Vienna’s Easter markets are spin offs of their Christmas markets and are relatively small compared with their Yuletide counterparts. I had wondered how these markets dealt with the Lenten season of penance and fasting. They mostly don’t. The market on the grounds of the Schonbrunn Palace is the largest. It has an Easter House “Werkstatt” (work station) where children make marzipan bunnies and eggs. It has a lot of good food for sale, food definitely not on the Lenten fasting menu. My favorite dish was a fry of ham, potato, onion and horseradish. But there were ribs, knuckles, all manner of cold cuts and wine tasting. There was very little religious at this fair: eggs, candy stuffed bunnies, baked goods, food, more food, wine, more wine, and local handicrafts including a stuffed Mozart and a booth named “Schnik, Schnack Schmuck.” I particularly liked the toy booths with tops, and a wooden device that, when you drop marbles into the top, makes a sound that’s a cross between rain and a wooden wind chime.
