Today, I Crossed the Rhine

Stunning stuff, or not bad for the girl from smalltown New Zealand.

Actually, crossing the Rhine River wasn't something I'd discussed with family and friends while selecting the best gooseberries from the bushes in the backgarden during those heady days of summer and childhood ... and not at all later either. Oddly enough, Germany has never been on my list of 'places to go and see' however, fate stepped in in the form of a rather attractive Belgian man, and voila, there I was, being driven across the Rhine on my way to Oberhausen, 22 December 2005.

Gert had to find his father a Christmas present, and his parents had told him of a rather good Christmas market at Oberhausen, just on the doorstep of the massive CentrO shopping complex. So he surprised me by taking me there, cold and all.

It was grey day in Europe ... with rain chasing us out of Belgium and into the Netherlands, and from there to Germany and all the way back to the Belgian border, we were driving in low cloud and fog. 'We' ... well I use the term loosely, I daren't drive in this country ... not yet.

Anyway, the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) ... Thursday morning is a good time to wander as the crowds were so much thinner than those at Trier. I took some photos, the bread pixies amused me the most ...

I saw teapots ... sigh, I miss my teapot. It's the first thing I'm buying once I'm earning again. I can't settle for less than 'the' teapot, so I'm waiting. I saw a possible 'it' today ... let it go and satisfied myself with photographing this stunning little Christmas market 'tea store'. Loved the big tins up the back.

My photograph of the bratwurst sandwiches didn't work out, and I didn't photograph the Rhine, and neither did I photograph the massive Christmas tree inside the shopping centre. I'm sorry ... anthropologically I'm failing I guess, however I did manage to capture this little wooden toy stall just for the blog.

And my cold. It's moved. I think it's going into my chest, we'll see. Oh, and Gert's dad ... well, we found him the rather snazzy knife sharpening tool he was rumoured to want.