A day in Leipzig

As I start this blog it is 9:10 pm Leipzig time, and 3:10 pm back home. We arrived in Frankfurt a bit late because a runway had been closed down and our plane had to 'go into a holding pattern' which in reality meant going around in circles for a 1/2 hour before landing. I had a good chance to see the land below, and got a few pictures - some good ones. The higher ground is white with snow, but in low parts of the valleys, the land is turning green.

I got about an hour of sleep on the Lufthansa flight, and then 30 minutes snooze on the short flight to Halle-Leipzig - arriving at about 11 am German time. And from then until now there has been no sleep. The theory is that you should go on with your normal life pattern in the new time zone, so that meant staying active and awake until about 10 pm, and them gong to sleep, getting up for what would be a normal routine back home. It's based on advice we got when we went on that 'Singing Vacation' experience in Oxford. We were told, whatever you do, don't lie down for a nap, but say up until the normal tim of repose.

My cousin Gerhard picked us up a the Halle airport and took us to ur hotel, after which we went to his apartment where we were greetedby his wife, Marita. The day in Leipzig had been bright and sunny - but there was some snow left lying around, and at times it felt cold when rounding a corner into a bit of wind. Gehard told me that Germany has had the worst winter in decades, and they all hope it will end soon. So far March has been colder than normal for them.

We had lunch at Gerhard and Marita's apartment, and then we went out for a tour of the centre of the city, by car and then walking. We did some shopping downtown, and were very impressed with the activity - crowds of people walking about - especially on the streets open to pedestrians only - except for needed service vehicles. One thing I noticed is that cyclists are king. On one street, there was the side walk, and running between it and the street was a paved strip for bicycles - and do they ever move!! We learned to stay off that strip and remain alert when crossing it!

We checked into the Penta Hotel (new, attractive and clean), and the staff seemed very friendly and helpful. We made a stop at St Thomas Kirche (noted for Bach's music leadership there for almost 30 years). One of the Brantford women attending our March 7 concert had pressed a Canadian $10 bill into my palm and made me promise to put it into the collection box inside the door of St Thomas Kirche (she had lived there for a time at the end of the war. I was happy to do that today. We also stopped for coffee and Kuchen at a 2 level shop almost across the street from the church, and we would definitely recommend it.

What a richness of culture we winessed in Leipzig! Almost everywhere you turned there were posters advertising concerts, art shows, plays and opera. We decided to buy 4 tickets to a symphony concert tomorrow evening in the Gewandhaus (concert hall that seats about 1900). They told us it was sold out - except for a few in the small seating area behind the orchestra. One woman in the ticket office tried to sell us on the uniqueness of the perspective one gets from those seats. Imagine sitting behind the orchestra on the stage of the Sanderson, and y0u get the idea of what she was marketing. Oh, I just remembered we've done that already - as choristers - more than a few times, actually. She said it could be interesting to face the conductor and see what he gets up to. I told her that we do that aready - oh, about once a week, and that it can be quite interesting.

Tomorrow cousin Gerhard will take Elfrieda and me to Halle. Marita has to work.), and we hope to be able to see the venue at he universitywhere our choir will sing on Sunday. Tomorrow the e-piano arrives at the hotel, being brought there by our friend Charly (Karl-Heinz Hartmann). He is driving fron near Aachen on the Holland-Belgium border - quite a hike. He and his mother plan to stick around for our concert on Sunday. Charly knows this instrument very well and offered to be of assistance when we first start to use this e-piano at our rehearsal in the hotel on Saturday.

I am only sharing a few things from our first day (actualy partial day) here in Germany. We are looking forward to the days ahead. It's now time to 'hit the hay', as it's almost 10 pm, and Elfrieda's fast asleep already.

Please consider making your own post, or adding a brief comment. To those coming on the tour - we'll see you soon.