Page 329 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

SHOPPING IN A USTRIA  327

includes short or calf-length
leather trousers and a distinctively
cut felt jacket. All this is topped
by a jaunty hat adorned with
feathers or goats’ beard.

Alcoholic Drinks
Most supermarkets stock a
good selection of Austrian
wines, but if you head to one
of the vineyards you can try
before you buy. Visit one of
the many vineyards in the
Wachau Valley or among the
hills of Burgenland, and you
can sample the wine, and
A typical market selling a wide range of goods in Deutschlandsberg even buy direct. One of the
stronger drinks would also
buy clothes, sports equipment up to the present day. Porcelain be a good souvenir – try
and shoes. goods can be purchased in Weinbrand (cognac), Slivovitz
Austrians have taken to online the shop in Graben or from the (plum brandy), Obstler (fruit
shopping in a big way. Those factory, which is open to visitors. brandy) or Marillenbrand
looking for a bargain utilize Also worth buying is the attractive (apricot brandy).
price comparison websites, like hand-painted pottery from
pricerunner.at, which spark keen Gmunden, with colourful Speciality Foods
competition among providers Biedermeier-style flowers, dots
of electronic goods and and other ornamentation. The most popular purchases
appliances. Amazon.de is far Glassware – including superb from the food counter are
and away the chandeliers and Austrian chocolates in their
biggest online delicate many guises. Café-Konditorei
site in the tableware – (cake shop and café) may
country, but tends to post cakes back home for
universal.at, be highly original you. You can buy good-quality
otto.de and Billa supermarket logo and of high confectionery at most super-
zalando.at are all quality, although markets; popular chains include
hugely popular for everything expensive. Many people also Billa, Merkur, Interspar, Zielpunkt
from fashion to fridges. The collect imaginative crystal and Hofer, with the latter
EU single market and the ornaments such as dogs and charging the lowest prices.
possibility of delivery within a cats made by Swarovski. There are also smaller food
day or two mean that even stores, especially in the large
visitors spending less than a Crafts and Folk Art cities, but these are generally
week in the country can save more expensive.
money shopping online, Hand-embroidered items, such
though it does take the fun as tablecloths, are also in great
out of scouring the stores. demand. The true works of art
In 2016, the Interspar food in this field are ladies’ evening
chain opened the largest online purses, miniature pictures and
grocery in Austria. Wine can even jewellery, embroidered in
also be ordered online. petit point with 300 to 2,500
stitches per sq cm (2,000 to
16,000 stitches per sq inch).
Ceramics and This work, carried out with the
Crystal Glass
aid of a magnifying glass, is so
Austria is famous for its exhausting that it can be done
beautiful porcelain from the only for a maximum of three
Augarten factory, based in the hours a day.
Viennese park where Johann Folk costumes are another
Strauss once played his waltzes. popular purchase. They vary
The decorations on vases, jugs, in the detail, but the woman’s
boxes and tableware reflect the Dirndl always consists of a
artistic trends of past centuries, skirt with an apron, a waistcoat
from Baroque through Neo- and a white, often embroidered, Sweets and confectionery in front of a
Classical and Biedermeier right blouse, while the man’s Tracht shop in Salzburg

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