Leipzig and Queen Ester

The adventure so far has been a whirlwind of variety! Leipzig is a very intimate city where everything is within walking distance on cobblestone streets, and the amount of shops, cafés, and markets could keep you busy for days. Our "say cheese" hostel is very nice, and the beds are nice and comfy- though we have had some electricity problems because of a magic sleepy finger (yes, lesson learned, Dr. Powell) and a hair dryer. We have already gotten ourselves lost a couple times in this little city- once in the gigantic and decorated town hall-

 (in which we may or may not have simply let ourselves into after hours, only to get locked inside minutes later) and the other in the business district of Leipzig on our way to the mildly exciting Schumann house. Although it was really wonderful to see where Clara and Robert spent their early married years, I believe we found more exciting things elsewhere.

However, we have seen so many remarkable things here! The architecture of all the buildings alone are awe-inspiring. And there are so many statues of composers and writers here. There are even composer-flavored teas in some cafés! There is a wildly different interpretation of the arts here than back home. :)

We were able to go into a couple cathedrals! The most notable of course was st. Thomas cathedral where Bach was a cappelmeister- and is also where his remains lay! It was simply amazing to see the cathedral and the Bach museum (way better than the Schumann museum) to get a feel of Bach's working conditions and the kind of instruments he worked with. 

Now where does Queen Ester fit into all of this? She was the cherry on top of all the Leipzig goodies we've been experiencing the past couple days. Our very first concert was in the famous Gewand Haus-where many of the most world renound musicians have performed. This is where we saw Queen Ester and the Harlem Gospel Singers. This concert was everything one would expect when you hear "Harlem Gospel Singers". It was fantastic to say the least. From the moment the fog machines started going, through the rip-roaring hallelujahs, and through the audience of conservative old Germans waving their arms to Queen Ester's soul music, I could not stop smiling. Needless to say- it was the absolute perfect way to start our unique trip and I cannot wait for what happens next!