space is available. Bring your walking shoes to really enjoy a look around.

2. Media Mart

Sister company to Saturn, Expect the same size product range, along with similar prices. A great place to hang out on a hot day due to the compulsory Air con. A visit to the Vosendorf store is a real treat due to its size.

3. DiTech

If you need a new PC or are building one, then Ditech is for you. DiTech is a great place for technogeeks to shop for PC components from cases though to graphics cards and everything in-between. Prices are good and you can order online to pick up at any location in the city.

CD's, Books and DVD's

These shops don't quite fit into an easy definition. So here's a collection of stores that offer CD's and Books.

Muller

This German department store has over 100 stores in Austria and seem to stock just about everything. More like Woolworth's in the UK, Well, the store Woolworth's thought it was anyway, Muller has it all. CD's, DVD's, Console games, Toy's, Hosiery, Toiletries, household goods and even the odd groceries. Muller is well worth a trip. The Store on Mariahliferstrasse is huge. Muller's can also be found in most malls.

Libro

Libro is a great little store that defies genre. It has books, but without being a big book store. It has games consoles and games, but really isn't a technology store. DVD's and CD's for sale, without being a DVD shop. And then there are the office supplies, party supplies and so on. These curious little stores are great for picking up something you need, without knowing you needing it. Find them everywhere and in most malls.

Thalia

THE bookshop in Vienna. Huge stores, and filled with the smell of paper. For a book geek like myself, Thalia is a must visit. The stores on Mariahilferstrasse and Landstrasse station are huge and feature more than just books. PC's and components can be bought from Ditech instore, along with stationary, craft and painting supplies, DVD's and CD's. Both stores offer an English language section for those looking for English paperbacks. You'll find a few more in malls though out the city.

Morowa

Bookstore with a great selection of english magazines found down in the SCS Mall at Vosendorf. Plenty to see along with that all important paperback smell. Also sells DVD's and CD's, although choice is limited.

Malls

Malls are plentiful in Vienna, so here are just a few I've visited and enjoyed.

Mitte Wien

One of Vienna's newest malls, this new building is found as part of Mitte Wien station at Landstrasse. All the big names are here, and there are quite a few places to grab a bite. Mitte Wien also features the CAT or City Airport Train terminal where travellers can drop off their baggage before getting the train to the airport. This mall is a great place to relax on a hot day due to the excellent Air conditioning.

Danube Zentrum

This mall is found over the Danube on the U1 line. With over 200 stores, plenty of places to eat and even a multiplex cinema, the Danube Zentrum is the best mall in the city limits, at least in my opinion. Easy to get to from the Prater station as well as several tram lines, you can lose a whole day picking around the stores inside. Big names include C&A and Saturn. 

G3 Shopping resort Geradorf.

This brand new mall opened in December 2012 and has big ambitions. Located way outside the city limits in Geradorf. A free shuttle bus can be found at Floridorf Station and it takes around 20 minutes to reach the mall in question.  Inside there are are two big anchor stores, Primark and Merkur, along with the regulars like H&M and C&A. The food court offers a great Thai beef curry and outside the main shopping area there are few other stores to browse around. If your driving, don't worry about finding a space, with 4000 parking spots provided. 

Ringstrasse Gallerien 

This little mall is found right in the centre of the city on the ring. It's not a big place, but if you'd like toget a taste of how the other half live, the gallerien is the place to be. The basement feautres a Billa Corso and an interio. 

SCS mall, Vösendorf.

Ok, this mall is not quite in Vienna, but it's the biggest mall you'll come across. With a free shuttle us from Siebenhirten on the U6 line, the mall is just a 15 minute journey. Alternatively you can catch the Ikea bus from the Ring for free providing you buy something from ikea. Everything at the SCS mall is big. Ikea forms as one of the anchor tenants along with interspar, saturn and a big multiplex. The mall has been undergoing a revamp since 2012 and just this summer, it got retrofitted and now features Austria's biggest Primark. Oudside of the main building, there's also an interio, and further up in the SCS park area (one stop,on from ikea on the free service bus) there are several more big shops including mediamarkt and a Conrad. Plan at least a day to see everything, more if you want to take in the surrounding area. One quick tip though. The Free bus from the Siebenhirten is usually painted in SCS advertising material, but the bus may be used on regular services to Mölding. Make sure you catch the bus from the right stop or you'll end up taking the scenic tour. And yes, I speak from experience. 

Westbahnhöf station

Westbahnhöf station has a cracking little mall to pick around, and again the usual suspects are there. This makes a great place to start any shopping trip on Mariahilferstraße, as the stations it's at the bottom of the main shopping street. U-Bahn lines U3 and U6 stop here along with about a dozen tram lines. 

Home furnishings.

Setting up home in Vienna is simple. Furnishing it though takes more. Vienna has a fantastic choice of home stores to pick around. You'll find something to suit every budget. 

Ikea

Just like Swedish supergroup Abba, Ikea is everywhere. There are two huge stores in Vienna, Wien Nord and Vienna Vösendorf. Both are sutabliy large and feature all the furniture and furnishings we've come to love. A free bus departs for Vösendorf from the Ring and is only free if you buy something in store. 

XXXLutz

 

Austria's answer to ikea. In fact! XXXLUTZ has even opened a store in Stockholm. Stores are just as huge and the Store at Vösendorf can be easily spotted by looking for the giant Red chair that sits outside it. That chair is a record breaker by the way. In the city, there are several XXXLUTZ stores. From my one visit to a store in the summer, prices are much higher than Ikea, so be prepared to spend if you see something you really like. 

Mömax

If XXXLUTZ is a bit on the rich side, then Mömax is probably a safer bet. Sister company to XXXLUTZ, Mömax is much closer to Ikea. Prices are good without being to cheap and the furniture seems to be bang up to date with the latest trends. Unlike ikea, you order your furniture at the till and it gets delivered to your door, so no worrying about finding space in the car. Mömax is a personal favourite and stores can be foud throughout the city.

Möbilix

Yet another sister company to XXXLUTZ, Möbilix is THE place to go for bargain furniture. Ex display units, slightly damaged stuff and things that just didn't sell in the other stores all find their way here. Prices are cheap, but the catch is simple. You buy it, you haul it away. Often found with XXXLUTZ or as seperate stores, if your looking for a bargain, this is your place. 

Interio

Another Austrian brand that sells furniture and soft furnishings. Stores can be both big and small depending on location. Prices however aren't so small. My one visit to an interio store left me in no doubt it would be my last. If your looking for tht special item, then try here.

Leiner 

This Aistrian furniture maker has stores everywhere. Whist I've yet to go into one, from the window displays I've seen, prices start highish and go up from there. Look for the green Leiner signs to find a store, and if you have a chance, try the in store restaurant. I've heard good things. 

Kika

Sister company to Leiner, Kika offers great soft furnishings, kitchen essentials and various decorative touches that brighten any home. Try them at sale time to get some great bargains. There's usually something for every price range here. 

So that's it, these are just the stores I can recall. There are hundreds of little stores, boutique shops and so on to pick through. Oh and don't even start me on coffee shops, cafe's, bars or restaurants. That's for another blog or four. Till then.

Jess 

Learning German and other bits and pieces.

    Moving is always daunting. Whist I've done it a few times, Lynda has only moved once in her life. But moving to a different country can be down right terrifying. Besides the vast distances, the worry of getting all your belongings there in one piece and hoping you'll meet a few new friends. The language spoken in your new home isn't yours. Now I'd hate to be one of those Brits who happliy live abroad without ever learning the language. Its rude and makes you look like a jerk. So Lynda and I began looking at German language courses, books and computer software packages.

    Classes are few and far between in the Valleys, so first choice we made was a book and audio CD  course. The main plus point is cost. The BBC's learn german beginners course is around £15 and the complete course is just over £30. Whist the cost my be good, learning from just CD's and book isn't easy. In truth, It can be damn boring.

    Our next choice was computer software. Here there's little choice really. Language specialists Berlitz offer a course of German for PC, but we needed it for mac. Plus it's showing its age a little. The cost of the software was somewhere around £70 but can be gotten on offer for around £35. User reviews though told us that the software may be ineffective. 

    Finally, we bit the bullet and went to the accepted leader in learning a new language, Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone offers complete courses for most modern languages, even Welsh. Everyone from Nasa to the top FTSE 100 companies use Rosetta Stone to teach executives new languages. The name Rosetta Stone is taken from the actual Rosetta Stone, found in Egypt. The stone provided a way for archaeologists to finally translate Egyptians hieroglyphics. The stone was the key to the language of the Egyptians. So Rosetta Stone is aptly named. 

     So what makes Rosetta Stone so good. Simplicity. The course runs on both PC and Mac and only needs a mic headset. The course is delivered with total immersion, meaning no English is spoken at all. The whole course is delivered in German. Using sound and pictures, all you need to do is listen and click the right picture. Occasionally, you'll answer a question in German and even type a few answers using a on onscreen german keyboard. Its that simple, and it works. You learn without feeling like your learning. It's not boring and you can go at your own pace. The softwares best feature is it's recapping. The course is 5 levels, each level is split into 4 units and each unit consists of at least 8 lessons, from the core lesson through grammar, writing, speaking and listening. Intermingled with each unit is a random previous unit's lesson that cement what you've already learnt. Its very good, and in the short time we've been using it, our german vocabulary has increased massively. Best of all, it never feels like your bored. 

Yup, this is Rosetta Stone in action. Point, click, learn.

    The huge downside is the cost. The full price of the german course is £329. Sales do happen of course and we picked it up for just £259, paying it over a few installments. But it's a price worth paying. For an extra fee of £50 per person, the course can be taught on iPad and you can get genuine german speaking teachers to teach you online. For now though the base software is just fine. 

Other news

    The learning of German is going well, which is great given the news from Wales this week. On Monday, the Welsh government announced plans to merge Several councils,reducing the number from 22 to just 10 or 11. Our own local council will merge with Merthyr Making a new local authority. It's not good news for us. Currently, our council runs a program called E3. It provides after school clubs for kids to help them learn skills not taught in the mainstream lessons. That's what Lynda's job is. She teaches the kids various new skills. Parents love it. She's had phone calls from parents who are over the moon that thier kid has found something that they can do, enthusiastic about what they've learnt and eager to learn more. One mother even said she was more than happy to pay her council tax so thier kid could learn. But with the merger expected to start as early as Easter and to be completed by 2017, E3 looks likely for the chop. Even if the merger begins next year, Our council's already cutting E3 provision, slimming it down to just 17 centres and making the people running the E3 program reapply for thier jobs. It could be the case that the writing is on the wall. Its so concerning that we're provisionally moving our moving date to May this year if E3 disappears. We'll know more around the end of March. 

Best wishes,
Jess

16 months to go!

As the title suggests, it's 16 months to the day that we leave for our new home. Geri can hardly contain his excitement (he's getting a brand new cage to call home once we get our apartment sorted.) We on the other hand are trying to get our collective heads around the whole move. So far our timeline reads something like this.

1. 2014: Save, save save.  

With some money already in the bank, 2014 is all about building on that to ensure we can afford the various bonds, rent and to survive for at least six months, hopefully the year. That's of course the worst case scenario. Plans for 2014 include sorting out a revenue stream to live off once we move. 

2. 2014: Snag, bag and tag the clutter.  

We've been together for 17 years this year. That's 17 years of clutter that needs sorting.(Yeah, We tend to horde, Mostly Lynda actually) So Jess's office, Lynda's workspace and, and this bit is truly terrifying, the attic needs to be sorted and disposed of. Its a tough job and it'll take a year. 

3. Visit Vienna.

One thing we realised early on is that it would be silly to move to a country based on one trip, at one time of year. Summers are lovely in Vienna, whist winters can be bitter. So the May trip will help to see Vienna in a different light. It also happens that Jess is covering a conference there so whist Jess works, Lynda and mother in tow, will see the city, do some shopping and hopefully enjoy themselves. 

4. Christmas 2014. 

Enjoy a final Christmas in the UK. Next year will be in Vienna. It also means that once the decorations come down, they'll need sorting for travel. Gulp. 

5. 5 months, panic.

Now the really planning starts. We'll need to decide what furniture, electrical goods and what items that have survived the various culling's will be joining us. The reason is to do with the moving company. Its time to get quotes for moving. Chances are the companies will send an assessor to give an accruate quote. So far Pickfords leads our thinking, due to their weekly deliveries to the continent. Hopefully, it'll mean only a short wait for our furniture once we find the perfect apartment. 

6. Easter 2015

Last bit of work for Lynda and a month to go. Its headless chicken time as we start boxing up all our crap. It's going to be manic. From getting copies of our medical records to cancelling the broadband, sky packages and mobile contracts. 

7. May 2015. 

Final goodbyes, a final meal at our favourite local pub and a check of the UK bucket list. The bucket list contains all the things we'd like to do and  places we'd like to see that can only be done in the UK. Anything not done is not getting done. Then we need to tie up the loose ends and prepare. 

8. May 9th 2015.

Final night in our bed. Tomorrow it'll be packed up and dealt with by the removal company. Expect the house to look like cardboard city. Plus Geri will be relocated to the main living room. He's not coming with us straight away. Instead, Lynda's mother and Brother will look after him until the apartment is found and a new cage is sorted. At the moment, we're not even sure how to get him to Vienna, so expect more on that subject in a later post. 

9. May 10th 2015. 

Time to go. The movers will be buzzing around packing up, and for us, its time to head to the airport. We fly out tomorrow, so we'll be staying in a hotel tonight for a final bit of British hospitality. Getting to the airport is going to be us certain for a while. The cars will be gone, so it'll either be by bus, train or a good friend. We'll see. 

10. May 11th 2015

Happy 39th birthday Lynda. Its time to go though and we'll be arriving in Vienna in a few hours. At the airport, we say goodbye to the bags, grab a last pack of English breakfast tea bags and jet off. Arrival at Vienna will see us head of to our temporary accommodation. 

11. May 12th

Up nice and early and off to the district office. Vienna is split into 23 districts, and almost all districts have a seperate office that deals with the districts paperwork. Anyone planning to stay in Vienna for more than three months must register with the local district office. You need to fill in what's known as a Meldezettel. This covers all you details, along with your address. For now we'll be using the address of our temporary accommodations. Ironically, it's much easier to get an apartment once you have a Meldezettel than if you don't. Once we've found our new apartment, it'll be back down to the district office to fill in a fresh Meldezettel.

With the district office dealt with, its time to hit the streets to get that apartment. We need to be quick, mostly to save on temporary accommodation costs. Time is a big factor. Hopefully within two weeks, we'll have a new home. 

12. End of May. 

Apartment found hopefully, nows the time to let the movers know they can deliver, and then hit the shops. Ikea and local favourite Mömax offer good furniture at good prices. They'll help fill the gaps whist the other furniture comes from Blighty. We'll also need to sort out internet, telephone and cable, probably enjoying UPC for Sky like service without the Sky like price tag. Speaking of TV, there's a licence to be paid. It's around €300 and non negotiable. There's travel passes to sort and lots of different things to get our heads around, plus a cage for Geri needs to turn up. 

13. Mid June. 

Start to settle. Geri should be with us and the last of the furniture should have arrived and been assembled. Time to hit the streets and get the groceries. Welcome to Vienna.

That's the timetable. We don't expect it to be accurate. In Fact Jess expects it to fly by harmlessly over our heads. So please, Join us for the horror and humour as it all goes wrong, goes right and as about a million differing issues crop up alone the way. Until next time.

Jess, Lynda & Geri

Useful Links.

www.ikea.at
www.moemax.at
www.upc.at

Hello And Welcome.

As the title suggests, welcome to our first post. Ta da...(Ok imagine fireworks and a fly by featuring the Red arrows.) Yup, it's that kind of blog. Slightly crazy. the problem is, It doesn't tell you why we're here, or even why your here. So what's it all about?

Welcome to 'The Plan'

We're moving. That's the short answer. But this isn't a normal move. Nope, We're moving to another country, Austrian and the Capital no less. The problem is, there's a lack of information out there when it comes to moving to Austria. Move to Germany and there's a great book that takes you through moving out, getting there, getting housing, work and more. But look just across the border and most web searches assume you mean the land of the Kangaroo. Even with the blogs from Ex Pats out there, living in Vienna, Good details are hard to find. So we decided to keep our own blog of experiences from now until we move, and after we arrive in the hopes of improving the situation.

Why Move abroad?

The reasons are varied, but here goes. Back at the start of 2013, We decided the time was right to try and buy our first place. We run our own business, work hard, and get a pretty good quality of life, but space at home is limited. So we were really pleased to find a large, 4 bedroom property in our village here in sleepy Wales. The price was a minuscule £50000. It was well within or price range, needed a lot of work, but it would be ours. However, the recession has left the banks a little shy of lending, and after putting a bid in that was accepted, the bank said no. The story was the same all over. No one wanted to lend. It left us upset, and in the middle of the tears, tantrums and heartache we hatched a new plan. With no mortgage, threats of more cuts from the government and with work looking shaky due to the recession, we decided to leave the whole lot behind. Within one month, we were moving from Wales to Vienna. We just needed a timeframe.

Countdown to Moving Day.

As I type it is precisely 16 Months, 4 days, 9 hours and 37 minutes until we leave for Vienna. Come May 11h 2015, we'll be officially Ex-Pats. It's scary, knowing that next christmas will be our last at home. But a plan is a plan, and there's much to do. Most of this year will be prepping for packing. At the moment a mega-sort is going on. Clothes are being sorted, cupboards stripped bare and repacked with only the essentials, and more bags of rubbish have been created than we would if we stayed put. Its quite difficult to sort through 16 years of accumulated clutter, but its worth it. The less we need t take, the more we save when it comes to the moving company. At least we hope. Between now and May 2015, we've much to sort out.

Why Vienna?

Why not? Actually, It's a city we both fell in love with. To begin with though,  we found ourselves in Vienna back around Easter 2011 with little idea why we were there. We'd taken a family holiday with Lynda's mother to Vienna. We had six days there, Jess got a terrible cold, and at the end of the trip, none of us felt we'd seen the best of Vienna. Feeling Vienna was unfinished business, in the summer of 2012 we returned to Vienna for a month and by the time we were boarding the aircraft at Vienna international, we were in love. From the cultural offerings like the opera, concerts and stage plays, to the vibrant Cafe scene and I need not mention the shopping, Vienna is everything the Welsh countryside isn't. Since then, we've been back to Vienna several times, the last being just a few weeks ago for christmas.

Whist most of what we mentioned sounds great, there are other reasons for moving as well. Currently, we need a car to do our job. Covering 20000 miles a year, our average motoring bill is near £6000 and the cost of petrol isn't coming down. With that kind of milage, we also spend a large part of any day in the car, and that sucks. Late nights, screaming kids, and a complete lack of exercise are taking their toll. It's not fun. Jess works from home, but is the only driver, meaning she's in the car whist Lynda works. Lynda can't spend time making jewellery whist she's doing her day job. So it's time for a change. In Vienna, Public transport is cheap and reliable. for just €365 as year, you can travel anywhere in Vienna. Traveling by train to other cities in Austria is ridiculously cheap and with all the walking we'll be doing, we're hoping to lose some weight and feel even fitter. So for a better quality of life, we're moving.

So from here?

Well who can say. We're just hoping to muddle along and post our progress. Next post we'll look at the Basics of moving to Austria. See ya then

Jess & Lynda .

P.S. Geri says Hi.