Leisure in Leipzig

It seems like my favorite city of this trip tends to be the one I'm in at the moment! Every place we've been has so much history, and so much to offer. My favorite thing about Leipzig was the feeling of the mundane. Despite a population of 560,000, it feels surprisingly small. The city center is mostly composed of areas that have a lot of foot traffic and few cars. This encourages people to walk around and shop on foot! Making my way through the crowds evoked a sense of belonging that stemmed from being around so many people doing the same thing as that I was. I haven't had that experience before.

Leipzig is also known for its coffee and chocolate: patisseries, konditoren (specialty cake/sweet shops), cafes, and coffee shops were around every corner. Alyssa, Kelli, and I walked into a konditorei to get a treat one day, and I had the best cup of coffee I'd ever had. The slice of chocolate walnut torte didn't hurt either. 

Saxony is especially known for its love of coffee! In Leipzig, everyone takes a break at around 2 o'clock to have a cup of coffee and a pastry. It's become a rather strict tradition today. The first European use of porcelain was in Leipzig due to its location in Saxony. It was spurred by the arrival of coffee to the region. This porcelain was produced in the Meissen factory that still sells porcelain today. I was able to have a look in the shop; their wares are stunning, but quite pricey at 200 euro a cup. 

I thought the whole thing was a fascinating example of how the arrival of one product to a region can really shift the foundation of a culture. Porcelain was first in use during the Han dynasty of China near 200 BC, so it certainly wasn't the world's first use of porcelain. But it was an interesting idea to think that coffee alone inspired such a fundamental change in their culture.

Another unique trend in Germany is the idea of the currywurst. Shops will serve it as a regular menu item. It's a bratwurst sliced and covered in barbecue sauce, and then covered with curry powder. It was shockingly delicious. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with some ingredients and time on their hands. 

On the music side of this trip, we've seen some incredible performances! My favorite from Leipzig was the Bach motets at St. Thomas Kirche (church). It was the works of Bach performed by the ensemble he directed and wrote for during his lifetime, in the very church he worked in. The choir was all boys of varying age, with some that looked as young as four. They sang earnestly and with excellence. It was an extremely high level of musical performance, and I'm honored that I was able to be there for it.

Here are some more pictures! The period costumes were provided by one of the museums we attended. Enjoy!