Due to a lack of consistent WiFi, exhaustion, and an apparent inability to allow appropriate time for writing the last few weeks, I’ve gotten more than a bit behind on my blogging. Though I haven’t kept up as well as I meant to, the time for reflecting on the last three destinations has been quite helpful to organize my thoughts on what I experienced there. So without further adieu, let’s take a small step back in time to our third destination of the term: Leipzig.
In retrospect, Leipzig was most relaxing stop on our Grand European Tour. The city itself is relatively small and there isn’t as much to do there, at least compared to the Prague and Berlin, the two cities that sandwiched it on our schedule. Our four-day stay turned out to be the perfect time for me to rejuvenate in preparation for Berlin, the city I had the longest "to-see" list for. I took a long walk through a park, did a little bit of shopping, and spent some time walking through the city by myself.
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| Clara-Zetkin Park |
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| The Gewandhaus |
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| Our view of the orchestra in the Gewandhaus |
In terms of music, Leipzig has been my favorite city. Two of my top five performances we’ve seen were in Leipzig, including the concert that fills the number one spot, the Gewandhaus Orchestra. The Gewandhaus itself was such an interesting change from the concert halls we had been in before, with a more circular seating arrangement surrounding the stage. The hall was rebuilt in the early 1980’s, over three decades after it had been damaged during a bombing in World War II, so it has a much more modern style than those we had been to in Vienna and Prague. Our seats were located behind the orchestra, offering us a great view of the conductor for the concert. The music itself was really beautiful. It was one of the few times this month that I have been completely drawn into the music so that I can barely tell how much time has passed. The second performance that climbed to the top of my list was a set of motets performed by the St. Thomas Boys Choir at the St. Thomas Kirche. We also had really incredible seats for this performance, and I was able to have the seat closest to the front. The combination of the setting of the church, the incredible talent from the choir (the boys range from around nine years old to eighteen years old), and the fact that the choir has been in existence for over 800 years really made it a really special thing to experience. It was something I won’t forget!
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