Welcome to (not actually) My Crib

View From The Train

We traveled to Leipzig from Berlin via train. As a person who was a Thomas the Tank Engine fanatic as a child, I was really excited to view the beautiful countryside from the comfort of a train, a mode of transportation that I don't use back in the US. I captured the shot pictured above on the journey. When we arrived in Leipzig, we walked directly from the train station to our hostel, which was less than a 10 minute walk. I had heard it was a walking city, but since there were so many bustling and stressful streets and intersections outside of the train station, I had trouble believing it. Well, that all changed when we got to the town square, pictured on the right. Our hostel was right in the middle of the city, one block away from the old town square. The building in the picture is actually the old town hall building. Everywhere we wanted and needed to go was within easy walking distance, no need for public transportation. When I arrived, I chucked my bags into my room and went out exploring.

Welcome to Bach's Crib

Rosalyn and I posing in front of the Bach statue as Bach (Rosalyn) and the organ behind him (Me)

The very first place I went was Bach's church, St. Thomas. It is only one block away from the hostel we stayed at, which was really really cool. I was in awe when we walked in, not only because it is a beautiful church, but also because of the immense amount of music history that took place there. In fact, Bach's own grave is right at the front of the church (Allegedly; they actually aren't 100% sure its Bach's body in there). It was a very nice experience. On a later day, our friend Parker Zieschang had the immense honor of playing both of the organs in the church, and receiving an organ lesson in the church. I cannot even imagine how amazingly incredible that must have been for him, and I'm incredibly happy and proud to know him. St. Thomas was really just an indescribable experience. Because of that fact, and how pictures are worth a thousand words, I've elected to just put a bunch of pictures here instead of try to put it into words.

Bach's grave

The Star

One of Two Organs

The Grave of some guy

Cool Dudes, Cool Places

Bach Bust Close Up

On our second day, we received a walking tour of the city from a very knowledgeable tour guide. We went to such places like the Opera house, the Gewandhaus, the University building, St. Nicholas Church (Bach also played there regularly), a statue of Johann Goethe, a statue of Beethoven, and finally, the Bach museum. During the tour, we learned about some cool dudes, most notably Bach, but also about Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Goethe, and even Robert Schumann. Both Bach and Mendelssohn had a big impact on the music culture of the city. Mendelssohn actually was the main conductor of the Gewandhaus orchestra and was the kapellmeister until his death. I was surprised to learn that Bach played regularly not only at St. Thomas but also at St. Nicholas.

Beethoven w/ a bird

Mendelssohn (Me) & Muse (Rosalyn) statue

Goethe Statue

Great Music

Inside the Concert Hall

Our first night in Leipzig was filled with the music of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. It was an incredible experience in many ways, especially since our seat were behind the orchestra and facing the conductor! In the lobby of the building, a big mural stretched all of the floors diagonally to the top, one of the largest murals in Europe.

Mural @ Gewandhaus

The music was phenomenal; we were so close to the musicians that the loud parts of the symphony actually had me jumping out of my seat!

Our second night was filled with Rachmoninoff set to ballet. I had not had the pleasure of experiencing ballet before, and it was beautiful. Rachmoninoff might be one of my new favorite composers, too. We listened to his Piano concertos #3 and #2, my favorite of which was #2. The music was absolutely fantastic, and the dancing was very entertaining.

Bird Report

Here are the birds of Leipzig:

In front of Mendelssohn Statue

Inside an Incredibly Scrumptious Italian Resturant

St. Thomas Roof

I love Leipzig, but this is pretty pathetic. Maybe I didn't walk around enough, but it seems like there's one small flock of pigeons that likes to hang by St. Thomas, and the rest of the birds are fake. I love you Leipzig, but you need to do better. This is just shameful. I hate to say it, but I'm giving Leipzig only 2 out of 5 stars for birds. smh.