Schönbrunn's Christmas Market

It's always a pleasure to visit Schönbrunn, the Hapsburg's summer palace, and this time of year the front plaza is the site of one of Vienna's many Christmas markets. First, a peak at the grand Gloriette pavilion which crowns the hill in the palace's backyard.

Part of the ornate front gate:

A newly renovated wing of the palace near the front entrance:

The word is out about the great Christmas city that Vienna has become. The entire city is full of tourists now and Schönbrunn's market is a popular destination for tour groups. Today, there were probably a dozen tour buses parked in front of the palace, meaning the huts were doing good business.

Among the many items for sale, these snowglobes have been manufactured in Vienna since 1900:

The market features an assortment of hand painted glass ornaments:

Handmade papers and books:

Liqueurs:

Glassware etched with hearts and flowers:

Traditional Austrian metal ornaments:

Pop-up paper doll sets:

Paper ornaments:

Ceramic butterflies and flowers:

Beeswax candles:

And all kinds of food and drinks:

I had a baked potato laden with garlic cream sauce. Delicious!

The angle of this shot makes this pretzel vendor look like he has a huge bow on his head:

A few tartan ornaments:

A fancy carriage ornament:

The U-Bahn tracks to take us home: