Robert Koch Strasse in the Snow

 This is one of the main streets I haunt in Burghausen.

The little coffee shop I stop at to experience a little American-style wireless Internet is up on the left in this picture. I can stand up at a small outdoor table and check my email here.  I don't do that very often, because checking my email publically when I could be chatting with friends or observing passersby isn't very German from what I can tell. Rain, shine, cold or hot, there is usually a someone or two at the little outdoor table. I would like to sit at the one table nearby that has chairs, but there are a couple of old guys that kinda hold court there for most of the day-every day!  They talk and play cards a lot of the time and greet friends...many people seem to know them

 There are many hair dressers, optical shops, clothing stores, gift stores, cosmetic companies, day spas and food markets in this stretch of road. The upper floors contain professional offices and private apartments.  The dermotologist I've seen here in Burghausen has a second floor office on the right hand side in this picture. I ride my bike down the sidewalk and have to dodge people along the way. This is where I perfected my "ride at a walking pace" technique!

The footing can be a little tricky in this kind of snow.  Though the roads and sidewalks are cleared to perfection, crossing the snowpiles in between can be precarious. I saw a woman almost take a terrible spill here in front of where I parked my little Volvo. 

In the left background, you can see the Hotel Garni Lindacher Hof. It's one of the nicer hotels in the city.  There's no need for a car if you stay here, as it is nearby to most everything. It's probably a 10 minute walk or so to the train station and there's plenty of restaurants close too. -Mine and Billy's favorite Greek restaurant can practically be seen in the distance- The old town (Altstadt) is a bit far to walk to, but it can be done ...if you don't mind the major climb back up the hill to this new part of the city. There are plenty of cabs to take you there too.

It all looks great in the snow

Christmas in Vienna - Part 5 - The Naschmarkt

The Naschmarkt in Vienna is 1.5 kilometers of amazing fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, clothing, teas, liquors, breads, nuts and spices.
The market has existed since the 1500's and had many restaurants and eateries. It was mid-morning and rather cool when we got there. After the sights and smells made us crazy starved, we stopped at a cafe with a few tables right off the main walkway.
Billy and I opted for a late breakfast of cheeses, breads, butter, coffee, eggs, fruit juice and champagne.
It was only a short walk to the U-bahn underground through the Stadtpark
and a couple of stops up.

Those were our two stools on the left.  It was a perfect place to watch people do their shopping and was definitely an highlight of our trip.

Christmas Market in the Forest

 We went to a Christmas market that was held in the forest and it was magical.

The market was named after a nearby city and is called Halsbach.

 There were mostly hand made items being sold and everything was candlelit.  The pathways were marked with these glass jars with white candles. Wood was stacked carefully to form walls to line some pathways.

There were potters, glass blowers and sellers of fragrances

There was fish smoking in a lit box and plenty of sausages and hot beverages

We met a lady from Minsk selling handmade Christmas decor.  She tried to play matchmaker with the single ones in our group! ...but first she wanted to know what bloodtypes were involved. Hmmmm.

The Salzburg Christmas Market

Yesterday in Salzburg:

Wreaths, pretzels, chocolates, ornaments, glass trinkets, souvenirs, clothing, hats and scarves! Booth after booth was filled to the brim.

One of the most popular items was the "Gluwein."

It is hot spiced wine that warms your cold fingers and toes!

(The glass pyramid houses and protects a statue of Mary during the winter months)

It was a beautiful day, in a beautiful city, in the most beautiful time of the year.

We bought gifts and ate candied almonds as we walked through the Mozartplatz and other areas of the city

Saint Nicholas comes to our area!

This is the only picture I got from the opening ceremony of the Christmas market in Aloetting, Germany (20 minutes outside Burghausen) this Friday evening.

Here is St. Nicholas at the Rathaus (City Hall) windows with his angels.  They had fireworks, a childrens choir, an adult choir, and a brass band wearing historic costume. It was very beautiful. After the market was officially open with its blazing fires, hot food booths and handmade crafts, The Saint walked through the crowd nodding to people and speaking to children.

The Innsbruck Christmas Market

Innsbruck Austria is a beautiful city and is called the Heart of the Alps

We did a day trip ...about a 3 hour drive to see this 2-time Olympic town.  Their Christmas market was already open and the whole town was decorated.  In their Alstadt, they even had fairy tale displays on the sides of the buildings. This one depicts Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs

Chestnuts were actually roasting on an open fire!

Vendors were set up selling all kinds of goods and food

Salzburg for shopping

Salzburg is a great place to stroll around and shop.  There are countless little shops down the narrow streets that are traveled mostly on foot and on cycles.

We crossed over the Salzach river on this bridge...I was with my new friend (Suzanne-who is from Ohio.) The fence-like sides were covered in "locks of love." People had put their names on these different locks and attached them to the bridge.

That is SO romantic. I will have to bring a lock for me and Billy soon.

 We had drinks at the corner table on the upper left here.  This restaurant/coffee house was established in about 1700.  In Wolfgang Mozart's day, it was a popular student hangout and he was often there. He may have even sat in the very spot I sat in! Wow, That's hard to believe.

They had the Christmas lights hanging and the booths assembled for the Christmas Market.  I plan to go there and see it over the weekend. It will be set up in the plaza in front of the cathredral (The two steeples in the top photo)

 These last two pictures are different views of the same street. The last one is up the hill toward the castle/fortress

Fog on the Way Home from the Grocery Store!

I went to buy groceries at about 3:30 in the afternoon yesterday. At about 4:30, when I came out of the store, a pretty heavy fog had rolled in. In Tennessee, fog generally only forms in the early mornings. It was strange and unexpected! I thought it was very beautiful.

I took these shots along the bike trail on the way home.

Deede

Grocery Store -big box

Here is Billy with the "grocery getter" at the store about a half mile away from our house. It is called "Kaufland".  "Kauf" is German for buy.  This is one of the few stores that is pretty similar to an American shopping experience....it is a big box store a bit like Target or Kmart.  You have to put a Euro in the shopping cart to get one and ALL the wheels swivel...so you can move sideways with it.  Here's something interesting:  They don't take credit cards or checks.  They only take cash or a local debit card.  That got me in trouble one day.  I had 75 Euros of merchandise and only about 50 in cash!  No one spoke English and it was crazy.  The checkout girl shouted out a call for someone who spoke English and a man stepped out of the gawlking crowd and helped me!  I guess they'll always remember me as the unprepared American...its a small town. But they were very nice...Bavarians are generally very friendly.

Deede