In Vienna, Austria, we did a brief walking tour of the city. The architecture is so lovely – reminding me a bit of Paris, but definitely with it’s own Austrian feel. My main goal of my visit to Vienna was to visit the Christmas Markets I had read so much about.
After the tour, MaryJane and I visited a couple of the Christmas Markets and were really surprised to find them filled with imported goods, seemingly of the made in China variety. I had read a lot in advance about Vienna’s Christmas markets – everything from “they’re the most stunning in the world” to “they’re filled with cheap imported items”. Sadly, the latter was true. However, I will say there were some food stands serving traditional food and drinks and that was nice to see.
After lunch, we visited Schonbrunn Palaceand explored the Christmas Market right out front of the palace. It was such a beautiful backdrop for the market! There were a handful of stands with locally made goods, but more that weren’t.
When I asked a tour guide if there were any Christmas markets that were more authentic and without imported goods, he pointed me to the market at Spittelberg. I loved how the market was located in a series of narrow, winding, cobblestone streets. Although this market had a bit of a boho feel which isn’t really my style, it was fun to walk through and everything seemed to be locally made.
I spent a couple of hours walking around the city at night and loved seeing the Christmas markets all lit up. They really are stunning at that time of day, and I think that’s the best thing to take out of the Vienna markets – rather than what’s being sold. They really are stunning to see and experience at night.
This is the third post in a series covering my visit to Europe and the Christmas markets in cities along the Danube River, all via a Viking River Cruise. You can find the first post here and the second post here.
IT'S ME, SERENA!
I bounced through the first years of my life in a hippie gypsy wagon, hand-built by my father, wandering the back roads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. My family eventually settled into a tiny cabin in the woods on property that was once inhabited by Native American Indians.
I spent my childhood days searching for arrowheads, teaching myself to sew on a treadle sewing machine and to bake in a wood-burning stove, with no running water, refrigeration, or electricity in our home. My family lived frugally and early on, inspired by my parent’s thriftiness and style, I gained a knack for thrifty creativity and turning ordinary objects into something useful. And I dreamed of the home I would create for my own family someday.
Now I’m married to my husband, Colin, and our children are all grown. After 24 years of producing The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair, I'm spending time visiting other markets around the world. You can watch episodes of Serena Goes to Market here.
I share more about my life story from time to time, here on my blog. You can also find me on Instagram, and Facebook.
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