Vienna - the charm of Christmas markets

A bit of a joke, a bit of truth: the people of Vienna say that they donate part of the proceeds from the sold mulled wine to the socially weak, and that's why they try so hard to drink as much as possible. Of course, there is something for every taste in the large selection of fairs. It's still number one for families who don't mind the hustle and bustle Christkidlmarkt on the square in front of the Town Hall (Rathausplatz). In any case, children will be the most grateful visitors to the fair, as they receive a lot of attention: various creative activities, concerts by children's choirs, rich and imaginative tree decorations and much more. For the young at heart, who like to get involved in debates over mulled wine and appreciate a little more privacy, the right place is the fair at to Spittelberg. The stalls are set up in many courtyards of middle-class houses and weave through this part of the city like a labyrinth. Traditionalists and lovers of the beautiful will be delighted with the fair before Schoenbrunn the palace, which invites you to select booths to the sounds of classical music. They like to boast that there are no cheap, mass-produced imported goods on their stands, but only handicrafts, mostly from Austria and neighboring countries. Urban "animals" who are not familiar with classical rhythms can "take refuge" in the exact opposite of all the fairs listed above, in the MQ-Museums Quartier. This is a modern version of the classic fair: hot rhythms from under the fingers of many DJs, light effects, bowling on ice, an ice palace with a modern kitchen, installations, ...

For under the teeth
You cannot survive on mulled wine alone, and it would be a sin to leave Vienna without trying at least one of the gastronomic specialties. Currently, modern restaurants located in historic buildings with high-quality, fresh and healthy food are very popular. For example, a building from 1910, which originally served as a winter garden for tropical plants, now houses a restaurant in one part Palmenhaus Burgarten. It is characterized by an open atmosphere and very freshly prepared specialties. Their roasted vegetables look like they were just picked from the garden. Playing with the senses, both sight and taste, is the restaurant's trademark Gaumenspiel. A small restaurant offers us food on plates reminiscent of modern art - vivid colors, contrasts, not to mention the flavors. But we must be prepared for the fact that they will also serve us a very bloody steak. Design lovers will relax when visiting the restaurant Oesterreicher and POPPY. Namely, it "performs" as part of the MAK trio: museum of applied arts, shop, restaurant. It offers a modern design perfect ambience, despite being located in a historic building. It is the complete opposite of huge restaurants Saint Charles Alimentary. Two tables and a grandmother's kitchen, into which guests look while waiting for their food. They cook exclusively food whose origins they know personally: they serve both meat and vegetables with very original flavors. We could go on endlessly listing the culinary offerings of Vienna. Let's just mention the city market Nashmarkt and its fast food kiosks. Let's forget about kebabs and other fast food specialties, which are becoming more common in our country, their kiosks of Turkish and other immigrants have been "modernized" in recent years. This means that they create very nicely decorated restaurants for the very demanding people of Vienna, namely with quality food. Nightlife Life in the imperial city does not end after a good dinner. Where to continue the evening depends on the mood. A discotheque is still a good choice Volksgarten, which has its roots in 1824. This is a place where the young and the young at heart enjoy having fun. It offers a very diverse range of music, from Viennese waltz, to samba, salsa, tango, R'n'B and electronica. On the "hunt" for club music, DJs, electro, hip-hop or disco "scene", it is worth stopping at bars such as WUK, Palais Eisenbach or Moulin Rouge.

Shopping - gifts, gifts, gifts!
We simply cannot return home empty-handed from a trip during the Advent season. In any case, there is no need for us to interfere with the products of cheap goods from China at many stands. If we only have some good will, let's go to interesting shops. Let's treat ourselves to something sweet to start with, for example the delicacies of the Viennese king of chocolate. For the third year, this is very famous for its Viennese hearts, which are made from a mixture of milk chocolate and hazelnut crunch. Despite the short tradition of the chocolate shop, the place has a very long tradition - for more than 160 years, buttons were sold there and even the king was supplied with them, which is why the shop was known as the King of Buttons. And when master Leschanz took over the store, it was renamed from the King of Buttons to the King of Chocolate. After the sweets, we can continue hunting for gifts that fill the spirit. In Vienna, we can also find a slightly different supermarket, under the name MARS. Instead of food, they sell art in it. Works of art in the price range from 9.90 to 899 euros are offered on classic store shelves with various promotions and everything that belongs in a supermarket, including shopping baskets and cash registers. The works were created by various lesser-known Austrian and other authors. For unusual designer souvenirs, Design shop MAK, which is part of the aforementioned trio, is a great address. In addition to books, it offers various unique or unusual, but certainly very designer products, such as cup for learning to drink. Similar attractions are also offered in the Lomo Shop in MQ. For fashion enthusiasts, the Muhlbauer hat is the right choice for a Viennese memory. Muehlbauer is a Viennese family company over a hundred years old, which now markets its masterpieces as high-end fashion products in two of its Viennese boutiques and in many world-famous department stores, such as London's Harrod's. Among their headwear, there are proven pieces that we fall in love with and toy with just the thought of whether we can afford a gift of several hundred euros this year. And if we treat ourselves to a hat in their boutique, they also make us a custom hat - taking into account the customer's wishes in terms of color and materials. If you're still running out of ideas, don't ignore the Das Moebel store. As the name suggests, it is a furniture and home accessories store, but again it stands out from the range of mass-produced products. Namely, they are only engaged in the sale of designer furniture in non-mass production. It brings together authors from different countries and allows the buyer a very personal approach if he is impressed by the work of a certain author. You can choose everything: from color to material. A great affordable gift can also be found among their home accessories.

Stay
After such an enjoyable program of getting to know Vienna, it is worth spoiling yourself when looking for a place to stay. Why not get a taste of boutique hotels where guests are treated like royalty. Hotel Altstadt in the seventh arrondissement spreads its premises in an old-town multi-storey building with a huge staircase in the middle. No two of their rooms or suites are alike. Each one is furnished in its own way and each hides at least one selected exposed work of art, as the owner of the hotel is a passionate art collector. But if just staying in the room is not enough, we can pamper ourselves in the old-town way with a glass of champagne or coffee in the common areas by the fireplace. In addition to the Alstadt, Vienna is full of small but cute boutique hotels. Levante, Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design or Roomz are certainly interesting to see.

For the end or the beginning, we can once again go on a journey with an almost unusual means of transport for these days - the train. It takes about six hours to travel from Ljubljana, if there are no unexpected delays on the way. Otherwise, the journey to the destination can also be a kind of adventure. We use the time on the train for all those unread bestsellers or for carefree conversations on the mobile phone.