Christmas markets, December 2012

One of the best things about the holidays in our part of Europe is the various Christmas markets.  Bratislava has a really cute one, there are several in Vienna (the largest and most popular being in front of the Rathaus), Budapest, Austria, etc.  We went to Vienna one weekend to make the rounds, this time going to one we hadn't been to before, behind the Museumsquartier.  We also went to Schloss Hof, an Austrian palace just over the river from Devinska Nova Ves, just over 10km from Bratislava.  We took a weekend to go to the Nurnberg market, one of the oldest in Europe.  And of course, we went to the Bratislava market several times.  I love to stroll around the market, looking at all the stuff available at the different stalls.  Gluhwein (varenne vino) is my favorite.  In Nurnberg, we also tried blueberry gluhwein, not bad!  Nurnberg is famous for their nurnbergers, short little sausages.  They smelled fantastic!

Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna Austria

We took a our car out for a weekend road trip to Vienna, Austria. Monday was a holiday in many of the European countries.

























No kangaroos in Austria, but there are tractors in the smaller towns outside of Vienna. We took a side trip off the main freeway to stop and do some shopping at an outlet shopping center and got behind this tractor. This was in Parndorf, Austria.








































Sunday morning view from the 12th floor of our hotel in Vienna.









Our plan on Sunday was to look around Schoenbrunn Palace, no trick or treating or Halloween parties to attend. We did spend some time in the garden maze.

















Please stay off the grass while walking around the palace grounds.
































The main entrance to Schoenbrunn Palace.
























Grotto Fountain in the gardens behind the palace.

Top of the hill, behind the palace, looking down toward palace.