Sunday, June 04, 2006

Leipzig For the Day

Rene is quite the host. The breakfast was incredible with large assortments of rolls, jellies, cheeses, meats, and yogurts. After a filling breakfast, we left for the train station to go to Leipzig for the day. The ride is about 1:15.

Leipzig had the largest Hauptbahnhof in Europe until Berlin usurped it. This seems to be the trade fair capital of Germany and an important city for such throughout Europe dating back centuries. What we did not know was that Leipzig was having a Goth festival. As we were walking and admiring the beautiful architecture, there were many other sights to see walking along side of us.

For music lovers, which I do not count amongst the many, Leipzig is where Johann Sebastian Bach lived for a good part of his life and was the Kantor in the Thomaskirche. He is buried in the choir with the Bach archives across the street. Felix Mendelssohn headed the Gewandhaus Orchestra and founded the first conservatory in Germany. Richard Wagner was born here, receiving his musical training here. This city also boasts Germany’s first stock exchange.

The tourist office is always Ron’s first stop when we reach any destination and this time was no different. While he was drilling the attendant with questions inside, I was speaking with the unfortunate one who pulled the outside duty. I asked her if it was always this cold in early June. She said that she and her colleague were discussing this this morning. The reports are that due to global warming, the polar caps are melting causing a cold front to come through Europe, making this a very unusual summer. Her teeth were chattering as she related this information.

We spent the day here before taking the train back to Dresden. I could have spent more time here. The architecture is amazing and the city is lovely. The Goth distractions were both welcomed and annoying. Annoying since I wanted to snap as many pictures of them as I did the city itself, but time was limited. However, they were entertaining.

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