Vienna and Budapest Nativity Scenes

When I was in Austria I searched high and low for the perfect nativity set. Of course it wasn't easy because all the shops were selling Easter gifts. Most people are not interested in nativity scenes unless it is around Christmas time. However, I believe there is a market for nativities all year around. There are people as crazy as me who collect them, but that doesn't mean they are easy to find.

Towards the end of our stay in Vienna we watched the morning practice of the Lipizzanor stallions which also included an afternoon tour of the stables. Between the two we walked to a main shopping street to look for lunch. On the way back I thought it might be nice to take a different route. I suggested walking down a different side street to see what shops were available. About half through the side street I noticed a small crystal shop with a lot of figurines. That is usually a good sign. I had seen a similar shop on the main shopping street outside of the Stephansdom, but the nativity sets they had were actually from Italy, they were over priced and not very special. I choose to keep looking. On this side street their had a special section filled with a variety of nativity sets. I decided to buy this one.

It is actually the most expensive nativity scene I have ever purchased, at a whopping $150.00 US dollars. I think it is worth it though, because the quality is super nice, handmade, and it is a popular design for Austria. Here is an upclose look at the bottom level of the tier. Apparently, when you put candles in the base the heat rises, which causes the scence to spin around. Isn't that so cool? Well, I think so!

I was also blessed to find a nativity scene while in Budapest. It just happened by luck too, because none of the stores had them. Well, there was one store, but it was extreme expensive, small, and just not worth it. When we were trekking around castle hill we found a small crafts market. We didn't have a lot of cash so we weren't going to walk around the stalls, but I thought it would be worth walking around to see some of the handicraft. One of the stalls just happened to have nativity scene. They were small and completely handmade. I loved them. Not to mention they only costs $5 US dollars each. I bought two, one for me and one for my sister!