Shopping the Naschmarkt & Flea Market

             This past Saturday, my roommate and a few friends went to the Naschmarkt and the flea market. While I usually forget to check the weather, my roommate had the right idea to check. It was going to be freezing with a chance of rain. I don’t mind cold weather, but the markets are outdoors. Normally, I would use that weather condition to have a relaxed day in a café or museum. That, or I would just forgo leaving the house entirely. But, it was too late to change course. The group messages had been sent and we were determined to go out and experience the excitements of Vienna.

            I wore as many layers as I could put on and packed an umbrella in my bag, which proved to be unnecessary, and we headed out. We left early in the morning, or what I considered early, so 8:30. The walk was surprisingly short. We are at a dorm in the 1^st district while the Naschmarkt is in the 6^th district, but it was only a 10-minute walk. The walk over reminded me again of how small Vienna is. Even when on the train, the stops are only a short distance away from each other. But back to the markets.

            The Naschmarkt itself is a long strip of shops and booths on a plaza in the center. The market itself is incredibly scenic. There are beautiful and intricate buildings on either side of the plaza. The shops themselves unwind in a long line. We walked further and further down as we went from the Naschmarkt to the flea market.

            The Naschmarkt has various open-air booths and sit-down restaurant/cafes. The open-air sections are covered to keep the products safe from the weather. As we walked down, I was amazed by all of the different goods that were being sold. I saw mountains of shiny olives and other pickled vegetables. The candy vendors had different baskets that were piled high with Turkish delight and gummies. There were some spices and teas as well. I kept my eyes peeled for something to eat for breakfast, but it was hard to decide when everything seemed so great. I eventually decided to get a poppy-seed pastry from one of the bakeries.

            As we continued walking, we left the covered section to a completely open-air space. There were some bundles of clothing and other things on the floor. There were various tables set up with a wide variety of trinkets and home décor. The pieces were all beautiful and elaborate. I picked up a small glass box, but then I put it down when I saw the price.

            By then we were freezing cold. It had begun to lightly snow, and we needed a break. We decided to go back and have some hot chocolate to warm us up. We had seen a famous hot chocolate café and knew we had to have some. The company, Shokocompany, is known for producing high-quality chocolate that is completely fair-trade and organic. They offered a variety of beverages, but we were there for the hot chocolate. They had regular, honey cinnamon, banana, and chili. I got the chili hot chocolate. We were given the hot chocolate with a metal milk frother and the package from the chocolate bar. After some intense stirring, it was finally time to try the hot chocolate. The chocolate itself was smooth, creamy, and rich. There was a strong spicy kick at the end of it as well.

            We stayed in the café for some time, just watching the snow fall and the people hurry by. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful outing.