Vienna dreaming

Small restaurants offer traditional Viennese food such as kaiserschmarrn or palatschinken in Naschmarkt.[Photo by Wang Shanshan/China Daily]

The market stretched for several blocks. We moved slowly with the crowd along the street, and we felt as if it was never going to end. There were many ancient electrical goods, books, carpets and ornaments. My friend bought five made-in-Mexico silver fruit pickers for 30 euro.

When we reached the end of the rows of the weird and wonderful goods, we were greeted by long lines of stands selling kebabs, fruits, cocktails, salami, cheese and curries as well as all kinds of other foods and drinks. We had reached another market, known as the Naschmarkt.

Many of the stands had chairs and tables, and they were almost all taken. We moved slowly with the crowd, filing past the rows of people sitting at tables. People sat at the tables sipping lemon water seemed to have spent the whole afternoon people watching.

One stand sold taboulleh (Lebanese salad), another specialized in fish. The next served ravioli with all kinds of fillings and various sauces. I read later that there are often more than 120 stands and even more on a Saturday.

Those who came for food and drink were wearing casual but fashionable clothes. Watching people and being watched seemed to be a large part of the entertainment. The parade of people included many men and women worth watching.

The lines of stands stretched so far that we didn't even finish exploring the market. We stopped at a major bus station, and took a bus toward the Danube River running across Vienna.

Almost all the passengers on the bus got off when we stopped before an ordinary-looking woods. They were carrying blankets, food and even tents. So we got off too and followed them along the walkways across the woods.