So klein aber so GROß

I love that about Graz. It's a small little city, compared to Portland, and it's very centralized, almost every time I go out into the city I can run into someone I know and even if I don't know them very well, we hug and kiss on the cheek and greet each other. It makes me feel really cool when I run into someone, like I'm popular and have a ton of friends or something. Its also great because I can easily remember how to get places, which of the main straßenbahns go where and how, always, to get to hauptplatz. It's just nice to feel like I can navigate the city and get where  want to go relatively easily, and not feel like I'm always lost when I try to go somewhere new. 

But on the other hand Graz feels so huge sometimes. I'm always spotting new places like restaurants and being like "wow I wanna try that someday," or cool looking stores that have gotta have something cool and interesting for me to see. Or the other day, I found out about this fantastic farmers market near my new house that is open everyday, but is best on Saturdays, that looks wonderful and I know I want to go back and really explore it sometime, but I had no idea existed earlier. 

I love that I know I wont get bored in this city, that it offers enough always have a new surprise for me, but at the same times is totally manageable and to so big and surprising that it's overwhelming, but just right. 

The only problem is every time I see something new and think "that looks tasty I should try it someday," I have to sadly remind myself, you're a poor exchange student don't kid yourself you live off of less than three euro kabab. But kabab is amazing so I'm ok with that. 

Dogs are mans best friend so why would't you take them everywhere?

You'd think that after four moths you'd be used to it by now, but I still find it really weird that in Austria the people are allowed to bring their dogs in places with them, like restaurants! 

Now I come from Portland which is a very dog friendly city. Some shops are really accommodating to pets and have nice doggy tie up areas in the shade, with little dishes for water, but here they totally beat us. Because you wouldn't tie your friend up outside to wait or your child, so why should your dog? Into the cafe the come. And its not like small little dogs that you could fit in your purse or seeing eye dogs, people bring their big dogs in on a leash. 

I don't know if there are maybe regulations or something to the dog rules. Because I've never seen the dogs in clothing stores or fancy restaurants, just in cafes, all the time, and on buses, (but we might be allowed to bring or dogs on buses in Portland too). And maybe its just dogs that can behave themselves, because every dog I've seen in cafes never makes a sound, they just walk quietly in and don't even stop to sniff people and their food. 

I mean I would think their would be hygienic or allergenic issues with it but like I said earlier, different land different priories.