a.Vienna s Christmas markets collectively

ing curve-flaunting dresses and for the flirtatious rapport she had cheap bridesmaid dresses struck up with Bourdain.While the series finale attracted only 3.million viewers, hopes were, until this week, high for the follow-on.Lawson had been smart enough to earn some free and favourable publicity in advance by declaring that she would not be airbrushed for the show’s advertisements and by being asked to leave the bar of Chateau Marmont, a hotel that is a glamorous institution of old-Hollywood, because she had brought in a takeaway pizza.audience was beginning to feel for her had been heightened by those shocking photographs of her confrontation with Saatchi earlier this year.She’s America’s sweetheart now, said Brian Malarkey, one of her co-hosts, at the time.Everyone feels quite protective.It remains to be seen whether that protection will shelter her from the new storm that is raging.Vienna consistently tops international quality of life indexes, and evidence of its social initiatives is everywhere.Here the neighbourhood is improving with help from the city, thanks to intensive urban renewal projects that have lifted the standards of buildings that had fallen into disrepair.Almost all Viennese live in apartments, and one quarter of these are social housing.as locals like to say.the Karmelitermarkt in the second district.Also a popular area, the gentrification process is farther along in the up-and-coming Karmeliter, and its trajectory is a familiar one.Karmelitermarkt is built on a square, with a small maze of stalls lining the outside, like tiny streets.Horse meat is also common, and another stall is devoted entirely to equine edibles.I opt for a sandwich made from local mountain cheese and dark bread with caraway, which may be the most delicious two-ingredient meal on the planet.The market is quiet this afternoon, but tomorrow it will bustle as the square fills with farmers selling bread, wine, sweets organic veggies and much more.Saturday is traditionally market day in Vienna, and when it comes I wake up extra early.Naschmarkt is Vienna’s oldest and most popular market.About a kilometre affordable bridesmaid dresses and a half long, it is lined with food stands and restaurants in two long rows.It’s existed in this spot since the 1500s, when it sold mostly milk.In recent decades it’s become a bustling tourist venue with lots of restaurants, snack spots and souvenir food stands.Produce here is pricier than at than at the farther flung options.Here I stop in at Gegenbauer, which sells a mind-boggling array of vinegars, to pick up some pumpkin seed oil, a tasty regional delicacy.What I’m really excited for today, though, is the flea market that takes over the Naschmarkt parking lot every Saturday, when dozens of vendors lay out their treasures at 6:30 a.My first view is a little disappointing, with mass-produced tie-died goods lining the first tables, but soon enough the cacophonous magic unfolds in all its beer-steiny glory.It’s a giant garage sale, with a distinctly Austrian flair.Here you can buy a wedding dress or an accordion, glassware or vintage toys.I weave my way through the crowded, smoky stalls admiring dishes, coffee services, and a guitar stacked on top of a microwave stacked on top of four car tires.Would my husband like that ornately framed painting of kittens, I wonder.Probably not worth the risk.I leave empty-handed, but not disappointed.A handful of Christmas markets are opening today, and a sense of touristic obligation propels me to seek one out.stands appear to outnumber those selling Christmas goods.The market is quiet and, I think, while munching my potato wedges, kind of sad.That evening, however, my last in Vienna, I forget the sights and hit up the English theatre for a movie.Walking back to the hotel after, I turn a corner near Spittelberg and am surprised by a row of Christmas stalls festive in their twinkling lights.People mill in the narrow cobblestone alleys, sipping warm boozy beverages and laughing.Grinchiness falling away, I find myself caught up in a cozy seasonal spirit.I admire simple bridesmaid dresses beautiful chocolate creations and fuzzy handmade hats.a welcome companion for a nighttime stroll.IF YOU GOGetting thereAustrian Airlines offers four direct flights a week from Toronto to Vienna on aircraft with newly designed interiors.Its new business class seats are controlled by a cool high-tech panel, and recline to a fully horizontal position.I slept like a baby, so much so that I on the way there I missed much of the gourmet multi-course meal prepared by the on-board chef.Do not make this mistake.Trying one of the 10 coffees from the coffee menu may help in this regard.KempinskiVienna s Kempinski, opened in March of this year, is the kind of hotel you never want to check out of.Originally built as a hotel for the World Exhibition in 1873, the five-star property sits on the Ringstrasse, centrally located and a part of the city s impressive architectural history.Rooms and service are exceptional and the decor is opulent without being over the top.hoursIt seems the proprietors of this circus-themed hotel have never seen the classic can t sleep, clown will eat me Simpsons episode, but if you can get over the headboard-wall decor, this trendy and affordable design hotel has much to recommend it.Rooms are small, but well-designed.Everything about the hotel is playful, and it s just steps from the Museum Quarter.Naschmarkt Open Monday to Saturday, from 6 a.restaurants open later, flea on Saturday only.Brunnenmarkt Monday to Friday 6 a.Vienna s Christmas markets collectively offer more than a 1,000 stalls from late November until Christmas.Most are open every day.Here are a handful to get you in the spirit.Christmas Market and Magic of Advent.Rathausplatz and Rathauspark.Vienna s largest Christmas market.Old Viennese Christmas Market, Freyung.One of Vienna s oldest markets (est.in one of its most beautiful squares.Christmas Village on Maria-Theresien-Platz.Features gospel choirs and brass bands as well as handicrafts.Christmas Mark