Our day started off with, you guessed it, an hour and a half drive back to home base. The plan was to pick up the Bob and hit yet another Christmas market before having to pick the kids up from school in the evening. Though there were a lot of city options on the board, we ended up choosing Rüdesheim. The 30 minute drive after already having been in the car for an hour and a half was appealing, plus it’s a Bob & Rachel favorite.
In our first post, I mentioned that Christmas markets were a primary objective of this trip. I didn’t realize that meant we would be hitting a new Christmas market every day! As we wandered around Rüdesheim, I mentioned to Brianna that this might be the most consecutive days in a row that we’ve drank wine. We both kind of laughed, that’s not even remotely true 🤔, for either of us. We could stop now and this trip would be a smashing success. But we aren’t stopping, we just keep collecting cups and pressing onward. Which by the way, the Rüdesheim glühwein cup is pretty, purple, and not plastic.
It’s easy to see why Bob and Rachel enjoy Rüdesheim so much. Rüdesheim is a quant little city right on the Rhein river, a horizon lumpy with hills. Elevated Cathedrals pop up across the water, making for a picture perfect setting if you have a good enough camera; I tried, mostly failed. The market itself was fun to explore in a hiking kind of way. We were always walking up or down a hill but the grade was small enough that it never felt like a challenge.
Let us be real for a moment, yeah? Being next to the Rhein river and on hills is not a particularly special feat in this area. The really new bit of this Christmas market was that we arrived early and before the crowds. Time moves slower at the markets, and yeah it is partly due to the glühwein, but it’s also the atmosphere and culture. Without the evening crowds, we were able to get wine and food without any waiting. It’s not a huge difference, but without kids or lines, everything moves a little bit faster, a little bit slower, it’s a lot a bit different.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable day. We had currywurst and brats and kartoffelpuffers. I even had my first taste of glühbier – I am a huge fan and looking for more.
Pretty, purple and non plastic sounds like a cup for this gal!
What’s the cup count up to coming home now?
12 to 14? At least 2 of each, sometimes 3.