Early evening on Naschmarkt, the biggest traditional market in Vienna. It’s colorful during the day, and, interestingly enough, it’s colorful after closing time as well. It’s only now that we can see the graffiti covering the shutters.
Of course you may ask yourself why early evening would mean closing time at all, but that’s Austria. We have a long history of strong regulations, and in many respects this is for the benefit of the public. After all, when everybody has to close at a certain time, it levels the playing field for the smaller participants, and it at least removes one of the countless reasons why they are swallowed by the big players.
On the other hand, everybody on consumer side envies the southern European countries, who have much more freedom when it comes to opening times. So do I. We just wouldn’t want to work in those shops 🙂