Naschmarkt and Flak Towers

In the historic first district in Vienna, stretches an open air market called the Naschmarkt. Roughly translated "nasch" would best be described as how one would pick and chose food from an all you can eat buffet. It is a walkway that forms a narrow corridor for a number of blocks. Various vendors line the median of a downtown street. Although the market is described as open air, the vendors are protected from the elements by small booths that sometimes have small counters or have awnings that extend over the various wares of the merchants.

Tiny restaurants selling ethnic foods ranging from local favorites to Vietnamese cooking are spread in unpredictable intervals. Crammed into other spaces are bakeries, cheese stores, and butchers. Fish stare blankly from their glass showcases. Huge shrimp, octopi, and swordfish steaks are available. Various cuts of beef, lamb, and pork are visible. Earlier today, I saw a truck in full view in FRONT of a shop, workers in bloody aprons unloaded pork carcasses (with heads and feet still attached), stretching them across the top of a common shopping cart for transport into the butcher shop.

We stopped at a small street vendor where Johnathan ordered a small loaf of bread (similar the loaves available before the meal at Outback or BackDoor Steakhouses). There was a tube-like tunnel cut out, allowing ketchup, mustard, or a combination to be squirted into. Followed by a thick, grilled frankfurter. This formed a portable meal similar in appearance to an oversized hot dog. I got a bratwurst and a burenwurst, each served in small bites, on a plate; with mustard on the side. Our Head Coach (an Austrian and Vienna resident) ordered a sandwich which was thick, lightly colored meat on a large, substantial roll. He offered me a bite. It was somewhat bland but it was tender and juicy. He and Johnathan had already informed me that it was horse meat. I have lots of other dishes to try now, and don't need any more horse meat for a while. I will say this, it did NOT taste like chicken.

We entered Kaseland (Cheeseland) where we purchased bri and cheddar. Samples of the foods abound at each "shop" and we sampled things I had never thought I would try. We continued our shopping trek and Johnathan bought huge olives stuffed with cheese. I bought something called Falafels, which I would describe as a spicy version of a Mediterranean Sea hush puppy. It was better when spread with hummus. I bought sauerkraut, (extracted with a scoop from a huge barrel) and sampled a large dill pickle from a neighboring barrel (retrieved from the brine and presented to me with a bare hand). Johnathan bought a tiny cup of coffee and I was tempted by a bakery with Apfel Strudel, rolls, sweets, breads, etc.

We wound up our stroll by purchasing a gift for Susan. I will NOT divulge the "identity" of the gift except to say that it is NOT a raw fish, horse sandwich, or squid tentacle.

So many sights to which I am unaccustomed surrounded me and I could spend many hours in this teaming gauntlet of bustling small business and not a few attempting to describing them. One harsh fact hit me at the end of the shopping diversion. Money seems to fall out of one's pocket at an alarming rate while visiting the Naschmarkt.

As we drove through the narrow steets, a huge structure appeared, looming menacingly before us. Fully 16 stories high and a block in breadth and length, it bore a large banner that read "Smashed into pieces; in the middle of the night". It seems that these structures (Flak Towers) were WWII anti-aircraft structures and self-contained fortresses complete with fearsome weaponry, water, air, communications and 3 meter thick, reinforced concrete walls. That's why they still exist. Although the sign proclaims "smashed into pieces" this is hardly the case. There is essentially no way to demolish these fortresses. In post-war years, these six behemoths have been transformed into climbing walls, art galleries, sunbathing decks, aquariums, a restaurant called the "Skyspace bar", and the most interesting (to me), museums. The following is an excerpt I found describing the museums.

Museum of Medieval Legal History and the History of Torture (Museum

für Mittelalterliche Rechtsgeschichte: Die Geschichte der Folter).

It is strange, however, that given the close proximity of the Flak tower the

Nazis are given little more than cursory mention in the collection.

There seems to be a local, cultural "amnesia" concerning it's history entwined with the Nazis. Older Viennese citizens probably remember taking shelter from Allied bombing raids but younger residents ignore the towering muted voice from the past. Local tours seem to ignore the unmistakable reminders of the association with the Third Rcich. These fascinate me and I am not finished exploring these. I will try to remember my camera in future forrays.

Time to close for now.

Ol