The best thing about Vienna during the early winter is the Christkindlmarkts (Christmas markets). Scattered around the city are a dozen different markets open from mid-November through Christmas. These markets are extremely popular here and provide some holiday-themed (albeit overpriced) gift shopping. But most people don't go to the markets for the gifts, they come for the food and drinks.
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| The Rathaus looking magical with the snow and the lit tree |
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| Friends staying warm with some glühwein |
Since it is quite cold (regularly around or below freezing) and snowy here now, it's not such a great idea to stand outside drinking cold beer. Instead, the drinks offered at the Christmas markets feature the wonderful combination of warm and alcoholic. Typically, there are two choices: glühwein and punsch. Glühwein is mulled wine. The punsch is fruit-flavored with a strong dash of vodka or rum added. Different markets have stalls that specialize in a variety of flavors of Punsch, including cherry, orange, and apple-ginger (my favorite).
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| The apple-ginger punsch at the Museumsquartier Christmas market. It comes with a sugar stick set aflame. |
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| The glühwein at the Museumsquartier comes with an orange slice and a sugar cube set aflame. |
The food at the Christmas markets is also wonderful. Stands selling giant soft pretzels are across from long stalls containing dozens of different kinds of sweets, both sugary and chocolaty. One stand I found at the Rathaus Christmas market sold baked potatoes with a long list of delectable toppings. I opted for ham, cheese, and an incredible creamy garlic sauce. It looked good and tasted even better!
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| Cured meat stand |
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| Candy stand |
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| Baked potato stand. Look at all of the options! |
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| My baked potato with cheese, ham, and a creamy garlic sauce. Yum! |
With Christmas only a week away, the markets will close soon and I hope to get in a few last trips, enjoying the festive gatherings and the tasty glühwein.
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