Yesterday we ventured further into Switzerland to visit the beautiful town of Sankt Gallen. Having managed to get very lost looking for Kreuzlingen station, we managed to get the train a full hour after I had originally planned! Luckily the train journey passed quickly as we sped through the very green Swiss countryside towards the mountains, which were not as snow capped as expected at this time of year. For much of the ride the track clung closely to coast of the Bodensee, giving me the chance to see much more of the lake than I have previously achieved.
Despite the freezing cold wind and the intense downpour, St Gallen really was very pretty and as we made our way to the Altstadt, we came across the 'Stadtlounge' - a modern art installation which covered the roads and pavements in red. Built in the central square was a set of solid 'sofas' accompanied by a table and even hanging lamps, suspended between the buildings!
Continuing on, we went further into the Altstadt in order to visit the abbey complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The cathedral is stunnning, both from outside and in, though of interest (to me at least) was the amount of confessional booths available inside. Rather than having little chapels lining the edges of the main body of the building, instead were confessional booths set into the walls and decorated with various little faces in the doors.
We then went on to visit the Stiftsbibliothek, the abbey library. This claims to be one of the oldest libraries in Europe, though I'll admit I was a little disappointed by the size - having expected a version of the Bodleian. In order to protect the floor, we had to put on huge pairs of slippers over our shoes, which gave the feeling of sliding one's way across the room (plus giving me a quick chance to practice some spins and piroettes, which I duely took). In the corner was an ancient Egyptian mummy which was a gift to St Gallen's mayor, who just sort of left it there and didn't collect it!
Having gone outside to risk looking at the biggest Christmas tree in Switzerland, the wind decided to pick up. I was very nearly carried away by a particularly violent gust and if it hadn't been for my other half holding onto me, I fear I would have been stuck up the top of one of the towers like a Christmas tree fairy...
Unfortunately, we then went along to the Christmas market, but were sadly disappointed. Having been sold as 'the most romantic Christmas market in Switzerland' by much of the internet, the lonely row of bedraggled looking shacks did not do much to raise the spirits. The lack of Kinderpunsch or Christmas market mugs meant that we bid a hasty retreat into Starbucks for tea (the only place it seems possible to get milk in a tea) and then wandered further back into the heart of the Altstadt. As we roamed aimlessly, we came across various houses with bay windows, known in the guidebook as 'oriels'. This was one of our particular favourites:
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