Day 12 December 3rd Brocken Mountain & Christmas Market

 

Video of previous train.  A good day if you are interested in steam trains and Christmas markets but not so good if you wanted mountain views!  An overcast day and after breakfast we made our ahead of the rest of the group to the railway station to watch the steam trains prepare for their work.   We watched the train prior to ours leave the station with much puffing and effort to pull the seven carriages.  We then went to a viewing platform where we could see several engines.

 The carriages for our train were already alongside the platform and we discussed which of 

Our engine approaching station

the others would be our 

coupling up the engine

engine.  It was none of them because eventually another engine came from further down the track to couple up to the carriages.   We were soon on our way and leaving the town to climb up through forests.   We stopped at several stations and at one of them took on extra water.  After 90 minutes we came to 

mist at mountain top

the top of Mount Brocken but mist had descended, the visibility and the temperature were low.  We had passed some snow along the side of the track but usually at this time of the year there is a deep covering.  We got off the train at the station and walked in one direction and it soon became obvious that was not the way to the hotel and the visitor centre.  As we retraced our steps we saw our engine coming through the mist to recouple at the other end of the train.  The Brocken is somewhat higher than

some snow still evident

any UK mountain and the terrain reminded us of Dartmoor - 

break in the clouds

somewhat bleak with lots of granite and moorland heather. 
We found the visitor centre and had a good bowl of potato soup each which was very welcome as it was very cold and windy outside.  We toured the visitor centre which had displays about the local fauna and flora.  The mountain was just inside the former East Germany and was closed to the public but a listening centre was established here to spy on the west.  Across the valley, on another hill,  the Americans had a listening station for the same purpose - neither are used now and tourism is the main activity.  As we were looking round there was a break in the clouds and we were able to see some of the area.  We had a brief walk round but soon ended up at the railway station café where we had a hot 

directly behind engine descending

chocolate and I had apple strudel.   Suitably fortified it was time to board the train for the return journey which was the reverse of the outward one.  We were in a coach just behind the engine and could go 

engine at end of trip

onto the coach platform to photo the engine.  We arrived back Wernigerode and it was now dark, the engine was uncoupled and we said goodbye to it and went back to the hotel.  We rested, changed for dinner and had a meal in the hotel before venturing out to the town's Christmas market.  On the way every home and business was impressively, festively 

Wernigerode Christmas market

decorated.  The market was quite a collection of stalls mainly food, drink and entertainments for children.  We both had a glass of gluhwein! There was Christmas 

the Christmas market

music playing in the background.  We were impressed that the local churches had put together a lovely carved nativity scene as well.  It was a 

the Christmas market

disappointment that there were no craft stalls but we are told that one of the other Christmas markets concentrates on these and so we shall look forward to 

nativity scene at the market

that.  We spent 
some time wandering around the stalls and going to other areas away from the market square where there were also stalls and a childrens' train ride.  We were beginning to feel a little cool and decided to retire to the warmth of the hotel after what had been a very interesting day.  A thoroughly recommendable experience today.