We're in Leipzig!

After our adventures in Prague we hopped on the train to our next location, Leipzig, Germany. The train ride was a bumpy ride from the stress of travel, but the trip was not very long, giving us time to settle into the new hostel and explore before the next day. The city here is stunning and reminds me of home, where there is a lot less people, a lot less tourists, and just normal shopping areas and really good restaurants. Exploring the city was interesting because there are quite a few street musicians that were scattered throughout the area. When we arrived here was also when a small bit of homesickness set in because of the odd familiarity of the place. Thank goodness for great friends that are able to give you a good distraction when needed.

Leipzig has been the most relaxing part of the trip so far, anything you would want is within ten minutes walking, and we had a lot more free time until the concerts on the last night. The concerts were absolutely incredible. The first one of the day was a Saturday concert by the choir boys of St. Thomas, in a beautiful church venue, they sang for us and it was incredible to see so much talent from children 9 years and older! They sang beautiful songs by Bach with even some organ pieces that took my breathe away. When they started the last song, they started to forcefully and elegantly that I got goosebumps that lasted for the rest of the performance. These boys were absolutely, insanely talented and I truly hope that they continue with this for a long time, even after they leave the choir.

The church is also home to Bach's grave

The second performance was by a conservatory in Leipzig, where they played a lot of Beethoven and a piece by Shostakovich. The vocal soloists for the Beethoven were amazing to listen to.

The university hall

The whole performance was also jaw dropping because of the talent they showed for only being a collegiate level orchestra was an experience that I absolutely loved. The music was well rehearsed and was true to the moody-ness of Beethoven with their wonderful style. My favorite part of the performance was the full mass of Beethoven's they performed, with a full choir, soloists, and the orchestra. They performed all 6 parts of the mass, timing it of about 45 minutes, and even though I couldn't always tell what the choir was singing, it was still quite an experience that I loved and was on repeat in my head through the rest of the night. It was a good night and I'm glad I got got to experience it with my friends.