The Easter Basket, Vienna Style

K.u.K. Gerstner, one of the former Royal and Imperial Zuckerbäcker ("sugar bakeries") recently opened a new cafe and store in one of the city palaces across from the Opera House, and today Tony and I dropped by with the hope of finding a sweet or two for the Easter basket.

The store is stunning. The colors and lighting are perfect.

On the upper level is the cafe. We had just come from lunch and were not quite ready for coffee and cake, sadly.

Too bad, because some of the selections were inspiring.

We sought the charming little Dalmatian Hase, though with Easter but two days away the bunnies had all been sold.

 No worries. There were lots of chocolate ways to fill an Easter basket at the ready.

Even a little Austrian sekt for the grownups!

Gerstners is also a purveyor of cake decorating elements, should you dare to dream you could create such masterpieces.

 Filling the Easter Basket, Vienna Style.

Ostermarkt at a Country Palace

A little blustery, but still, a lovely afternoon outing to the Easter Market at Schloss Hof, the former hunting lodge of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who led the Empire to victory over the invading Turks. In less blustery weather, the palace, grounds and outbuildings make for an excellent day trip. For me and for jet-lagged Tony, a walkabout the various market buildings was just enough.

Pheasant eggs, ready to be decorated. Beyond my skill set.

 Goose eggs, already decorated.

Stamps of wood for decorating textiles. Beautiful, but also way beyond my skill set.

 Craftsmen at work with willing helpers.

 The estate was dressed for the holiday.

 Near the farm.

Schloss Hof is quite family-friendly and one of the activities for the weekend was "Donkey Grooming." Something tells me these donkeys did not receive that memo.

 The petting farm was a busy place. Even I couldn't resist!

 If only we knew what the goats were thinking.

 Baa.

 Do not mess with this Rooster.

  The outbuildings can be identified by their signs.

 In the Gardener's shop, we had a lengthy conversation with a local gardener who contributes to the beauty of the estate. Though in half-English and half-German, I did catch enough to learn that he offers workshops in "Forest Pedagogy."  All I have to do is round up some friends and bring a picnic basket; he'll show us how to make beautiful decorations from the wilds. Sounds like a field trip to me!

To end, food and drink form the foundation of pretty much any event in Central Europe. Though, it was a little surprising to read this menu board.

All About the Eggs

Vienna's Easter Markets have opened!

Especially at the AltWiener Ostermarkt, the choices can be overwhelming. So can the prices. The painted eggs range from as little as €3,00 to as much as €36,00.

There are many return vendors, so we were excited to see Koze Dereza, a Ukrainian workshop whose items we first spied at the Christmas markets. One of these beautiful hand-embroidered eggs now graces our collection.

"Tis the (Other) Season!

The collection spans Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. I may have a small addiction.

The last week was long. AISV hosted the varsity girls basketball tournament, meaning my attentions were otherwise turned to preparing to house, feed, and chauffeur four athletes for three days, plus pulling double duty at Boosters, flipping burgers for the 130 hungry visiting athletes. Thankfully we housed four remarkably polite and engaging, and incredibly tidy, girls from Cairo American College. And the housing gifts perhaps set a new standard. Fresh dates, wooden items, notebooks, and lightly scented handmade Egyptian soaps and towels. 

Tony was off in Basel for the duration, cheering on Anna Grace's team in their tournament, so by the time the students departed and the family returned Saturday evening, it was necessary that I get. out. of. the. house. While lingering over coffee on Sunday, I discovered the first of the Ostermärkte in the area had opened at Schloss Marchegg, more or less an hours' drive from Vienna. Perfect!

 Smoked fish, to eat at the picnic tables or to take away. But not until noon.

At noon the doors of the smoker were opened to reveal the goodness of smoked salmon.

Lots and lots of Easter eggs were available for purchase. As the top photo reveals, I have a penchant for the painted egg, though only one came home with me on this visit.

Beer taps. Absolutely no event in Central Europe is complete without the beer.

 The aroma of sugar filled the air and although tempting, a more substantial lunch was in order than sugar roasted nuts.

Not in the mood for Austrian cuisine offered at the little taverns near the schloss, we walked into the small village of 2.900 people hoping to find "some place else." As I paused to snap a photo of this retro-style storefront we spied a Gasthof bearing a sign: "Thai & Austrian Cuisine."

Tony and I exchanged wary glances and casually peeked inside to see a rather full restaurant. Once inside, even more curious was that the "Nicht rauchen" (non-smoking) rooms (Yes! In the plural!) were more crowded than the smoking rooms.  So we sat for what turned out to be the absolute, very best Thai food we have enjoyed in a restaurant since hopping across the pond. Perhaps the spring rolls were prepared elsewhere, and chopsticks were not an option...

 ...but the Kapow was AMERICAN-SPICY!  We did stop short of licking our plates, in case you're wondering.

This "some place else" was a perfect finale to a perfect outing, and just the refresher I needed. Soon the storks will arrive in Marchegg, which can only mean a return visit, for which we'll be sure to bring along the proper walking shoes, camera lenses, and now, an appetite for lunch.