You only see what you know (Goethe)
This sundial is at the St George’s Chapel of Hohensalzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg). It shows the emblems of the Archbishopric Salzburg and Archbishop Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg. The original sundial was created in the 16th century. Today, you see a reconstruction from 2001.
While writing this post, I am nibbling at a slice of bread I created myself! Lately, I visited a farm at the Kalchkendl Alm (an alp named Kalchkendl) in the Rauris Valley. There, I had the chance to bake bread for the first time. I took this lesson in a class guided by Roswitha Huber. The brand name of this class is Schule am Berg.
One of the lesser-known Christmas markets in Vienna is the one at the Türkenschanzpark. During the siege of Vienna in 1683, there were a lot of Ottoman entrenchments ([german] Türkische Schanzen) right at this place. A remarkable sight of this market is the fountain depicted above.
At the rear of the Austria Trend Hotel Schloss Wilhelminenberg, I discovered a small Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) with two remarkable details. The Christmas market on top of a hill offered a fine view of Vienna’s outskirts.
The Kunsthandwerksmarkt am Hof is located in a square in the centre of Vienna. Actually, there is a combination of two Christmas markets there. One half is selling the general mix of food, artwork and toys. Another half is a compilation of craftspeople selling their specialized works of art.
The Altwiener Christkindlmarkt, a Christmas market next to an old abbey, offers the longest crib in Austria. By the way, one can combine the visit to this market with a Christmas market just opposite the street, which offers organic products.
Designqvist was my first big surprise during my shopping trip through Vienna. A whole shop about Scandinavian flatware. My first thought: If one is interested in kitchenware design, visiting the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) and this shop would be an idea.
The Weihnachtsdorf (Christmas village) at the Maria-Theresien-Platz is situated right between the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) and the Naturhistorische Museum (Museum of Natural History) and is, therefore, a fine place for having a break between two museum visits.
The Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) at Spittelberg is probably one of the most famous Vienna Christmas markets. I like this market, especially for its location, which is in the middle of a quarter with smaller buildings dating back to the Biedermeier period (first half of 19th century).
Visitors find this Weihnachtsdorf (Christmas Village) in the huge inner yard of a former hospital called AKH. The market offers besides the general stuff a small lane of stalls where one can watch craftsmen at their work. For example, I spoke with a lady about how to make candles made of honey.
The Christkindlmarkt is considered the largest Christmas market in Vienna. It is located in front of the city hall. Compared to other markets, it offers a lot of stuff for children. For example, there are workshops where children create beautiful things like birdhouses or colourful candles.
The Perchtenlauf (Procession of Perchten) in Judenburg was the first Perchtenlauf I have ever watched. I was impressed with how scary the masks looked. Though I don’t think that a Perchtenlauf in the middle of November is traditional, I like the idea of this event and recommend watching such a procession if you get the chance anywhere in the Alpine region.