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We went to a Christmas market in Lincoln last Saturday. It was advertised as the largest in Europe, with over 300 vendors. It was a 2 hour drive, with a short break for Malachi's meal before we parked. We got a sense of the popularity of the market when we began seeing signs for car parking for the market, handicapped parking for the market, and coach (bus) parking for the market, all pointing different directions. After debating for a moment whether to attempt to park in the city center, we wisely chose to follow the signs to the car park for the park and ride bus. It was a huge field, mostly filled with cars, with a section for RVs. The queue for the buses was very long, about 25 minutes. The actual bus ride was another 10 minutes.

Lincoln itself seemed like a very nice place to visit, at another time. The market was more like a carnival with rides, gaming booths, and food vendors. The actual stalls were like vendors from a sidewalk sale, not a craft fair. That in itself was a bit disappointing, but what made it almost unpleasant was the crowds. It was very difficult to see anything or go anywhere, especially since we had a stroller. We walked past most stalls without even knowing what they were selling, since it was too much work to approach close enough to see past the crowds grouped around each. We ended up seeing and buying very little.

Malachi did well for a long day. He slept through the ride to Lincoln, feeding when we arrived. He slept through most of the market. We woke him up halfway through to feed. We stopped at a "tea room" in a primary school in the middle of town. The school was selling typical English sweets, biscuits, tea, and coffee. Erin was going to feed him in a quiet corner, but the large cafeteria was packed, so there was no quiet corner. Justin found a quiet place in a hall off the main room, so we started back there. When the school staff saw us headed there, they offered a classroom instead. So Erin got to feed Malachi in relative privacy. He woke up once in the stroller to cry for a short while, and then we was awake on the bus ride back to the car park. A meal before we left lasted him until we got home.

It was interesting, but not really worth the long drive and parking expenses.