Cologne by Night

After a great day in Cologne and a delicious dinner on board the Viking Idi, we ventured back into town after dark.

Our main purpose was to check out the lights of the Christmas Market.  Paper lanterns and purple spotlights in the trees were a bit unexpected, but still striking.

The wooden shops and cobblestone streets had an undeniable charm, especially when watched over by an apparent tree spirit of some sort.

The main market came complete with a small Ferris Wheel, which wasn't actually spinning as fast as this long exposure seems to imply.

Where there's a Ferris Wheel, a carousel can't be far off.  This mount seemed to be eagerly awaiting a young rider.

The area around the statue of Friedrich Wilhelm III had been turned into an ice skating rink, with a solid crowd of skaters late on a weeknight.

We enjoyed about an hour of meandering and browsing before returning to our ship, ready for a good night's sleep and a new adventure the next day!