Sold!

I think it's fair to say that we're all sold on Leipzig. This city is awesome. It has a very authentic, non-tourist feel, and features a nice balance of traditional and modern components. We only got to spend one full day here, but I hope that the next trip gets to spend more. Yesterday we started off with a group of us hunting for food. We came across a farmer's market, or open market, or something similar, that hadn't been there when we arrived. I'm hoping it's there again today. We all got pastries from a lovely and patient woman. She was kind to us and our inability to pronounce things... Except to Kai. She made fun of Kai. The pastries were delicious! I wish we had time to try all of the pastry shops in the market. There were also a wide variety of fruit stands that had everything from oranges to dragon fruit. We even saw chicken on a stick! Literally, whole cooked chickens on sticks. Or maybe a smaller version of a chicken. I guess they weren't quite that big, but they looked and smelled delicious! Then we found a café that sold tea named after composers! It had a "premium teas" section named after writers (I think) and a "superior teas" section named after composers. They got it right! Anyway, I had the Bach tea, though Hannah E. got the Grieg tea which I liked the best. After breakfast we met up with the others and began our workout of the day, A.K.A. we walked. So much walking. So worth it. We went to the Mendelssohn house which was closed. We got a group picture outside next to a weird-looking bust of his head. We then got lost trying to find the Schumann house, which made for some big appetites. After finding it around noon and realizing it opened at 2pm (or 14:00, everything is listed on a 24-hour clock), we searched for lunch and found Studio 3. Cheap and delicious. I got my first German sausage and it did not disappoint. The giant side of potatoes was nice, too. The Schumann house was cute and small, a humble abode. Thieves must have had a hard time back in the day. Those floors were creaky! On the way back we found a Bach museum which was beyond awesome! We got to see an organ he played on, as well as some original manuscripts. So cool!!! Stopped in the cathedral where Bach is buried, and then got ready for the concert. The Harlem Gospel Singers. So many lights. It was a singing and light show. Very cool, though 2 1/2 hours of gospel singing tires you out. The bass singer and alto sax player were by far the coolest. Honorable mention to the piano player. He could pound away on the piano! And the lead singer had been there for 50 years! She was amazing, too. A great start to the concert series, though not quite what you'd expect in Leipzig...Well it sounds like it's my turn to shower and pack. We leave for Berlin today. I was so excited to hear we were going to Berlin and I'm really looking forward to it. It has a lot to live up to after our short stay in Leipzig, though. A great start to this adventure! Below: the concert hall.