The Naschmarkt.

Every Saturday in Vienna there is a huge Market called the Naschmarkt, it goes for about 1.5 kilometres over the Wien River.  There has been a market here for more than 400 years. We have gone to it twice before and have got some great bargains.

We decided we’d go back, but the only difference this time is that we don’t have dad with us. Dad is away for a week in Australia to get his work sorted out then he will come back. It has already been 4 nights since he left and we miss him very much.

So yesterday we rode our bikes there and walked up and down the market to see all our favourite stalls. At the Naschmarkt there are many different things like fruit and vegetable stalls, cafes, fresh flowers, yummy sweets, people selling their home goods and junk, beggars on their knees and even tourist shops.

It is a very interesting Market where you could spend a whole day looking around. The fruit and vegetables stores did the best peaches and nectarines and we would always buy one and the juice would drip all over our faces and onto the ground. They also did delicious fruit juices which were squeezed right in front of you and you could see just how fresh they were, I enjoyed an orange juice whilst mum had an orange and pink grapefruit juice.

The restaurants sell unusual foods from all over the world including Thai, Japanese, Indian, Spanish and lots of Mediterranean food.

The flea market part with people trying to sell their house goods were like a big garage sale and it went on and on. We bought a traditional Austrian hat which was second hand, but really good quality and was only 5 euros ($7.50) What a bargain!!! We then searched for badges and feathers to put on the hat like the traditional hats are. I also bought a leather necklace and a fossil to put on it all together it cost 4 euros ($6). The fossil was 50 million years old. I love old fossils and shells and found my 3 euro fossil so amazing. People also sold things like accordions and violins and others sold old typewriters, watches and third hand clothes.

There were also people who begged because they were so poor. There was one man with legs that only went down to his knees, who had strapped foam to where his knees would be. We all felt very sorry for these people but didn’t want to encourage them to beg.

One strange thing was the amount of tourist shops in a local market.  They sell Mozart chocolate boxes, key rings and pencils, Swarovski crystals and lots of pictures of Klimt’s “Kiss” printed on everything from tea towels to handbags.

We enjoy the market every time we go. This time mum packed our books in her backpack and we stopped on the way home at a park and read on the grass on the sun. We have all found books to read at a bookstore down the road from us that sells some English books.
I'm reading 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'
Maisy is reading 'Merlin's Dragon'
and Mum is reading 'One Day'
Hope Dad will bring us more books from Australia.

Because the weather is so hot in Vienna at the moment we were very thankful when we came across a water fountain, and we dipped our feet into it and the water would spray everywhere.

Another had lots of ducks and Maisy and I fed them our bread rolls. They were so grateful and quacked back to say thanks. 
We are having a wonderful time in Vienna and I never want to leave it. But I never want to leave any country once I have spent time there. They all have their ups and downs and we see both, but still love it.

Charlotte