One of my favorite things about Christmas in Vienna are the Christkindlemarkts. The markets consist of a group small wooden huts where you can by anything from christmas decorations, to homemade toys and candy, to almost anything else you can possible imagine. And then of course there are the stands that sell the traditional foods and snacks. Although my personal favorite food stand was the pretzel stand, it seemed that the majority of the people thoroughly enjoyed the Gluhweinpunsch stand. Literal translation being, glow-wine-punch, and more understandable translation being, punch with alcohol in it.
These Christkindlmarkts are all over the city. There are small ones of about 10 huts set up on every major shopping street and larger ones set up near a couple of the major sites such as the Schoenbruenn Palace. But the biggest most popular one is set up in the courtyard of the Rathaus (city hall). It has about 140 stands and is decorated to make you feel as if you're in a christmas movie. It also has the largest Christmas tree and Advent-Kranz in Vienna and probably Austria.
These Christmas Markets were so cute, I loved just walking around them for hours eating delicious pretzels, and listening to Christmas music in two different languages, and just enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. I have literally spend all of the last 4 weekends there. :)
My even feebler attempt to get a decent picture of the market with the Rathaus behind.
(For better pictures or details you can check out www.christkindlmarkt.at)
Vienna's largest Advent-Kranz. (And before you ask.. No Jansen, they are not real candles)
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