Christmas market, Koblenz

This is not the best picture ever, but it seems to sum up a modern German Christmas market in the Rhineland. Stalls, food and drink, phones, red clothing, and gigantic wooden structures. 

We took the ferry this morning from our base in Rudesheim on the Rhine to Bingen, on the opposite side. From there we drove up to the pretty town of Boppard, also on the Rhine. The market was very small, much smaller than in pre-pandemic days apparently, but we enjoyed a wander along the river bank, a visit to a church (D fitted in two), a cafe and a sit-down. The Rhine is very much a working river, so there are many very long barges and freight trains on the hillside to watch, as well as cruise boats. The water level was extraordinarily high. Some jetties to ferries were submerged. Bridges are infrequent, because the Allies bombed them during WWII, and the ferry companies later objected when some enterprising souls wanted to rebuild them afterwards. 
Small car ferries that also take pedestrians and bikes are the norm. 

Next stop was Koblenz, on the Mosel. This is a much larger town and was altogether too much for D. We did manage a cafe meal, and then I left him while I searched for the Christmas market, and returned to pick him up when I had found it. He says his back aches when he walks. He is becomingly increasingly stooped and frail, and forgets some more recent events, though his earlier memories are intact. I advised him to get a memory test. In many ways, I did feel that being out with him in a large town was like being out with my mother, who has vascular dementia. They are both so vulnerable and lacking mobility. D has never had a good sense of direction, either, which is tricky. It's becoming more apparent that our period of holidays together is drawing to a close. He'd be more comfortable on a Saga river cruise, whereas I'd rather be hiking, writing, or exploring.

At the markets I bought a few items: a paper lampshade, sweetmeats for my colleagues, a traditional advent calendar. D bought me some cheese. The handcarved wooden toys were beyond my budget. We drank gluhwein at a stall, and spent a load of time looking for toilets. We did manage to get back to the coach early, but not without a lot of tutting and fretting and gasping from D. I felt awful about getting him back at comparative speed, but it was raining, and there were no benches to sit down on so that he could catch his breath. 

Arrived back at Rudesheim, I had a mug of tea then went out to search for a restaurant. D wanted to eat or drink again. We found an Italian place right in the marketplace, very handy for us as it's near our hotel. 
Both had fish. Mine was dorada, the gilt headed bream. Beautiful, as was the local wine. They kicked us out at ten and I refused to go bar crawling. I'd been on the go since 8, when I got up! And now, mysteriously, it's already one o'clock on Sunday morning!