Jun 25, 2012 - Leipzig

Our next major destination after Frankfurt was Berlin. However, since it was a 375 mile trip, we decided to select a city about halfway between the two. The city we selected was Leipzig as it seemed to offer the most in terms of hotels, cultural and historic attractions, dining and shopping. Photos 1,2,3 Leipzig is not only one of Germany’s leading commercial towns, it is a center of culture and learning. It is the home of the German national library and is proud that Johann Sebastian Bach was a past choirmaster of the Thomanerchor Boys’...

Sep 28, 2011 - Goodbye Austria...hello Germany

Vienna...the city of music, the seat of the once powerful Hofburg ruling powers, is a bustling, modern city. We walked through a busy street market, with colorful fruit and vegetable stands, bread and pastry shops, meat and fish markets, stalls with jams and jellies, cheese shops, clothing and scarf shops, and touristy trinkets. Gene bought some unusual cheese and I bought an apple cinnamon roll iced pastry for our lunch picnic later. Then on to the old city area. First, to the Albertina Art Museum where I saw three more Monets and a number...

Jul 1, 2011 - Back in more familiar territory

From Wroclaw I attempted an early start for the border only to discover I had a broken spoke before I'd even left the hotel. Must have been the cobbles on the way in. I replaced it, but once on the road found I had gear problems. I knew the chain would need replacing eventually but it had gone from slipping once every couple of days to being virtually unusable in a few miles. I had no option but to stop at Legnica, I guessed the last major city in Poland with bikeshops. It was Sunday so I couldn't get a replacement immediately, and so I had...

May 25, 2010 - Leipzig

After another generous breakfast we left for Dresden. Located along the Elbe river it is a center for fine art and china. It is the home of the “Frauenkirche” (Cathedral of our Lady) occasionally referred to as “The Lutheran St. Peter’s”. Reflecting Lutheran theology, the church’s altar, chancel and baptismal font are in clear view of the congregation. It too was destroyed by the Allies who on Feb 13/14, in 1945 firebombed the entire city. This was a controversial action at the time because Dresden was not strategically important and had no...

Dec 25, 2009 - Christmas in Germany

12/25/2009 7:28 pm Depart Facility Leipzig, Germany 1:22 am Processed at DHL Location. Leipzig, Germany 1:08 am Transit through DHL facility Leipzig, Germany What a lonely Christmas day, on my own in a very cold Leipzig. An overnight flight to the US cheers me up somewhat.

Jun 22, 2006 - Leipzig, karaoke time

I had a really great time in this smaller city which used to be a part of the old East Germany, it was a short 2-day stop and I only went for the football match I was going to there but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable visits I have had so far and the reason for this is the amazingly friendly, welcoming and generally legendary local people I met. I arrived after a relatively short journey from Berlin and made my way to the hostel, it was a fair way out of town and the rules there made me feel like the Iron Curtain was still up-...

Mar 6, 2006 - Catching up with Katja, Leipzig

Well, I finally made it back to Leipzig to catch up with Katja! On the 3 March I flew to Altenburg, near Leipzig. It had snowed heavily as you can see from the airport photo. I made my way to Leipzig by bus, then caught a train to Delitzsch where I was met by Katja and we drove to her parents initially before heading back in to Leipzig to go to the flat she shares with her boyfriend, Enne. I first met Katja last February when she stayed on my couch in Brisbane for a few days during her trip to Australia. 'Couch surfing'...

Nov 2, 2005 - Leipzig und Bachiana

We left Torgau with regret, but soon were under the spell of the bucolic German countryside. However, Leipzig is a hell hole, traffic wise. The place was badly bombed out during the late unpleasantness, and 50 years of poverty generating "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" gives it the patina of a long buried egg. There are spots of urban renewal which are quite interesting and not without some beauty. As it happened, it took us an hour to get from the underskirts of the city through the miles and miles of...

Jul 25, 2005 - Leipzig, Germany

My next stop was Leipzig, Germany. Why Leipzig? Well, I had hoped to catch up with a German friend I met in Brisbane, but it turned out she would not be in Leipzig during the time I was planning to be there so I decided to explore Leipzig, Berlin and Dresden instead before heading on to Prague to meet another friend. My cousin, Alison, and her husband, Simon, very kindly dropped me at Stansted Airport at 4am (remind me never to book such early flights again even if they are cheap!). I arrived at Leipzig Airport at 8:30am Sunday morning. The...

Aug 15, 2004 - Leipzig- Goethe's Little Paris

Leipzig was a surprise to say the least. I expected a very decrepit, forlorn place with unending rows of Hochhaüser and other assorted GDR construction. I was met instead by a mix of Jugenstil and Baroque. That is not to say the usual architectual sins are not to be found- the University for one looks like a huge tin can on stilts. Neverheless, Leipzig seems to have emerged from the ashes and is expereincing an ongoing facelift. Construction is everywhere and I was impressed by the design of some of the recently completed items. It reminded...