Most of us only experience Vienna’s big and bustling market, the Naschmarkt, when it’s in full swing with its alleyways stuffed with a crowd shuffling up and down, stopping for a sample now and again because a stall vendor charms them into it with a ‘Hey you! You beautiful lady! Want to try our cheese stuffed olives?!’ (It’s like speed dating gone horribly wrong).
But how about at dawn, before the crowds arrive. When the air still smells fresh (well, fresh mixed with the exhaust fumes of the cars flying by on the roads either side) and the stand owners are quietly setting up. It’s an actually really beautiful time. And we captured it.
Here’s 12 picturesque photos of Vienna’s Naschmarkt, before it opens:
Imagine that: You are in the center of the city. At one of the most touristy and crowded places in the city, and you’re all alone.Why?
Because it’s 6am! It’s only us and the stand owners at this peaceful hour. Oh, and the pigeons, of course.
In stark contrast to how it will look in a few hours, it’s a calm place at this time, with its empty alleyways.
You could easily sit in the middle of one of the alleys and meditate, without anyone interrupting your “ohmms”.
The vibes here are almost eerie in its dark, narrow passages at this time.
There’s the graffiti-sprayed closed shutters of the stands, the dirty passageways, and a funky smell from the old leftover food scattered around the place from the day before.
Dirt and cigarette stubs swept to the side in the narrow gaps between shops.
Pigeons trying to get hold of some bread crumbs.
Then there’s other crap that’s just sitting there and hopelessly hoping to be picked up.
A cyclist cuts through an alleyway. A worker at one of the stands starts setting up their fruit display out the front.
The sun’s almost up and the market will open soon.
It was nice to have this very busy space of the city largely to ourselves for a couple of hours.
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