A Day Trip To IKEA, Is Not Just My Idea Of A Fun Time.

A bit of Sweden, right here in Graz.

Yes, Ikea isn't a destination off the beaten path, and it certainly isn't rare... but for some of us, apparently it is. Before you start to think badly of me, let me clarify what I tend to like about Ikea...their restaurant.

Well, more of a canteen but with a Swedish hue running through their menu and an Austrian horde queuing up to sample it. Yet, now that I think of it, the last and only time I was there, the smorgasbord wasn't only restricted to the food, as the air was seasoned with the different accents of international tourists!

In my family, we love to eat and explore different options for that. A few years ago, friends from South Africa came for a visit and they had never seen or been in a Ikea store. Bob and I went along for a day out and discovered their canteen. The rest of the store wasn't really for us.

Yesterday, I was walking with some friends and the talk focused on holidays. All three of us were extolling the much forgotten art of taking a holiday at home. We all are huge fans of it and also are aware that it needs to be peppered with little day trips to the big city. Remember, our village numbers about 300!

Ideas were popping out in great succession in regard to day trips worthy of making one appreciate being at home even more. Even wrangling about a shopping mall for half a day, makes me yearn for the solitude of my couch, garden or village. Those that live in big cities, do the opposite to us. They vacation in rural areas for long enough, with often a half day being ample in order to re-appreciate life in a big city.

Anyway, while we were walking I owned up to the fact that I enjoy the odd trip to Ikea ( only having been that once of course ) or more specifically, their canteen. Well, was I glad to hear that the others also love going to this bit of Sweden.

Although, I seem to be the only one who merely likes to spend time in the canteen on the first floor. The others like to wander in the maze for most of the day ( and believe me, finding an exit in Ikea as difficult as finding one in a Las Vegas Casino ) and fill their trolley with the tempting bric-a-brac which might collectively amount to more than being lost in a Las Vegas Casino!

Biggi