Thurs 19 – Mon 23 Nov 2015

Yes, it’s true, we’ve already been to Graz but we thought as we left Italy and before we moved onto our next workaway adventure we would stop off and visit our friends again!

It was too bad that we weren’t able to stay with Gisy and Alex because we knew we wouldn’t get to see them as much as last time but they had a full house of roommates. So we booked a very cheap Airbnb room in a flat right in the heart of Graz – all of the attractions were right on our door step.

Our journey began with a 7 hour drive from Tuscany and we arrived outside of the city for a free park and ride at around 8pm. After getting the bus in we met our host, Cest, who was very nice and friendly. We ventured out to meet our friends but we had no internet and didn’t know exactly where we were going so we went home and got some fries from the food truck on the way (little did we know this would become a nightly ritual). It was nice to get outside for a walk after being in the car for 7 hours.

The next morning we headed back to the neighborhood of our friends so Matt could get his hair and beard a much needed trim from a Turkish barber! Luckily we ran into Alex on our way, he showed us their flat and we said hello to Gisy and other roommates. After a crash course in backgammon – Matt won his very first game in style – we went to get Matt’s hair cut and then back to the flat for the most delicious, homemade Indian lunch. Matt went from the ‘stranded on a desert island’ look, to a groomed and respectable looking citizen. After that we went to explore the Christmas markets…

Natalie did some research before going and discovered that there are 14 Christmas markets in Graz, all within easy walking distance and they started on the same weekend we were there! Being a Christmas market junkie, Natalie insisted that we visit all of them over the weekend. So on the Friday evening we headed to the main square for one of the big markets. There were lots of stalls selling mulled wine and some selling food and chintzy Christmas directions. We visited two more markets that night and stumbled across one by mistake (but they were just selling mulled wine and all of the proceeds went to charity). We went back to Gisy and Alex’s to have a few drinks and hang out. Then we headed back home and stopped for a bratwurst and mozzarella sticks.

On Saturday we slept in a bit and then went to do some toiletries shopping. As we were heading to Switzerland for 4 months and it’s really expensive there, we stocked up on toothpaste, shampoo, etc. to take with us. We also went to H&M to stock up on warm gear like hats and gloves. Then we headed over to Gisy and Alex’s to say hello and then back out to a few more Christmas markets. By this time we had discovered that since it was the first weekend they were open, the markets weren’t in full swing yet and were a little sparse. But Natalie was still determined to see them all! We decided that we would collect mugs that our mulled wine came in as souvenirs and not worry about looking for hand crafted decorations and ornaments (which we couldn’t really afford anyway). Then back to Gisy and Alex’s for a few hours and watched a hilarious Johnny Depp movie; Mortdecai. Then home again with a stop for an extra long hot dog.

By Sunday it was time to get serious – our last day and 5 more markets to visit! We got up and went by the first market that had an ice rink and it wasn’t really a market at all. We checked out the price and decided to go back later for a skate! Then we walked to the top of the Schlossberg. There we found a few market stalls and it was feeling very Christmasy. Matt had the great idea to go a bit further as he saw a few more stalls in the distance. It turned out to be a huge market and everything we could have wished for, complete with a brass band. After a good look around we headed down for a cappuccino in the cafe that is situated in the middle of the river. Then it was off to a market to buy pretzels for that day and the next day’s lunch, back to our flat to bundle up for skating, then off to the ice rink where we had a great first skate of the year. After skating we dashed through the remaining three markets and went to our friend’s place to say goodbye. One last stop at the food truck for another bratwurst and then off to bed.

On Monday morning we packed up and headed off for a 6 hour drive to our next workaway destination in Switzerland!