I have an early breakfast before booking a taxi to take
me to the coach park. My poor little bus is all on his own when I go to pick
him up!
It is cold again today but nice and bright and we have
the promise of a decent day ahead with visits to Cochem and Bernkastel –Kues,
two lovely towns on the Mosel River.
I drive via the motorway to Cochem and arrive as the
market is just opening at 11:00. After dropping in the bus station I go and
park alongside the river before walking back to have a look around.
The Christmas Market is located between the bus station
and the entrance to the town which is not a big space but this market doesn’t
need a lot of space as it is tiny! I have been here before many times and don’t
remember the market being this small! There are only a handful of stalls though
there is a large marquee with a cafe and some stands selling goods inside.
I don’t think the size of the market really matters here
as the sun is out and it is beautiful along the river especially as you look
back towards the town with the castle towering overhead. Not every shop is open
but there are a few, as well as all of the cafes and restaurants. It is a nice
town to gently stroll around and admire the old buildings.
I decide to go into a nice looking cafe for a coffee and
guess who is sat in there? Yep my little mate Dot and Nicola! I sit with them
and enjoy a coffee before taking my leave and walking back to the coach.
From here I take the road that runs alongside the river
for the drive to Bernkastel. It is a beautiful ride and in places prettier than
the Rhine I think. Having the sun out really is a Brucie Bonus!
After about an hour and a half of gorgeous scenery we
arrive in Bernkastel which is even gorgeous!
Situated on the banks of the Mosel this charming small
town is well worth a stop and has one of my favourite Christmas Markets with
its stalls all arranged along the streets of the town centre. As you first walk
into the town you come across the most delightful twisted and odd shaped
buildings and on the face of one building a large advent calendar can be seen.
I park on the quayside close to the centre and say
goodbye to my flock for a couple of hours. I have a stroll around this lovely
place before going back to sit on the bus and watch the world go by.
I want to give everyone a glass of Gluwhein and a mince
pie so when I was strolling about I kept a lookout for a suitable place to buy
the wine. Before we came away I bought enough mince pies for fifty and a 5
litre bottle of water. I emptied the water so I could use the container and now
it is clean and fresh.
As soon as I have most of the group back I go off in
search of warm wine! I go to a market stall I had seen earlier and ask if I
could buy enough gluwhein to fill my container. The lady takes it off me and
says wine will be too hot. I tell her it will be okay as I will serve it very
soon but she is adamant she won’t fill it and now says the container is dirty!
What! I have only just finished emptying it of still natural mineral water. And
from Waitrose as well!!
Oh well she is losing out on about €40/€50 worth of
business in one go!
Nearby is a small cafe with a one Chinese lady working. I
ask her the same question and she cannot be more helpful if I can wait ten
minutes. No problems as she starts making more wine to go with the wine she
already has.
“How much will this cost me?” I ask
“€20” she says!
“I’m happy with that!”
Eventually my container is filled and she even puts some
fruit into it as well. She has done an incredible job and I think she has done
herself by only charging €20 so I give her €30 which she is pleased and
thankful for.
Back on the coach I enlist Nicola’s help to hand out cups
and mince pies while I walk through the coach serving Bernkastel’s finest
gluwhein! And in the background I have put some Christmas music on, how festive
is that!!
I really enjoy doing this as it makes people happy and is
a nice surprise for them.
We leave here in good spirits for our journey back to
Trier again following the motorway but have a couple of hiccups on the way back
with roads closed. The first time we are sent on a diversion that isn’t too far
out of our way but the second one is a little more disconcerting as we are
taken away from the river, it is getting darker and the road is winding around
as if going up an Austrian mountain! In the end I see a sign for the motorway
and follow this where we join the motorway about twenty miles from Trier. No
problem!
Dinner this evening is once again in the main restaurant
and I am a bit hungrier tonight!
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