First Impressions

Well I am starting a little late on this whole blog posting thing.. I'd like to think it is because I have been running nonstop since we have arrived. However true, I have been experiencing great jet lag and just have not had the energy to post until now.

Wow! That is my first impression on this trip. For those of you ahead and moving onto Berlin with the rest of my classmates you'll have to bare with me as I relive our experiences in Leipzig.

Last J-term I had the opportunity to explore the educational system in Budapest, Hungary giving me a slight insight on what to expect on this trip. As we got off the train and started walking towards our first hotel, Say Cheese, I looked around me and was in awe yet again of what Europe has to offer. We paraded down the street between restaurant umbrella's towards our hostile. Getting looks in every which direction letting us know that we had been spotted by the locals. The food smelled delicious and the night life in some of the restaurants we passed gave a good indication of how we would spend the next five nights. We settled in for the night and prepared for our tour of the city the next day.

On the tour we learned many details of Leipzig, mostly related to music, but also key facts of Leipzig's history. We visited the Bach statue outside of the church where he is thought to be buried and he dedicated a lot of time playing during the services. Our tour guide informed us that it has not been confirmed that all of Bach's remains lay in the grave because he had been moved previously, but to keep the tourists coming back they leave that little detail out. 

 

We then moved on to see beautiful buildings around the city including the mall, Leipzig University, the Gewandhaus, and Baum Coffee house. It was thrilling to here the history and just observe the city. We were told later that night that there would be a protest in the square right outside our hostile against immigrants. Sure enough after the tour policeman were already in the square preparing for the protest. At dinner we even saw some of the protesters. When we woke up the next morning we learned that 20 people had been arrested. On the tour we learned that a priest had recommended to protesters long ago that they hold a lit candle in their hands to represent a peaceful protest. This also made both of their hands visible and occupied to prevent violence. 

Leipzig University

Overall the first couple of days in Leipzig were very exciting. It was fun to be in a smaller city and become very familiar with the surroundings. Leipzig was a wonderful first impression of German culture, food, and experience. And all of that was before the concerts!! Stay tuned for the next post about the Threepenny Opera, the Gewandhaus Quintet, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra.