A Spoonful of Sourkraut

         
      Leipzig? More like Leipsick! I must have caught some nasty bug on the way to Germany, but I was still able to persevere, go the concerts, and meet a few locals along the way. After an unpleasant morning of nosebleeds and congestion, I gave up on leaving the room (which was equipped with Ikea furnishings, a kitchen, and a spacious bathroom...I never thought I would be so happy to see all this! Truly a luxurious life. I give 5 Elements a 5-star rating).

Just look at this kitchen. Fancy Livin' 

         Planning on being quarantined in the room for half of the day, I figured it was safe to stuff a wad of toilet paper up my nostrils and go back to sleep. To my horror, I was unintentionally woken up by a random fellow who immediately left the room after noticing it was occupied. In my stupor, I was not sure what had happened until I heard knocks on neighboring doors followed by him saying “housekeeping”. Relieved it was just the housekeeper -but just as embarrassed- I knew I did not represent Americans well in that moment, haha!

Very German Tissues

                                   
    My mom later texted me that a “spoon full of sauerkraut” would help my illness...one of the most German things I had heard all day, and it wasn’t even said by a local. I think I would rather take the spoon full of sugar. She also recommended a Hot Toddy for my throat, so I guess I had to leave the room eventually 😉 .
       Saving the bar for later, Caroline and I went out shopping and picked out a few outfits that made me feel better about my sickly appearance. One exception was a ridiculous blue and grey oversized cheetah-print sweater with puff sleeves that we both tried on just for laughs. It was humorous, but not worth the money. It was almost as if the German H&M was a whole different store from the American H&M, but Leipzig was full of stores that were very similar to the ones I would see back at home. This could be both good and bad, but I was not initially planning on doing much shopping anyways. Shopping gives me headaches...HEADACHES!

True Beauty at H&M

     Arriving back at the hostel, I met a nice lady named Suzanne in the elevator. We both commented on how strange it was to make the elevator operate by using the key card over the censor inside. We talked a bit about where we were from (she came from a small town only 20 minutes outside of Leipzig, and she never has been to the U.S, but wants to visit New York). Her hair was speckled with little snowdrops, so I asked if it started to get blustery outside. She said it was not snowing nor raining and was unsure of the English word used to describe it. I told her it was called "hail," and we had another little conversation about pronouncing words (she told me the European way of pronouncing "crepes" too, which were free at the hostel on Tuesday).  We wondered through the corridors of the 3rd floor back to our rooms, both of us happy to have met one another. She later invited me to dinner, which was actually a free dinner night at the hostel for the guests! We departed ways and I went off to convince Caroline and MariHa to eat the free dinner with me..I mean, free is the best price! The front desk worker said the cook was from Greece, so it would most likely be a Mediterranean dish being served that night
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We chatted with the cook, Sophia, who did not seem much older than us. She moved from the island of Mykonos to Leipzig for college, and stayed in the city working at the hostel a few years back. The food she served was considered a more modern recipe for lentil soup. She explained the spices and the ingredients used, which included "aubergine" which we later found out was the German word for "eggplant." The soup came with a little bread roll, and it all tasted fantastisch! Unfortunately, I didn't see Suzanne there, but I hoped to run into her again.

Sophia's Lentil Soup

I still needed to check out the bar to get that whiskey medicine *wink*, however, there were 10 minutes left until happy hour was over. We rushed downstairs, ready to order before time ran out. I saw Sophia at the counter and was about to join her, when suddenly the fire alarm began blaring and irritated folks started emerging from the building out into the street. We followed them, and complained about the possible cause being dumb folks smoking inside the Czech restaurant next door...apparently that occurs more often than one would think, despite there being smoke detectors everywhere. I saw Suzanne in the crowd and talked to her a bit more, and realized she was unable to join for dinner due to a long phone call with her brother. Later, I was joined by Sophia and her friend Daniel who was also the bartender at the hostel. I suppose the fire alarm was a blessing in a disguise, because it brought together a group of people who may have only seen each other in passing or at the bar a few times. We talked more and they invited me to a club in the area where they have student discounts. I was already exhausted and still feeling under-the-weather, so I ended up staying at the bar with them and a few more pals. I ordered the whisky (as prescribed by Mom), as well as a "Green Mamba." Daniel made all the drinks, and he had only been a bartender for 6 months. I cannot remember what all was in the Green Mamba, although it was very sweet and it did look quite funky. Sort of like a fancy Shrek drink haha. Despite the rough morning, it still ended up being a fun and eventful night.