Day two.....first trip to the Christmas Markets

Here is an example of the side of a vendor's shop.

Wow!  The colors, the smells, the people, the energy it is tremendous!  Everywhere you turn there is another idea of how to decorate a space.  There are pine branches everywhere, a star liked shape called a Hernbut_St hangs from every tree, lots of lights and ornament in every shape and style.  Today I decide to focus on the Altmarket. It is located in the lower portion of the Old City.  Everywhere I turn there is an artisan creating.  You can get anything from a hand strung brush to a hand carved statue.  The food is as diverse as the wares.  Sausages, flavored coffee, pastries and the smell of mulled wine is everywhere.  I decided to take a break from cold and warm up in a place called Speisekarte at the Haus Almark.....what a treat I found inside.  Everywhere you look it is red and gold! There is a film rolling that recounts the building's history......a true phoenix from the ashes tale. The building had basically been leveled during World War II.  I take a seat and review the menu, again I am greeted with a wide variety of options.  I choose the Bruschettta and a glass of Italian pinot grigio.  When the plate arrives it is so beautiful I almost take a picture to share but I think better.  Let's say it is both beautiful and yummy.  Now warmed up I set off to get some dessert in the market.  As noted above there are so many choice but I "settled" on a doughnut like treat that you can chose to have filled with jelly or cream.....I go with the the jelly but think seriously about having two as not to miss out on anything.  I spend the rest of the afternoon looking at ornaments, trying on furry hats and enjoying the energy of the market.  Tomorrow I am going to head to the other two markets in Old City.

Love this decoration idea.

The staircase in Speisekarte

Speisekarte's upstairs

All my best,

Jill