[I’ve just lost an hour’s worth of work by forgetting to “Publish” before trying to post images. I am devastated. And it was some of my best word-work too!]
We began the day with the hotel’s breakfast buffet. They had lox on the menu. Rob was elated.
What I remember most about the breakfast was the way the restaurant was configured. Rather than intimate tables of four or six persons, there were long high-top “banquet” tables where friends and strangers alike sat together to enjoy their meal. This forced socialization sowed the seeds of camaraderie among our group of travelers.
We then boarded a bus for a trip to the Monument to the Battle of the Nations. (They have a single German word for this, of course: Völkerschlachtdenkmal!) In 1813, at the Battle of the Nations, the unified armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden prevailed in a decisive victory over Napoleon’s army on German soil. In 1913, they dedicated this massive stone Art Deco-ish memorial. The structure sits at one end of a large rectangular reflecting pool and is supposed to have an incredible panoramic view of Leipzig from its observation level. Thankfully, it was too early in the morning for us to gain entry to the 500 steps required to reach said observation deck.
We returned to central Leipzig to begin a guided walking tour of the city.
Among the most interesting information gleaned from the tour is the part Leipzig played in the fall of communism in the GDR. Prior to the world-changing event, in September 1989, there began a series of peaceful political protests on Monday evenings in Leipzig against the East German government. (German: Montagsdemonstrationen) Born out of a prayer for peace service that was held at St. Nicholas Church, the pray-ers became protesters, spilling out into Karl Marx Square as they grew in size. Bolstered by the support of the Lutheran Church, similar peaceful demonstrations began to spring up in other GDR cities. Then came November 9, 1989 and the rest is history.
We continued our tour of the town, snapping photos of interesting buildings and architectural details.
Then we broke for our midday repast. Lunch consisted of a great cucumber salad and lerche or lark. Today, Leipziger Lerche is a dessert pastry. However, the name originates from a savory pie that used actual lark meat as its filling — until hunting of the songbird was banned in 1876. Today, among the almond and nut mixture filling the shortcrust, there is a single cherry to symbolize the heart of the songbird.
Like a digestive biscuit, a post-meal siesta is de rigueur after lunch. We do just that.
Awake and refreshed in the early afternoon, we explore the city a bit more.
We follow the traffic flow to the Leipzig train station where it seems that every streetcar in the city is routed past the station’s main entrance. We enter one end of the building and make our way through the great hall, window-shopping as we meander.
Then, dodging the streetcars, we make our way back into the alleys and byways of Leipzig in our quest to quaff a brew at a Leipzig gay bar.
We are in luck. Tucked away on a side street, we locate Havana, a gay bar with a seriously Germanic lesbian barmaid ruling the roost. Weirdly (to us), smoking is permitted within the bar. We enjoy our beers and then head back to the hotel for a group cocktail party.
There’s good news for hard core GCT cruisers: we will be boarding the ship tomorrow and sailing to Meissen. (Baby steps) Another plus: there are peanuts for snacks! (YUM!) We also got engaged in a great conversation about Lithuania and Estonia with others who have traveled the Baltics. Then we’re off to the bus and dinner.
Most of our table…and apparently most of our co-travelers…think we are in our forties. (God love ‘em!) They also know we drink—and they have kept our wine glasses filled with their refills!
Fellow traveler: “Rob, are you drinking red or white tonight?”
Rob: “Red.”
Fellow traveler to the waiter: “I’ll take the red…in his glass, please.”
After dinner, we chatted with some “blue group” members (Jim, John, Donna and Kathy) before setting out to find our 2nd gay bar, Richey’s.
There was no one seated inside the bar itself — it was a obviously a slow night — and even the bar keep was seated outside. So we plopped down at one of several outdoor café tables fronting the cobblestone street…a street with very little traffic, foot or vehicular…ordered and enjoyed three beers (split) before heading back to the hotel to pack for the next day’s travels.
Rob was delighted by the fact that there was a silver 2010 BMW Z3 convertible parked in front of the bar. A twin to his own mid-life crisis car, he felt right at home.
A Taste of the Soviet Bloc 