Christmas Market Magic!
I owe these guys a Glühwein. Probably with a shot of Schnapps! Mmmmmm.
May I introduce The Moonlake Allstars, performing at the Christmas Market in Mondsee, Austria. (Mondsee translates to “Moon Lake” in German, thus their name—and, yes, the lake is crescent shaped!).
High up in the Alps, about 20 minutes on the Autobahn outside of Salzburg, I have been coming here since 2003, when my parents came to their senses and fell in love with Mondsee. They had always dreamt of getting a place near my mother's homeland and this town had every criteria we wanted: from beautiful mountains, proximity to a larger city, and a gorgeous lake.
This past year, one of the elder families of the town commissioned me to do a landscape painting of the famous local mountains that surround the lake. They have a pretty spectacular view from their farm, and they wanted to capture this in the painting.
The painting was delivered to them this Spring.
“View of the Schafberg and Drachenwand” • acrylic on wood • 20” wide by 13” tall (51 cm x 33 cm)
I guess they liked the painting, and eventually word got around town that I had painted this piece. Many of the locals know me as the artist from Brooklyn, who speaks the local dialect, but, they hadn’t really seen an actual painting of mine in real life.
The ultimate honor happened shortly thereafter, when the committee that plans the local Christmas Market asked if they could reproduce the painting for the backdrop of the main stage at the market.
I cannot tell you how much of an honor this was. How flattering to do a painting that is acknowledged by the local residents as capturing the essence of their Alpine home, and to have it prominently featured in this year’s Christmas Market.
A local quartet performs on the main stage. Photograph by Barbara Mayrhofer
The Mondsee Christmas Market is a perfect size in the town's main square. Enough booths to provide diverse activities from enjoying delectable snacks and Christmas goodies, to traditional handicrafts—that still surprise me to this day for their uniqueness—and, of course, mulled wines (Glühwein!) and ciders with shots of Schnapps!
An overview of Mondsee’s main square with the cathedral and Christmas Market from last year. Photograph by Wolfgang Weinhäupl.
Alas, I won’t be in Mondsee until after Christmas this year, as I’ve been concentrating on selling my Christmas products, and it’s easier to fulfill orders from Brooklyn than Austria!
But, I can’t wait to get back. And to have a beer, a wurst and a laugh with the folks of this town that I consider my second home.
{ And, yes, for all you Sound of Music fans, that IS the church where the wedding scene in the movie takes place! }
Should you want to see one of the hearts of Christmas for yourself—either virtually or in reality—check out:
https://mondsee.salzkammergut.at/en/christmas.html
AND, If you haven’t already, please check out my Christmas items that I merrily offer on this site:
http://www.kurtwalters.com/shop
Thanks for reading!
—Kurt