After we had walked for a few hours, we tried lunch at Buffet Trzesniewski. This off-the-beaten-path eatery is small and known for its finger sandwiches and mini beers (Pfiff). We sampled both. The counter has been in Vienna for over a century. Here’s a photo of the staff in action for the lunch crowd.
Next we were off to Saint Stephen’s Cathedral for a quick peek. Here is a shot from inside. Between you and me, Europe’s cathedrals start to look like a battle of “my spire’s bigger than your spire, my fresco’s better than your fresco, my organ can outdo your organ” after you’ve seen a few. In short you can trust they are all big, they are all beautiful and they will (hopefully) all be here bustling tourists through daily by the thousands long after we’re all gone.
What sounds better after church than a little sin? We head over to one of Vienna’s most famous chocolate shops (Demel) for cakes and hot chocolate. (I couldn’t count on all my hands and toes how many hot chocolates we’ve consumed on this trip between trying to stay warm and visiting “free” WiFi spots while traversing three countries.)
Next it was of to the market again. We tried to pop in early here today and see things before they closed since it was Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is celebrated much more rigorously in Germany and Austria than Christmas day. I appreciate TripAdvisor and their valuable forums for steering me in the right direction on this for the market, dinner reservations and a host of other small details. If you are planning a trip like this, that site (and a Rick Steves’ guidebook) are invaluable tools.Here are a few photos from the Vienna Christmas market (Christkindlmarkt).
Here is the Rathaus (German word of the day for “town hall”). Notice the small signs under the fancy windows. Those are company names – they have effectively sold history to the highest bidder. If that’s not capitalism in action, I don’t know what is.
We sampled these small donuts that were made to order and dipped in cinnamon and sugar. (I pray that my trainer is not reading these posts or she is just going to want to kill me when I get home.)
These other crowd favorites were also available in abundance.
We appreciated these beautiful butterflies that were hung along the streets. It was really neat to see how each city personalized their Advent décor and the themes they carried throughout.
After the Christmas market we headed over to the Naschmarkt. While most of the stands were closing when we arrived, it was still interesting to stroll through this outdoor market and see how Vienna organized their take on the outdoor market. There were a number of restaurants with outdoor seating, as well as numerous fresh fish, produce and fruit stands. It’s said that Vienna’s top chefs also get their daily items here, and it’s the best place to get foreign foods for preparation. The market ends with a few clothing vendors (think flea market style). I picked up two scarves for €5 each (about $7.50), and you can’t beat that deal in the States.
All that walking requires a bit of a rest, so we do just this before heading to our pre-arranged dinner at Beograd. There was a special menu that we enjoyed, as well as a live accordion player. Not only did he play, but some random audience member also played the accordion. (When does this happen?) So we got not only one, but two great performances.
After dinner we walked back down to the Christmas market to see if they’d have the lights on, but sadly they did not. However, we did get this great photo of the Rathaus at night, and this seems fitting as the end to another post! Fröliche Weinacthen!
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