Nothing says “spring” like 45 degrees with a stiff wind. Clearly a good day to bundle up and check out the local Easter markets.

To tell you the truth, I am a little mystified by the whole Easter thing in Central Europe. It’s just not part of my own cultural heritage, being non-Catholic and non-Central European. It was never that big a deal when I was growing up. We got a basket in the morning with jelly beans and a big chocolate bunny. We decorated a few eggs with one of those kits from the grocery store, then proceeded to lose them in the yard. That was pretty much it. (Oh, but it was a lot warmer outside!)

I’ve never decorated my own house for Easter, either. I’m guess I’m just not that into eggs and bunnies…

Anyway, I started by taking the bus over to the Schönbrunn Palace, which has one of the largest, touristy markets, then went on to the Freyung and Am Hof downtown, which are more for locals.

The markets are pretty much the same, selling a variety of small gifts and really a LOT of eggs. The eggs are very nicely decorated—some are even quite artistic—but start at about $5 each. Many are $10 and up. Since I prefer not to spend that kind of money on my cat’s toys, I passed. But I did get some decent photos with my phone.

If you think the pictures look rather like the Christmas market photos I took a few months ago, you would be correct. I think I even saw some of the same vendors.  Kitsch is kitsch, after all.

I just can’t imagine what the Viennese do with all this stuff. They mostly live in apartments, and don’t even have closets. They must all have boxes and boxes of eggs, bunnies, and Christmas ornaments stuffed under the beds. I’ve got the crates of Christmas decorations, myself, but I think for Easter, I’ll stick with photos  🙂