We roll in early in the morning on a train from Ljubljana, Slovenia and are absolutely shocked to find that winter is in full swing in Austria. Not that we haven’t been cold on this trip (because I’ve been near death several times from the temperature), but we haven’t gotten a single glimpse of snow yet, so it’s pretty exciting stuff and we are both pressed up against the window squealing like small children.
Never mind that Xmas is more than a month away, we still get to enjoy the amazing Weihnachtsmarkt at Stephanplatz, which is our first taste of the European Christmas Markets to come. Naturally, I’m beside myself with excitement, because who doesn’t love the festive season!
The Christmas market is packed out with stalls selling holiday handicrafts like ornaments and candles and leather bags, plus (my personal favourite) food and drink stalls selling much-needed hot favourites like apple cider in adorable market mugs shaped like stockings and hot pumpkin soup in hollowed-out bread bowls.
We don’t know at the time that it’s really quite typical of Christmas markets, so we are loving that you just pay a small cash deposit for your Weihnachtsmarkt mug that they continue to fill up with hot drinks, and then you can just forsake the return of your deposit and keep the mug. We take a couple away from the market and carefully tote them around in our luggage for the next month and a half, along with the other mugs we just have to have from the other Christmas markets we visit.
Sorry, Australia, but Christmas is just better cold.
Read more from our Europe trip:
12 TIPS FOR BACKPACKING EUROPE
OMG, WE SAW THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND
DISNEYLAND PARIS: THE HAPPIEST PLACE IN FRANCE
EXPLORING UNDERGROUND PARIS: LES CATACOMBS
AUTUMN IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS: OUR FAVOURITE PARIS EXPERIENCES
VENICE, THE WORLD’S GREATEST MAZE
BIKING AROUND LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
BIKING AROUND LAKE BLED & VINTGAR GORGE
ADVENTURING TO POSTOJNA JAMA & PREDJAMA GRAD
HUNGARY FOR THE HOLIDAYS: THE BEST BUDAPEST EXPERIENCES
HISTORY LESSONS IN KRAKÓW: VISITING AUSCHWITZ AND KAZIMIERZ
