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Schnitz & Giggles
What happens when an American and an Austrian sit down together to debate culture? Is it going to be a victory for US? Will the Wiener take it all? Are they even making sense? Listen in and find out more about living la vida loca in Vienna & Austria.
Depending on traveling and “real life” work, we fry new episodes whenever we can sneak away from the day job — think of it as Schnitzel served when it’s golden, not when the clock says so.
P.S. Show your love of giggles here: www.buymeacoffee.com/schnitzgiggles
Schnitz & Giggles
[S2E12] Season Finale (Get a Dog, Not a Friend)
Returning from an unexpected hiatus, Mr. Giggles (Michael) and Dr. Schnitzel (Lukas) dive into what it truly means to belong in Vienna after 15 years as expatriates. What begins as a casual catch-up about summer weather quickly evolves into a profound exploration of cultural differences that continue to shape their experiences in Austria.
The hosts unpack Austria's remarkable vacation culture, where three-week holidays to exotic destinations are commonplace and small businesses casually close with handwritten notes announcing "We'll be back in August... or September"
This stark contrast to American work ethics—where vacation time must be painstakingly accrued—highlights a fundamental difference in priorities. "As an American growing up, you have to earn your vacation time," Michael reflects, still amazed by Austria's approach to work-life balance even after years of living there.
Perhaps the most surprising revelation comes when Lukas, a native Viennese, admits that "you never get to a point where you feel fully accepted in Vienna, even as a Wiener." This candid acknowledgment transforms the conversation, suggesting that the outsider feeling isn't unique to foreigners but rather an intrinsic part of Viennese culture itself. The hosts theorize that correction and criticism from locals might actually be misunderstood attempts at inclusion—helping newcomers conform to established norms.
The conversation takes a humorous turn when discussing Vienna's dog-friendly culture. The hosts share stories about how having a dog dramatically increases social interactions, with dogs welcomed in restaurants, stores, and public transportation in ways that would be unthinkable in America. "People in Vienna love dogs," Lukas explains, offering the podcast's most practical advice for social integration. Can you guess what it is?
The observation that Viennese society often seems more tolerant of barking dogs than crying children prompts laughter but reveals genuine cultural insights about social priorities.
Whether you're an expatriate seeking to understand your new home or simply fascinated by cultural differences, this episode offers both practical wisdom and comforting perspectives on belonging. Subscribe now for Season 3, where we'll continue exploring Vienna with more Schnitz' and more Giggles!
Hello and welcome back to Schnitz and Giggles podcast. It's been a while. I don't know how to start this thing.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, we're a little rusty, aren't we? We are, we are a little rusty. You didn't even say guten hallo, did you no?
Mr. Giggles:I'm telling you you are super rusty, Okay we should do this again. Okay, let's start over guten hallo and welcome back to the schnitz and giggles podcast. I am michael, I'm lucas. Guten hallo, guten hallo, we're back, we're back, we're back just in time for our season finale.
Mr. Giggles:Yay, just you might have thought that our last episode was the season finale, since we didn't put any more out, was the podcast finale. As a matter of fact, you might have thought that our last episode was the season finale, since we didn't put any more out. It was the podcast finale. As a matter of fact, you might have thought that as well. Yeah, it's been a while. It's great to be back, but here we are.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yes, here we are enjoying the summer months. Yes, in the middle of the summer now.
Mr. Giggles:We got some delightful fall weather for the last couple weeks. True, cold, rainy. Can't wait for winter. Can't wait, can't wait. Right around the corner. Yeah, come to Vienna.
Dr. Schnitzel:It'll be beautiful. Yeah, they actually predicted this is going to be one of the hottest summers ever. Yeah, it was for about a week. Yeah, and now we're still waiting.
Mr. Giggles:I'm sure we'll get it right as you all go back to school and get back in the classroom.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, it's.
Mr. Giggles:It's going to be sunny. It'll be sunny, beautiful Pool weather, pool weather and the pools will be Empty. Because it was at school, perfect time. Can't wait. So how have you been? I've been very good, very well. Why haven't we gotten together to talk?
Dr. Schnitzel:Life has become so busy and there's been so many things, and now there's summer break, vacation time, and that's kind of how we roll here. That's why we don't produce anything else.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, summertime becomes a very weird time to schedule anything with anybody, because everybody has so much vacation time in this country. Kind of blows my mind. As an American, you know, growing up and in my first few jobs, you know, before I was a teacher, you know you're you have to earn your vacation time. Gotta accrue the hours. What?
Mr. Giggles:yeah, you only get a certain you so like a lot of hourly jobs, specifically like for every certain amount of hours that you work, then you get an hour of vacation time attached. So I see, usually it takes you about a year before you even get one day a week. Okay, yeah, maybe the math doesn't add up with. I can't remember what the formula was, but I know that I was, whenever I get my pay stubs, like looking at my my vacation time accrual was actually more exciting than what I actually got paid, because I knew that I could take a day and not have to work.
Mr. Giggles:Well, that's a bit different here in Austin, and if we were lucky, we'd get two weeks if you waited long enough, and then you'd hope that they would let you take it Fascinating. Yeah, and then you come here and you got like two months worth of vacation.
Dr. Schnitzel:Everybody's on a teacher's schedule, it seems it seems like, yeah, yeah, that might be a warning for anyone coming to austria in july and august. It's not like everything's closed, but you will see lots of stores, especially like those smaller ones, like family businesses. They say, hey, we'll be back in three weeks from now because we're out just like on vacation yeah, that was a.
Mr. Giggles:That was an interesting learning point when we first moved here was that during the summertime you might just show up at your favorite restaurant and it's just closed and they have a sign that says we're on vacation see you later. So it's kind of a disappointment, I guess, if you really wanted that food, but on the other hand I had like another experience that is kind of uh, emphasizing the opposite.
Dr. Schnitzel:I was going to one of my favorite k-pop places and just getting some some food there, and while I was waiting for my k-pop, I was looking around and saw a sign that says we'll be on vacation starting tomorrow like the next day and they're going to be closed for two weeks. Wow, and so that kebab tasted extra good because I feel like I know I can't have this now for the next two weeks.
Mr. Giggles:I have to enjoy it. So I really appreciate it.
Dr. Schnitzel:I was just lucky enough to go there because I didn't know. There are times when they're going to be out on vacation. Did you buy an extra k-bob?
Mr. Giggles:to take home. Yeah, I put it in the freezer. Just put it in the freezer so you can defrost it for later.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, I should have done that. However, I've had many occasions where it was the opposite, where I wanted to go there and there's no. We're closed. Come back in august, first of july yeah, it's just a wild.
Dr. Schnitzel:A wild kind of rhythm of life over here is that you are going to encounter that and the holiday or the summer season is just kind of people endlessly going on there not endlessly, I guess, but there's the yeah, offices slow down, it seems, and everybody's work kind of slows down because they're, you know, not scheduling as many things and everybody's off in some other part of europe and true it's yeah, as soon as kids are out of school, basically the parents try to spend as much time as they can with the children a lot of them at least and try to have vacation and, as those those summer months might empty the offices, empty the stores, because all the personnel personnel and staff they're out somewhere traveling the world.
Mr. Giggles:It seems like the work-life balance here in Europe is a little bit more healthy than what I might be used to in the States, what my family and friends might be dealing with at the moment, where there is really no emphasis on any sort of work-life balance.
Dr. Schnitzel:It's just work, true? I mean, that makes you the greatest nation in the world, though, yeah, I guess you know, no days off has some perks.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, no days off. You gotta keep the hustle. If you're top of the world, you gotta keep going, keep going, keep working, keep doing.
Dr. Schnitzel:Whatever it is we're doing and then austria, which is like, yeah, we used to be top of the world anyway, like 500 years ago so turns out.
Mr. Giggles:Going to croatia is nice too. Yeah, I will say that that trying to, you know, being involved in in baseball over here, I think that's one of those. Those things that became very apparent that it was different in europe than in america is that we never took vacation during baseball season like family vacations. Everything else was was very carefully planned around the beginning and the end of our season, like there was no way that you were missing games, especially you. You know, we grew older, that type of thing and get over here and like I don't know if we've yet to have our full roster play, because it seems like inevitably somebody's on vacation, like in between school breaks and all that stuff. You know guys are just gone. Yeah, shout out, yak, he's off in India for three weeks.
Dr. Schnitzel:Have a good time. Yeah, have a good time.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, have a good time yak. Meanwhile, the team he's kind of responsible for like helping coach playing a ton of games.
Mr. Giggles:So yeah but that's fine, that's fine. Everybody just kind of makes up the gap and pulls their weight. But guys are just gone for three or four weeks at a time. Jag, yakety, yak, hopefully you come back, the cook's back. But it just takes a little bit of a of a change kind of in perspective on like people do need time to kind of get away and and relax. And but how the heck do people take so many vacations?
Dr. Schnitzel:Sometimes I also wonder, with some people you've again. I have friends who feel like they're always like planning their next vacation whenever I tell them hey, let's meet again, see? Well, no, I'll be in bali in november and then I'm gonna be in spain next february, and that is a good point.
Mr. Giggles:You know, austrians, it seems, love their vacations and some people are just going out to the countryside. Maybe they're gonna go visit family in another one of the states, whatever, but you got people going to Bali and Indonesia and to the Maldives. I mean, they're just all over the world. They'll go to America for three weeks and travel the states or whatever I mean. It's great that people are putting a priority on it. I don't understand how people do it.
Dr. Schnitzel:For some Austrians, this is really their priority. They save up their money, you know, and if they make any, any extra money or like overtime hours, whatever they can get, even extra days off.
Mr. Giggles:Well, the 13 and 14 month paycheck is part of it too right?
Dr. Schnitzel:yeah, that's kind of the purpose, right. They cancel christmas and just go on vacation instead.
Mr. Giggles:So no christmas gifts, seems like we bought, seems like it sometimes, and there are some experts in finding the cheapest flights available and just going there on a low budget, and so they can have three, four or five vacations throughout the year and go to exotic places even I think that's the thing that's kind of lost on americans specifically, like we don't fully like, because america, as a country, you know, covers so much ground, like the idea of being able to get to a seaside resort within a couple hours, you know, is not the case for most americans I mean, if you're yeah, let's live living in the southwest somewhere and you can get to the coast easy or near florida or whatever, but but here, most places in europe, you're you're a two-hour flight away from croatia, italy, greece, you know, places that people might count as bucket list type vacation, but here, most places in Europe, you're a two-hour flight away from Croatia Italy.
Mr. Giggles:Greece. You know places that people might count as bucket list type vacation spots, but there and there's just so many options. That's the. There's so many hotels, so many resorts, so I guess it makes it easier for people. It's the economy around tourism that grows up, yeah.
Dr. Schnitzel:Lots of places are just based on, like the economy is based on tourism, yeah, or that big part of it, including austria. They also need a lot of tourism.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, the amount of like family focused resorts as well, that like have kids clubs at them, have pools set aside for the kids, they have video game rooms, things like that that are set up for families to to go on vacation. I feel like it's a lot more prevalent over here because there's so many people taking vacations yeah, if everyone had to work, you couldn't even have the infrastructure to have that many.
Dr. Schnitzel:You just need one hotel instead of five hotels some places. Speaking of vacation, I have a little story, a vacation story that's related to our podcast indirectly, oh so I don't know if you tell it's just a little story recognized on the streets. Uh, yeah, hey, my voice is recognized.
Dr. Schnitzel:You're from schnitzel I recognize that voice anywhere no that was not okay, sorry, too bad, too bad one day, one day, yeah, it was gonna happen. But our family, we spent, uh, our vacation in greece just a couple ago and, speaking of cheap flights and everything, I tried to find the best package for us just to get us there on a certain budget. And, as those short trip flights, often you don't have any extra luggage, you only get to have hand carry. And then, as I was looking through the fine print after I booked the flights, I found out it was like really the smaller hand carry stuff, only Like you only get to have one bag, not even a full backpack, not even a full backpack, you know, and I was really concerned.
Dr. Schnitzel:So we went there for a couple of days. Okay, yeah, we have to pack enough stuff, you know, to get you through those days, but you can't pack too much at the same time. So I was really thinking about, okay, what should I pack? Which backpack should I take? And then I I saw the backpack I usually have for where I store, like the equipment you use for podcasting. So I emptied it out and, okay, this is the perfect bag now to take with me.
Dr. Schnitzel:And I put like all my clothes inside and everything you know, and from toothbrush to everything, and I really really double checked do I really need this? Okay, how many socks do I need? Yeah, like really going through it again and again and say, oh, it doesn't fit, I have to take it out again. So, like one t-shirt had to be left behind or something you know. And then we make it to greece and then we're in the hotel and I unpack my tightly packed backpack that's a lot of packing in one sentence and as I unpack it, suddenly I pull out a microphone you're ready to record.
Mr. Giggles:That was right. You should have given me a call. It was the only thing.
Dr. Schnitzel:I didn't take any like any other equipment with me, but somehow it was deep, deep dirt buried in the bottom of the backpack and I when I emptied it at home.
Mr. Giggles:So you could have taken that extra shirt. So I could have taken that extra shirt instead of a microphone I mean I was, I was fine either way.
Dr. Schnitzel:It was all going well because on the on the day of check-in, suddenly it popped up, like on the boarding ticket it popped like something popped out like I don't know if we got an upgrade or something, but like suddenly we were able to take two pieces of luggage instead of one. Whoa, I double checked and it's like it really like in the first booking it said only one. In the second, now on the boarding pass, it said two. So we took an extra bag with us with all the stuff we probably could have left behind. So, happy ending. And so one of our I don't know which of the microphones it is, but one of our mics. We're talking to it. Does it smell like?
Mr. Giggles:my, my, uh, my microphone was smelling a little greasy.
Dr. Schnitzel:I wasn't wasn't sure if, what that was about yeah, from my, my cadet yeah, we should have said grease got instead of goodnight today. So what are we talking about today? Vacation. Obviously it's a season finale.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, we're going out with a bang.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah. Big season finale. So you know, as we have recorded so many episodes in the past, I was thinking, I was kind of thinking today, today, this episode might be a good opportunity for for us, and perhaps you more than me, to reflect on our time here in vienna as a as an expat, or just those experiences? Ever since we started the podcast or ever since you moved here to vienna for the time, did you experience any changes? Has your view on things changed in any ways, and can you give us any examples?
Mr. Giggles:Oh, it's a very emotionally loaded question. I was realizing that probably the day will come and go before this podcast is released, but it will mark the anniversary 15 years since we first set foot here in Austria. So it's been some time, I think, behind us to think about our experience and I mean I guess we could go a lot of different directions. Speaking of the Deutsch, for example, man, that is it our experience, and I mean I guess we could go a lot of different directions.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, speaking the deutsch man that is it.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, that's such you think I'd be fully fluent by now. But I have a couple of my teammates that, like at the beginning of every practice, will just just be going. They are just absolutely committed to getting me to only speak in German to them. And so they'll be asking me questions and all these you know, kind of basic stuff.
Dr. Schnitzel:So your mind's fried before you even start to practice? Yeah, I know.
Mr. Giggles:I for some reason, with them. I'm never fully, fully sure where they're going to go with the whole experience, whether they're just going to use it as a opportunity to just laugh at me.
Dr. Schnitzel:Sure, with the the whole experience whether they're just going to use it as a opportunity to just laugh at me, sure, and so I respond to all their, all their questions and comments in english, and they're like no, you have to speak in german, so it's not working.
Mr. Giggles:I said, no, I'm good, like we're starting practice, like I'm focused on on what, what the schedule is going to be for practice. And they just shake their heads and I mean I'm understanding everything that they're saying to me but I just I don't know I've, I've fully embraced that ugly american, it's like it's not it's it's not a safe zone for you to practice.
Dr. Schnitzel:It's not a safe zone.
Mr. Giggles:These guys make it I feel so scared yeah I need to just not be a wuss and you need to practice more a shelter, like a, like a shed, something where you can practice it, I guess yeah, a nice safe place with padded walls, yeah yeah, guarded by a German shepherd. Yeah, I guess you know the life of being an expat.
Mr. Giggles:you're kind of living in a place that is as familiar as it becomes, because I do truly feel that we're like that this is home you know, we feel comfortable here and and you know, we can get around and we don't have too many frustrations regarding life here, but I guess we still there's still that element that we feel like we're, we're not from around here. I do. I have noticed, though, that my, my wife is truly becoming Austrian on public transportation, because if there is ever any noise, anybody talking a little bit loud, somebody who has their video goes off. They're scrolling through Instagram.
Mr. Giggles:They forget to turn their sound off. The glare that she gives them rivals, any Austrian glare, it's, it's, it's. You know, very proud of her. You know she's becoming becoming Austrian in that way and she just does not, does not have any patience for any sort of extra noise on on public transportation, well, as soon as she starts like shutting windows when there's a draft in the in the train, then she's really when there's a draft in the in the train, then she's really settle down.
Dr. Schnitzel:I don't think it's ever gonna get there like cool or rip open the window and it's like it's usually one or the other like.
Mr. Giggles:Those are two, those two types you find in the u-burn yeah, she's the one guy probably more in the opening the window state. Yeah, she will. She will not close a window no, that's a draft, close it. No, open up, usually trying to get me to go over and open the window over some old person.
Dr. Schnitzel:I refuse to do it, put on your friendly face?
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, no, I'm not ready to get yelled at today. So I guess that's one way I guess we could reflect on our time here. I don't know. There's so many of those stories over the years of where you know that you're not in a place, that you're like, that you're, that you understand why people are behaving the way they behave, or even why I'm responding the way I respond. You know like those things. Just there's so many of those. I mean, it's why our podcast exists probably is because we we needed a a forum to to share those things.
Dr. Schnitzel:I mean, there's a big secret I can let you in on, and this I mean there's a big secret I can let you in on, and this might be a reason for our listeners to stop listening to a podcast or continuing until the very end, please don't stop listening.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, like we rather prefer the second option. Because even me, as a Viennese talking here, I think you never get to a point where you feel fully accepted in Vienna, even as a Wiener, even as, speaking as a local, you might feel left out, even if you've been born and raised here, if your family has been here for generations. I think this is just part of just a cultural I don't know how to put it in words part of the cultural culture. Yeah, you tell good, yeah, good. The cultural culture tells us that it's just part of the thing you have to do to exclude others. That's just how we roll, and so many other cultures are the opposites. They're like, very welcoming yeah, yeah.
Mr. Giggles:So many of our stories that we've shared over the a couple seasons here are always kind of rooted in somebody identifying how you're not doing the right thing right you're getting, yeah right, getting yelled at or stared at or or whatever, and it's ironic because it's actually like almost that happens because the person who is at the, the judging side of it, is trying to get you to belong yeah, trying to like, get you to fall into place and do things the right way.
Dr. Schnitzel:If you don't do that's right, you're never going to belong. So better act the right way, so we'll take you in.
Dr. Schnitzel:That's kind of the austrian friendliness, yeah I wonder if one of the ways we'll really feel we belong is if we're standing at our window just yelling at people to pick up their dog poop or something then you really have arrived and settled in vienna yeah that's really what I'm trying to communicate here and I hope listeners are still gonna keep listening to this, because in the end everyone will feel excluded in vienna, even the locals, and you have to really earn your way in into some groups, into some places so all this time I've been, you know, maybe feeling like I didn't belong, I've actually belonged more than ever. Yeah, because that's what everyone feels like, the local experience that's. That's the whole irony of the wow situation see, stop trying so hard to fit in.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, but try harder to fit in. Try harder to fit in so you can, because yeah, don't try to fit in, but don't make any mistakes either yeah, that'd be an interesting question to ask other locals, people who are other veners, if they have ever felt that that kind of level of belonging where they're, you know, while home is home, obviously, but is there, have there been times when they're going through life where they they actually feel excluded from being part of life and you know, yeah sure, that would be an interesting take.
Mr. Giggles:Well, listeners, if you're a local Wiener, you know tell us if you belong, yeah. Throw down a comment.
Dr. Schnitzel:Or maybe they feel they don't belong, so they won't tell us.
Mr. Giggles:You belong, we see you, we acknowledge you. You are part of the Schnitzel Giggles community. We can't make it that easy it's like you're not gonna trust you if you make it that easy. Like what are you really getting suspicious? What are you trying to do? I feel like like we've.
Mr. Giggles:We can't end this on on such a hopeless note of like hey, no matter how hard you try, foreigner, you're never gonna fully feel like you, like you belong, because even the locals don't feel like that. There's got to be. What are some tips that we can give people that maybe it's something that they could do that could quickly allow them to feel more welcomed by Viennese culture?
Dr. Schnitzel:There's got to be something. Yeah, there's one tip I can give you. Okay, just get a dog. Just get a dog, just like that Not a hot dog, but like a real dog. Oh yeah, I thought we had already done our we talked about, came up with our versatile stand episode.
Mr. Giggles:Get a dog, yes, oh, what could that do? Because I mean earlier I referenced the the old ladies, you know, staring out their window and yelling at people who are walking their dogs to pick up. Pick up the, the droppings.
Dr. Schnitzel:Sure, I mean yeah you got to do that? Oh why would? Why would getting a dog help? I mean, people in vienna they love dogs, they love cats too, but you often you don't only see the dogs you know, out in on the street or in public and you see lots of people walking the dogs. It's true, if you have a dog, people think you might just be nice and they might want to pet the dog and they want to maybe even start a conversation with you.
Dr. Schnitzel:Then I think there's some truth to that yeah, that's serve that it's a great conversation starter and often, since so many people do, you might find you might meet another person with a dog walking the like just your way, coming across from the street or something. You might have a little chat about the dogs and the dogs, you know. They start sniffing each other as they do and make friends and well, there are a lot of rules around dogs.
Mr. Giggles:Yes, as you would expect in austria sure, yeah, there's not just easy it's not as simple as just going out and getting a dog yeah, you can.
Dr. Schnitzel:You can even get hundeführerschein yeah, which is the like. A driver's license, yeah, just for dogs.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, yeah, seeing the dogs driving around has been pretty incredible.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, hey you, you're going to pick me up from work. Woof, woof.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, you know, that reminds me. Actually I'd kind of forgotten about it. But we dog sat Early on in our time in Vienna. We had some friends who were going back to the States and they asked us to watch their dog Shout out Stockets. And the funny thing, this was shortly after Kaylin was born.
Mr. Giggles:So we had had this experience of having a newborn baby in the stroller going on public transportation and usually any interaction from somebody else was to tell us to like zip up her sleeping sack thing or like put a sock on her foot or whatever, and kind of like tell us how we were parenting incorrectly. But then we had this week and a half or two weeks where we had a dog that were, you know, taken on public and walking around and you would have thought we were everybody's best friends like the amount of people that like wanted like ask us about the dog and have a conversation. So I could see, like, if you're going to compare these two things I mean, I know it's it's been said that viennese like their dogs better than they like children, which I guess we could talk about as well because might that be some truth to it.
Mr. Giggles:There might be some truth to that, yes, but anecdotally at least of I've seen I've seen that to be true. The dog having that dog a lot like rebecca, was talking about how many like conversations with people on the she had more conversations with with strangers.
Dr. Schnitzel:When she was On the bus with the dog.
Mr. Giggles:With the dog, yeah, she's had the entire other years of of being over here.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, yeah, which, I guess, is why we don't have a dog. Don't talk to me, one of the many reasons. Yeah, if you don't want people to talk to you, don't get a dog. That's pretty much what everyone experiences, and even people you have, big dogs Some people are not afraid of. Can I touch you, you dober man? Yeah, but when you have a kid with you, a small child especially, and they're just not behaving in a proper way at the moment, you might get some weird looks at best, or some very, very good tips on how to raise your child, yeah, from strangers. Or to tell me, you know, your kid is too cool.
Dr. Schnitzel:No, your kid is too hot, you know yeah put the blanket on, take the blanket off, all kinds of things that you feel like people are annoyed just because of the presence of that child. Yeah. But if a dog is there and if the dog is barking, they will say, well, yeah, it's the dog, dog just got excited or the dog's just afraid, and the dog's gonna stop any moment. But if a kid starts crying, people don't have, they don't like why is the kid crying like how come?
Mr. Giggles:yeah, it's, yeah, that is true that the the toleration level for the tolerance, tolerance level for a barking dog is much higher than a crying baby, although you don't hear dogs barking quite as much because they're supposed to be so well trained. But even when they do bark, nobody's going to stand up and go yell at the dog owner because their dog is barking.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, that would be very rare.
Dr. Schnitzel:I think it happens maybe one in a hundred times, and with the children the rate is much higher that people might complain. Or just you know, sometimes you often see like young mothers on the bus, on the train, they have the stroller, they have the baby, maybe they have two kids even, and they're trying to just get in, get out of the bus, and you know it's hard for them, it's their struggle and they have their, all their, their. You need to have all the supplies with you as well. You have a baby and you know the bottle and the snacks. And then people just actually there's there's two sides to that, because I can't say it's always one or the other, because sometimes you feel, okay, some people are like happy that this mother has left the bus and no one's helping her earlier, like she's finally, that noise is gone and and everyone's at peace again. But very often you will also find people say can I help you? Can I just take the stroller for you, like, can I just help you get it out of the bus or get in?
Mr. Giggles:yeah, we don't want to scare away any young families no, no from moving to vienna. There are very many helpful people.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, for mothers and young families and you might even have that experience. So this hopefully this is really an encouragement for everyone moving here. I've heard stories of people that say there was this really grumpy man or lady. They looked at them and they have the baby and the stroller. They're waiting to get on the bus and this grumpy man comes up to her and suddenly the man says can I help you put the stroller into the bus?
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, sure, sure, sure Looks can be deceiving.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, looks can be deceiving. Yeah, looks can be deceiving that they look all like mean and and annoyed because of your presence and suddenly they become your, your best helper and the best friend for five minutes, yeah yeah, I think there's.
Mr. Giggles:There's those elements of like knowing that when you go to a restaurant that, like most restaurants, would welcome a dog but maybe be more annoyed by you know, they're gonna have a bowl of water for for the dog but, they might not have like a booster chair for the kids, like they're more well equipped to welcome a dog into your restaurant than you are a small child it's you know there's no kids menu, but they have an option a snack for a dog or something.
Dr. Schnitzel:Right, they bring them out dog treats or something I mean, how does that compare to california or other places you lived in?
Mr. Giggles:you very rarely see places where dogs are welcome like you wouldn't just be, I mean, we're so it's not like, I think, just the the rhythm of life of like, if you're going out to a restaurant, you're not walking through your neighborhood. To get to a restaurant, you have to get in the car and drive you know, you're not usually throwing your neighborhood.
Mr. Giggles:To get to a restaurant you have to get in the car and drive. You're not usually throwing your dog into the car to go to a restaurant and there's probably rules against it or laws about having a dog in an eating establishment because of assumption of dirtiness or whatever. You might find some coffee shops or something that might have a a bowl of water for dogs, but that's usually in a in a community where there's more people walking, and so they're just stopping in for a coffee, but certainly you don't notice it.
Mr. Giggles:I mean that was that was something that was kind of a fun little game for justin when we first moved over here was. You know, as we were going around all these different stores, you know, shopping for stuff for our apartment and getting used to life, as he was counting every dog that he saw in public. That's good and like. After a week the number was getting too high because it was just such a I can't count that far, but that was for for for him and for us was such a noticeable difference moving, moving over, that we just saw so many more dogs in places where we wouldn't, or I think just in Ikea alone, when we were shopping for stuff I think he had, he had counted a dozen dogs just walking through the furniture store.
Mr. Giggles:So that was something that was obviously at the time different, because there was just. I think the way dogs are incorporated into somebody's life is a lot different. I think in the states our dog is at home and it's a little friend we come back to and and guards our house or whatever. But here, you know, dogs will go along on everything like it's.
Mr. Giggles:You know it's a member of the family right in and I know americans will say, yes, this dog is a member of our family. But we have dogs who are our biggest fans of the metro stars because they're at every game, like we have some dogs that are at more games than some humans, because they go without their owners?
Dr. Schnitzel:yeah, they just show up asking for autographs and everything.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, so that's, that's certainly. And while that will happen in in california, where people take their dogs everywhere, it's far more common here and, yeah, just a interesting cultural dynamic that people it's interesting people feel like less of a of a burden taking their dog someplace. I mean like we've even had friends just bring their dog over when they're having dinner with us at our house yeah because they're going to be out of their house so long they're like oh, can we bring our dog?
Dr. Schnitzel:and of course we're always unannounced, or you know, always, always, at least talked about beforehand.
Mr. Giggles:I think people don't just you know show up with their dog usually we'd be happy with that we're. We're a dog, loving family. We're always excited to have have a new dog running around our apartment, but very rarely did somebody do that in the states where they were coming over, like, hey, we're going to be over at your house for a long time, can we just bring our dogs? Like that would. That would never happen right.
Dr. Schnitzel:I think the main part is the infrastructure of where we're living, because what we're talking about here concerning vienna will probably apply to many cities in europe in general, and maybe other places in the world as well, where where you walk a lot and you just take public transportation instead of driving with a car most of the time. So we talk about the, the metropolitan areas, and I don't own a dog. I like dogs, but I don't have a dog, so I know there are some places where it says like some stores, shops and restaurants, supermarkets, whatever this says like no dogs allowed in here, but I also have seen that some people just people, just ignore that yeah, it's never enforced, really, yeah and since you mentioned ikea, I just remember one moment that I had.
Dr. Schnitzel:Uh. So I was in in ikea and I wasn't sure like I never, if you don't on a dog, you don't think about these things. Are dogs permitted at ikea or not? I have no idea. So I was there and there was a guy with a dog there and suddenly one of the employees comes up to this guy and says, sir, sir, sir, your dog, sir. And I said okay, well, maybe they're gonna kick him out and say like, can't have the dog. And the lady, the employee, said sir, your dog has to be on a leash when you're in ikea. So that was the only problem.
Mr. Giggles:It seems reasonable he had the dog wild, that he had the dog off the leash.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, like get the dog off the leash just running around like it's such a maze.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, like I have a hard enough time keeping track of my family when I go there well the dogs.
Dr. Schnitzel:Dogs are faithful creatures yeah, they always stick with you, rather than more than the children you're like the dogs are much better trained than any of my kids, and if I mean they would not get lost in ikea because they would pick up your you know trail and just follow you a lot easier for them but then, of course, having the idea of you know the dogs just laying down on the carpets that ikea is just trying to sell there and so and I don't know if that is a problem for stores selling furniture and and all kinds of fabrics or or not.
Dr. Schnitzel:Um, it doesn't seem to be a problem and personally I don't really mind, but there are, like which you just said earlier, there are a lot of safety rules and and things to be to consider.
Mr. Giggles:So if you have a dog in vienna, you should double check that you're following protocols, since there are fines for for all kinds of violations concerning having a dog yeah, because the expectations there of I mean obviously at the service level, just having your dog registered and that they know that your dog has all the shots and everything, but also the expectation of training, and and even that, for for some breeds of dogs that require the owners, you have to have a special training right and license before you can even own a certain type of dog, and so I guess that that probably, that probably helps the like, the social expectation that a dog is going to be behave itself in a public setting, because if their owners have followed all the rules, then that dog is going to to also comply with expectations like it's not going to bark.
Mr. Giggles:It's, you know it is going to be, you know, attentive to its owner only and not, you know, trying to sniff up on other people. So I guess that does help it does, it does more rules, more bureaucracy.
Dr. Schnitzel:It does help some things sometimes yeah, it's incredible that that the state, as a matter of fact, has rules for everything, of course, for dogs and also concerning the safety of children. There are a lot of rules, and there's even lots of financial support for for children, for families in austria. The ironic thing is that it seems, though, like the state really prioritizes children over dogs, but the state does. The state does but, society, because dogs don't have jobs and pay taxes.
Dr. Schnitzel:You're right when they grow up it's, they're still animals and, in the end, like, legally speaking, animals are the same as objects. Yeah, they're not, not a person. Okay, like, so that's.
Mr. Giggles:That's a bold statement, lucas well, according to the law, yeah and there have even been like movements to try to change that status.
Dr. Schnitzel:So actually like a dog can have like a status like a human being, and even I think people have been trying to write the dogs into their last will, like in a. I don't think that's really possible in austria as far as I know yeah since you can't transfer your inheritance to an object, only to people or organizations, you know. But but not cats, dogs, but I think there are other countries where actually a cat can inherit.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, I have millions of dollars stories I don't know if it's the states, is that's? Probably america, yeah, probably america, where the weird endless possibilities, yeah, yeah so the freedom to give all your money to a dog that's going to be dead in? Yeah a couple months.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yep, that's reality.
Mr. Giggles:Good times, good times all right, well, I think. I think we're getting pretty close here to the end of season two yeah, um, yeah, I know we finished off season one with a mr algebra joined us and that was kind of a big retrospective type of episode, but we, you know, being in the middle of vacation, we weren't quite able to get to that this time. It was just a nice chat, just a nice little chat catching up on things, just finishing up the speaking.
Dr. Schnitzel:Oh my gosh, holy cow, no way, mr Algebra. Hello, what can I do for you?
Mr. Giggles:Hey, everybody, this is not scripted, mr Algebra. We're just talking about how last season's finale included you, and here we are recording our season finale. Good to spend a moment.
Dr. Schnitzel:How is this possible, wow?
Mr. Giggles:We didn't even reach out to you. This is actually. This could be kind of awkward like that we're recording this without you and here you showed up.
Dr. Schnitzel:We're like man. He caught us in the act, recording a finale without me wow, wow, that's exciting, yeah, well yeah, I'm glad, I'm glad I got to stop by.
Mr. Giggles:Well, good, so I guess forget what I just said. Our season 2 finale Also includes Mr Algebra. Alright scratch that. So we're following a theme from year to year, in the middle of the summer. Yeah, just that she's on vacation he just shows up, just shows up to do a little bit of work at school. More than the chances, I mean 100%. I almost wore my red shorts today. Would have matched your top. Well, yeah, glad people can't see that Well, my gray shorts matched your top.
Dr. Schnitzel:I'll let you guys get back to it. Yeah, talk about our outfits later on. This is off camera.
Mr. Giggles:We'll do our fashion podcast later. Yeah, so this is off. Yeah, off camera, we'll do our fashion podcast later, yeah, so as we, as we finished off the season. Now that we've had, uh, our, our necessary mr algebra visit, we are coming back for season three. Everybody that's, uh, we are you know, all of you listening and subscribing. I think uh expect more quality content out of us.
Dr. Schnitzel:They expect more schnitzel and more giggles, or expect some quality content out of us at some point.
Mr. Giggles:Might as well. Try another season and see if we can make it happen.
Dr. Schnitzel:Or try another podcast, or for more quality content.
Mr. Giggles:We'll see. We'll see. But we've been talking a little bit about ideas and maybe more guests next year, maybe less guests, who knows? We could go, we could do whatever we want. It's our podcast.
Dr. Schnitzel:It's our podcast.
Mr. Giggles:yes, but maybe some on-location stuff, I don't know. But, lukey, have you thought up any specific ideas?
Dr. Schnitzel:I mean we have big dreams, we have a lot of ideas and the implementation of the ideas is always the question Talking about the work-life balance. Everything of the ideas is always the question, talking about the work-life balance, everything on the side. But we love every moment and we do have a list of topics. It's like a very long list that we still haven't covered yet, and so many things more to cover about living in vienna, living in austria, and these days, you know, you often would even include assistance from artificial intelligence, that's true.
Mr. Giggles:Well, ai help for, for getting some ideas. Have you been, have you been delving into that world actually?
Dr. Schnitzel:I'm not going to name which machine I use, but I've I've been using some ai just to find out what does the artificial intelligence know about us? Okay, so I asked about schnitzel giggles podcast, what's you know type it in. So what are our computer?
Mr. Giggles:overlords saying and so it said you know, just the giggles podcast, what's you know, type it in. So what are our computer overlords saying?
Dr. Schnitzel:and so it said you know schnitzel giggles is it's. It says it's a bilingual podcast about living in vienna and austria. And I was like, hold on bilingual austria, hold on bilingual, bilingual podcast, how? Because as far as I know, we've never had any any german like real I mean, except for german german, german words by me, but it's not.
Dr. Schnitzel:It's not a bilingual podcast. Every episode, that's true. Yeah, beginning and the end, yes, guten luck. But then I asked it to specify what's going like, what kind of languages are being spoken, and it said the two languages spoken on the schnitzel giggle podcast is a english and b english with an austrian twist wow, so we're.
Dr. Schnitzel:We've invented a new, a new language entirely apparently, according to ai, the english I'm speaking is not english. It's not english enough. It's actually English with an Austrian twist, but apparently, yeah, we have our own language. Now. It's a bilingual podcast, officially.
Mr. Giggles:Yeah, good, good for us. Yeah, I mean, I didn't want to say anything, but yeah, you can say, your English is with an.
Dr. Schnitzel:Austrian twist. Thank you, I mean, I take it as a compliment. Yeah, I mean, would expect nothing less yeah so, but I didn't know it would qualify as its own language, so adding to the like the 7 000 languages spoken on the planet yeah, hey, if it, if it helps people.
Mr. Giggles:I mean, maybe that's a, that's an entry point for for listeners of our podcast to get a visa over here true, say like what languages you speak. Get your a1 in in english with an austrian twist you might be able to might be able to.
Dr. Schnitzel:Yeah, you can live in Schmitz and Giggles land, schmitz and Giggles land. Come to Austria and be very happy here. That was more than a twist. It was a twist.
Mr. Giggles:Full rotation. It was almost like.
Dr. Schnitzel:Slovakian accent almost. Yeah, I don't know what I'm saying anymore.
Mr. Giggles:I think the summer is getting to me. Yeah, I think we're coming to a close.
Dr. Schnitzel:Season two.
Mr. Giggles:Thanks for all of you who have committed to listen to our nonsense. And schnitzeling and giggling with us. Thanks for schnitzeling and giggling with us, and we'll see you in a who knows when at the start of season three.
Dr. Schnitzel:I'm sure we'll announce it at some point.
