Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wien River was roofed over and renamed
Wienzeile.
There's a real bazaarlike feel to this
open-air market, with its narrow main
street lined with awninged shops, their
bins spilling out on the street. Vendors ply
the usual fresh produce and local special-
ties, such as Wiener schnitzel, strudel, and
barrelfuls of sauerkraut, but shelves are
also stocked with bottled vinegars, neatly
labeled cellophane packets of imported
spices and herbs, cases full of seafood,
prepared salads, and even sushi. As you
browse along the stalls, you may notice
how many vendors hail from Turkey or the
former Yugoslavia, a reminder of Vienna's
historic role as central Europe's cultural
melting pot. A caveat: Shoppers don't
come here for bargains, but for hard-to-
find goods and very fresh produce, it can't
be beat.
Along a side lane a string of
beisls
(small
cafes) features an international range of
cuisines, from kebabs to Chinese food to
traditional Viennese dishes such as
Kaiser -
schmarrn
or
Palatschinken
. A smattering of
hip late-night bars suggest how the Nasch-
markt has been embraced by the trendy set
as well as tourists looking for local color. Be
sure to stroll around the surrounding neigh-
borhood, which has some fine examples of
Jugendstil architecture. The market is
closed Sundays; check out the neighboring
flea market on Saturdays.
Between Linke and Rechte Wienzeile
from Kettenbrückengasse to Getreide-
mark. (U-Bahn: Karlsplatz) (no phone).
(
Vienna International (23km/14 miles).
L
$$$
Hotel Römischer Kaiser
, Anna-
gasse 16 (
&
800/528-1234
or 43/1/
512775113; www.bestwestern.com). $$
Hotel am Schubertring,
Schubertring 11
(
&
43/1/717020;
www.schubertring.at).
Open-Air Markets
9
Központi Vásárcsarnok
Hungry in Hungary
Budapest, Hungary
Cavernous as a train station, Budapest's
biggest indoor market is the sort of
place where you can wander for hours,
until sensory overload kicks in. Though it's
a popular tourist stop—and there are a
raft of stalls selling Hungarian dolls,
embroidered linens, glassware, and other
souvenirs—plenty of locals do their regu-
lar food shopping here as well. The ground
floor in particular offers an overwhelming
bounty of fresh produce, locally made
cheese, and meats, not to mention ropes
of garlic, spicy salami, velvety foie gras,
ground red paprika and yellow saffron,
Tokay wine, and caviar.
Set on the Pest side of the Danube River,
conveniently close to the famous Chain
Bridge, the Vasarcsarnok was first built in
1897 when the rival cities of Buda and Pest
were being combined into one great
metropolis. With its magnificent tiled roof,
patterned orange brick facade, cathedral-
like portal, and soaring glass roof, this vast
hall was intended as an expression of civic
opulence. It was even designed with a
canal running down the center, so that
vendors could float in their produce. Sig-
nificantly damaged in World War II, the hall
limped along for decades during the Com-
munist regime, until it had to be closed
down in the early 1990s; an extensive res-
toration in 1994, however, has returned the
hall to its former magnificence.
The canal is long gone, replaced with a
broad tiled corridor, flanked by two other
aisles running the length of the ground
