Saturday dawned sunny and bright, and thus Tony and I needed no further invitation to head out somewhere. One of my news feeds mentioned a festival somewhere nearby in Slovakia, and that was good enough for us.  It turned out that the town was celebrating the autumn kill, or something (we don’t speak Slovak!) Though everything on the grill smelled wonderful, eating barbecued animal parts at 1030 in the morning wasn’t for us.

 

The village was also big on roadside stands for pickled cabbage, known in these parts as, “Kapusta.” So we motored back to Bratislava, knowing that the Farmer’s Market at the old market hall would not disappoint. Indeed, a few bottles of cider, and some sausage and sweets, made their way home with us. No Kapusta, though. My team just doesn’t eat the pickled cabbage.

 

Lunch at a Slovak pub. Potato pancakes, Halusky with Bacon, and Salt-and-Pepper Chicken Wings. Just a few, delicious, calories.

 

On Sunday the forecast cold and rainy weather made its appearance, so we disappeared from Vienna out along the Wachau Valley to Schloss Leiben, to investigate its (indoor) Christmas Market, listed as one of Lower Austria’s nicest. The Lower Austria folks were right.

Dozens of warm and Christmas-y, beautifully decorated rooms filled with a mad variety of handcrafted wares and farmstand offerings kept us busy for a couple of hours.

 

 

 

Of course, the one handmade and painted porcelain piece I wanted (the sleigh and reindeer) was not for sale. But the kindly gentleman artist was happy to allow me a photo.

 

On the way home, past new and familiar castle ruins.

 

Later on Sunday the skies cleared, in perfect time to combine Clayton Theodore’s afternoon constitutional with a visit to the Weihnachtsmarkt in Türkenschanzpark across the street from our home.
Someone is spoiled. We know.
The market is small and cozy, and perhaps a bit hipster in its offerings.
(Spanish Bean Pot with Chorizo)
(Vegan Vegetable Chick Pea Pot)
Cheers for another wonderful weekend!