Skip to content
OurBigAdventure
Menu
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Our Apps
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • YouTube
Menu

Holidays in Europe

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Sandra

One thing we weren’t prepared for in Europe was holidays. Holidays where everything is closed.

Today is Halloween. In Georgetown, we were prepared with LOTS of candy. But here in Europe we didn’t think Halloween was really celebrated like it is in the US. Last year, we were in Austria. I remember walking along Mariahilfer Straße on Halloween and I saw a few young kids dressed in costumes. But I didn’t see any trick or treating.

This year, we are in Germany. I didn’t buy any Halloween candy. Tonight around 6pm, I heard a knock at our door. Chris went to see who was at the door and it was a trick or treater!!! Oh my goodness what a surprise!! I was SO excited but I was also really sad because today is also Reformation Day in Germany. On Reformation Day, EVERYTHING is closed. The grocery store. The corner quick mart. Did I say everything? So even if I wanted to walk up the street to get some candy, I am out of luck. Sadly, we had to turn off all of our lights and hang out in the back bedroom.

Last year in Austria, we learned pretty quickly to check out the holiday calendar. In Austria, almost everything is closed on Sunday. All of the stores you expect to be open are closed: all retail shops (Zara, Apple, Benetton, etc.), all major grocery stores and most bakeries and cafes. Some restaurants are open and some small quick marts are open. But what the quick marts sell on Sundays are limited and half of the store is usually roped off. So when you have a few holidays in a row like All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day and then a Sunday – you have THREE days where the grocery store is closed!

And last year our favorite grocery store was closed for two whole weeks around Christmas. Isn’t that crazy? I couldn’t imagine Publix in Florida closing for two whole weeks. People panic in Florida when Publix isn’t open after 4pm on Thanksgiving!

In honor of Halloween, here is James in his cute pumpkin costume from 2014.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

How are things with you? Let us know with a commentCancel reply

About

OurBigAdventure

A marketing expert, an app developer and a poodle. This is OurBigAdventure, the story of our experiences and favorite things all in one place so we can share them with you.

Throughout the site you will discover some of the fun things we have done and some of the awesome things we have put together to share with the world. In the shopping area you will find a few apps that we currently have available and you might find one or two that we are about to release.

Subscribe

Recent Posts

  • Happy 14th Birthday James!
  • 4th of July in Pinedale, Wyoming
  • Emergency Food for the Winter
  • National Museum of Military Vehicles in Wyoming
  • Happy Thanksgiving 2022

Categories

  • At Home
  • Code
  • Dining
  • Experiences
  • Fashion
  • Fun Stuff
  • Health and Beauty
  • Holidays
  • Photos
  • Soap Box
  • Uncategorized
  • Vacations
  • Videos

Shortcuts

  • Archive
  • Cart
  • Checkout
  • Credits
  • Monetizing Mobile
  • My account
  • Our Apps
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • Videos
  • YouTube
© 2025 OurBigAdventure | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy