Prater, 2022: By Night

A few nights later, we returned...

Old World target range; never seen an archery version before 

We have now found the Extasy, Vicki's 2010 ride, and are reading
the many different warning signs that go with it

Thus

And thus

And, most ominously, the one that says no loose long hair allowed

And they're off

The most disturbing thing about this ride is that it goes up, does its
gyrations, then comes back down to a full stop, then goes through
the whole routine again, backwards...I'm sure it's not the wildest
ride around, but wild enough; you can have the audio/visual experience at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydmRTFrGvlU&ab_channel=
kirmesfanmopohl 

As close as I'll get to any of these crazy rides; sitting in the spare
parts pile outside Extasy

But still adept at Skee Ball, Vicki's favorite

Prater, 2022: By Day

The Prater is a huge public park, dating from 1766, when the King und Kaiser opened it to the public. Previously it had been his deer park. Today's Prater is a huge public park, a tenth of which is the amusement park, the Wurstelprater. The main entrance to the Wurstelprater is just three blocks or so from our apartment, across the tracks, so we visited twice recently, once during the day, once in the evening. It's not a theme park, but lacks nothing else as an amusement park, including even some of the city's more popular eating/drinking establishments. We had visited the Prater, memorably, in 2010, but had to go back if only to find the crazy ride that Vicki did then.

2010...it looks pretty tame; until it begins the upside down/inside
out dual orbits, first going forward, then backward, a very fast,
long ride, all to harsh loud music and strobe lighting..."Extasy"

FF to 2022...near the entrance, the Wiener Riesenrad, operating since
1897, for many years the world's largest Ferris wheel

Prater version of the mushroom ride grand-daughter Penelope
favored at Gilroy Gardens...

Much taller version elsewhere in the park

Three different rides going here

Newer attraction, goes much faster, small, open cabins with see-
through glass flooring

City of spires; and thrills

Pano inside the Schweizerhaus, the most awesome place in the Prater for us; we could not believe
how crowded it was...mid-afternoon, mid-week day

Assembly-line beer

Thus; waiting for the foam to settle a bit before going on the
next waiter's tray; note the pallets of mugs waiting in the background

We were especially awed by the plate of potato chips, better than Lay's,

but €5?! 

Feuer Dorf...little alpine/nordic cottages you can rent, cook in,
entertain...see illustration

Evidently popular in the winter

Artsy shot depicting the complexity of it all

Naschmarkt, 2022

There have been markets here for centuries, but it became the Naschmarkt only in the early 1900s, with Otto Wagner's urban renewal efforts. We visited in 2010 and 2012, and twice now in 2022, once on one of our Jugendstil walks, and then on Saturday morning, for the flea market. The Naschmarkt is still our gold standard for a street market, both for food and flea market goods. Our visits this year came at the end of the season, or beyond, and Saturday's visit was in the rain--we're that dedicated--so there was considerably less to see than in high summer in 2012. But it was still wonderful.

Setting a seasonal tone at the food entrance

For the first half kilometer it's food of every conceivable description,
and a few cafes, restos, stands...

Pesto cheese, anyone?

Draw you own fruit vinegars

Abundant but expensive seafood...oysters $5 each: each

Now we are back Saturday morning, hoping the rain will hold
off just a bit longer...it didn't

If the market gets boring (never!) there are always beautiful
buildings to look at

It's not really that cold; here and elsewhere Europeans seem to 
like wearing their heavies whenever the temps drop below 60

In a really nice glass stand

Being tempted with a beautiful 1906 decanter;
fortunately, Vicki has become quite adept at using
the internet to spot possible copies, fakes...and this
one has been copied too often to risk...

Obviously a former owner had been rubbing the tip for good luck...

This space (and many others) available; memories of selling at the
Palo Alto High School flea market once...

Innovative raingear

Largest parsnips ever, so far

Tons of Turkish/Syrian goodies

We decided to have lunch at a resto under
a heated awning, an Argentine steak 
house; but not steak, pimped or not

Vicki's Wiener Schnitzel

My cioppino, one of the best ever (Italy's not that far away)