Xmas Markets Trip to Boppard on the Rhine

These notes are from Ken Baldry's diary entries, made on tours organised by the society. This trip was only four days, two of which were spent on the coach travelling, so it was always dark when we were in Boppard, hence no photos of the enchanting village.

Saturday 11th December - Ahrweiler

A good buffet breakfast somewhat made up for the dinner. We took the coach up the Rhine almost as far as Bonn & cut up the Ahr valley to Ahrweiler. Patsy is our rep again. Apparently, we bombed Ahrweiler but you can’t tell which buildings are original & which, reconstructed unless you look at the dates eg 1671 or 1985! The Xmas Market was in the middle & seemed of high quality. Avis wanted & bought Xmas decorations, including a circle of sheeps wool with a rake in it, all rather imaginative.

Ahrweiler Xmas Market	Ahrweiler Main Gate	Ahrweiler Main Street
Ahrweiler 2nd Gate	Ahrweiler	Sweet Goblins

Doug-the-Treasurer in Ahrweiler	Members Secretary, Chairman & Secretary	On the boat
	Gloomy Rhine castles

We took a boat along to the Loreley & back at 2000, in the dark, of course but there was booze & dancing & the villages and castles (rather many of them) were pretty all lit up.

Sunday 12th December - Rudesheim

I made sure I had an even better breakfast in view of the light dinner - up to climbing or skiing level! We took another boat to St. Goarhausen but it rained like fun. Then, we met the coach (the boat was extra) & went up onto the Loreley but we did not get out, as it was raining too hard. Then, on to Rudesheim on Rhine (as opposed to the other one nearby) with many castle stories told by Patsy. Rudesheim was nice & steepish. (Link to a trip in 2003 - no rain & more pictures).

Rudesheim Xmas Market

In Rudesheim

The rain eased a bit as well. We went round their market, finding the Swanage twin-town stall! The church had been bombed & restored, with very imaginative modern stained glass windows. There was Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum, which we toured. The guide played what she said was Chopin on a very good player piano but I told her it was Liszt’s 3rd Liebestraüme, which she should have known. They gave us Glühwein free, thinking we were with another party who were entitled to it & it was much stronger than yesterday’s. We had some difficulty getting lunch, eventually in the Drosselgasse & were joined by a couple who addressed us in German & were so replied to but were English. In fact, she was German war booty from 1946. I had a bratwurst & Avis, an omelette. There were plenty of wine shops but No Schnaps To Be Had, much to my disgust. After we got the coach back, we went to the little Boppard Xmas Market in the square & had coffee & cakes in a café. There is vast pedestrianisation here. The dinner was better - beef stew. John & his sweet Malay princess wife handed round 10th Wedding Anniversary cake after.

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