Early winter, Friday 26 November 2021

So today was the long-awaited visit to the Christmas markets.  The camp site is about 850 metres from the railway station, which is very basic - single-track, one platform and just a ticket machine.  It is also not a very nice walk as for most of the way there is no pavement and the verge, at this time of year, is leafy and muddy.  However, the camp site does h Ave the merit of being only about 250 metres from the parkrun, just right for tomorrow morning! 

We caught the 10:35, as we had hoped to do, and it was not long before we were in the city and looking for the metro lines that would take us to the start of the markets.  We eventually found them (Frankfurt is not very good at telling you where the various stations are, nor where the relevant lines are once you are there!) and took the metro 2 stops to Dom/Roemer, where the market was supposed to start.  Of ourse, there was no sign of it, and the various maps provided bore absolutely no relation to real life, but we found it in the end.  And it was as enjoyable, and as tiring, as these things always are.  

The worst thing was that you had to wear a mask while you were there, which is, of course, fair enough, but out of doors, even with a mask that pinches your nose, your glasses steam up and stay that way - indoors, they eventually clear, and it is not a problem, but I was walking pretty much blind by the end and the Swan Whisperer, who can see a bit without his, had to guide me. 

Just as I had had enough, we found where the tourist buses went from, and enquired about taking the tour, but it was not until 13:00 and it was only about 12:15, so the SW suggested we had an early lunch and then took the bus.  I was desperate to sit down by then, so we dived into the nearest café, which turned out to be a Vietnamese place, specialising in noodles with your choice of vegan, beef or shrimp.  I had the vegan, with rice noodles, and the SW had the beef with ramen noodles and very good they were too!  I could only manage about half of mine!  To drink we had something called apfelwein which it turns out is a local speciality, but neither of us liked it much, and we didn't finish our glasses.  Not the bratwurst and glühwein one expects of a Christmas Market, but still a lovely lunch! 

Then it was time for the City tour, which was not quite as good as it could have been as the commentary didn't sync with the scenery!   All the same, a good overview of the city. 

Then we found (eventually) a ReWe to do our shopping, and I left the SW sitting on the husband bench while I did it, although I think we probably will need to find more milk tomorrow.  But after that, I don't know what we did wrong but we had to walk miles and miles to the S-Bahn, which was not at all where I thought it was (turned out that was a different station).  Once we found it, we then had to find the right line and direction, which also took forever - some decent signposts would be a plan, Frankfurt!  But we found it in the end. 

We would have missed our train had we changed at the Hauptbahnhof, but we could stay on a further 2 or 3 stops and change there, and then had 3-4 minutes to wait for our train.  And then the long, dreary and by now very wet walk to the campsite, and a much-needed cp of tea!  I changed into pyjamas as I was all wet round the feet and ankles - my trainers are fine on wet pavements, but on puddly verges?  Not so much!