It's October in Austria. You know what that means.....

Actually you probably don't. However in NZ, the words October and Germany, (or any other germanic speaking country), normally means to the average kiwi, Octoberfest. as in copious amounts of beer, in conjunction with much quaffing, lots of barmaids in revealing traditional dress, plus funny men in leather pants. If this is the imagery that came to your mind, you would be wrong.

In Austria, it means, fab autumn coloured trees, the sale of roasted chestnuts on the sidewalks, as well as roasted potatoes and hash browns. Also, it means "Wildwoche". Which means game meat is on the menu in certain restaurants.

Also, October includes The National Austrian Day. On this day many tourist attractions, (like museums) are open for free entry or reduced prices.

Unfortunately, October also meant the closure of the majority of ice-cream parlours. The owners pack up and return to selling ice cream in Italy, then return to Vienna in summer. I guess you can't have it all.

Anyone ready to visit us in October?