A much brighter start to the day today. French toast for breakfast and regular mivvying around for a welcome slow start. Early afternoon we take the ferry again across the Weser to walk into the city along the promenade.

We take the tunnel to the Schnoor (string) Quarter, Bremen’s oldest district with a maze of tightly packed houses on narrow streets full of shops, galleries and cafes. It’s bustling and vibrant.

Next we wander through a university courtyard , take a peek in a Christmas shop and discover the market which has food and drink stalls from around the world. We sneakily eat our boring sandwiches washed down with a beer.

A visit to an unusual church next, Church of our Lady, where there are some beautiful modern stained glass windows and a swing which we both have a go on!

Next stop is the Marktplatz again for photos of the famous bronze sculpture of the “town musicians”.

We bag ourselves a great table in the square and drink a beer in the sunshine entertained by the crowds and a strange spectacle of a group of people dressed in red pretending to be soldiers. We also wonder why so many people including lots of children are wearing Germany football shirts.

Next stop is a wander through Böttcherstraße again and down to the river where we can’t resist a drink sitting on the deck of the ship Alexander de Humboldt.

Walking back along the prom the tide is much higher. The river has broken its banks and covered lots of the low pathway.

The path along the river is rammed with football supporters. The penny drops. Germany’s women are playing the Netherlands at Bremen’s Weserstadion which is visible a little down the river.

When we get to the ferry the slipway has almost disappeared and there’s no queue but on the other side it’s a different story. For the first time they are running two ferries rather than just one back and forth.

We visit The Sands restaurant again and enjoy a meal sitting outside this time, before heading back to the van and an early night after one episode of Game of Thrones.

Another good day.

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