This morning, I went to Brunnenmarkt in Vienna’s 16th district for a little baklava shopping. The market is one of Europe’s longest street markets, and is a fantastic place for both shopping and people watching.

The area around the market is home to a large number of Turkish people as well as Croatians and Serbs who come to shop and socialize in the many little cafes lining the streets. It’s even livelier on Saturdays when everyone comes out to mingle and haggle, giving the whole market the feel of a bazaar. There’s everything from produce, cheese, dried fruit and nuts, to meat, fish, cheap clothes, shoes, and household goods.

It’s a truly multicultural experience as old Turkish men with big mustaches disappear into tiny cafes, Pakistani vendors sell cheap jeans and Croatian soccer jerseys, women in headscarves emerge from bakeries with big loaves of freshly baked flatbread, and produce vendors compete with each other for the next customer.

Cheese made from goat and sheep's milk

Alpine cheese from Western Austria

Daily essentials for sale - coffee and little shopping carts

Dried figs from Turkey

Beautiful dried apricots

Walnuts

Cheese

More cheese

Baklava #1

Baklava #2

And Baklava #3 - glorious!

Brunnenmarkt
Brunnengasse
1160 Vienna, Austria
Monday through Friday 6AM-7:30PM
Saturday 6AM-5PM

These traditional hand crafted gingerbreads from Slovakia are true pieces of art. I found them at a crafts market in Bratislava last summer and couldn’t resist taking some home. They are way too pretty to eat! You can find more patterns and shapes here.

These whimsical interpretations of the classic bento lunch are by bento artist Sakurako Kitsa. Amost too pretty to eat!

I’m trying to get all my Christmas decorating sorted out early this year. I stumbled upon some lovely artificial Christmas trees and now I can’t decide which one to get! Hope to be back in the kitchen soon…

I love the clean design of Finnish company Marimekko. Their colorful patterns add fun to the kitchen and table.

Off to baking brownies…