Leipzig

So (yesterday) we woke up on time, at around 8AM. We rummaged around the hotel rooms, sorted out some last-minute packing and left our bags in the lobby so we could set out to buy some souvenirs and took a picture at Checkpoint Charlie with the guards.

We got a little confused on the way to Berlin’s main station, and almost missed our train to Leipzig - thankfully we made it with 2 minutes to spare, passing multiple asparagus salesmen as we heaved our luggage across Berlin. We arrived in the wrong cabin, so we trundled through cabins with our large suitcases to find the pre-allocated seats, sitting in them for just over an hour before exiting the train and battering everyone in our path towards the exit.

At Leipzig’s station, we met Frank, who took us to his house so we could drop off our baggage. Once we had taken in the house in all it’s glory, he took us to the city centre and proceeded to show us around. We went to the coffee museum and walked around as he explained the history behind some of the beautiful Churches and buildings we passed. After lunch at Vapiano, we travelled to a cabin that rented rowboats, two of which we rented for a little over an hour, rowing up and down the main river in Leipzig. Frank and I were in one boat and the guys were in another - it was easy to see who was better at rowing (local advantage). Midway, we decided to use the paddles to spray each other continuously in what was an epic war on water. Omar was caught in the crossfire, getting the most drenched despite his best efforts to remain dry. In a soggy, wet mess we all packed back into Frank’s car and went “home”. Frank had bought a whole bunch of chicken, fish, lamb and even some bratwurst (woohoo Richard) to Barbecue that evening, and so we began preparing the vegetables - zucchinis and eggplants - for the evening. Everything went smoothly, with the plates laid, meat barbecued and - of course - great company. Frank was a great host, putting up with all of four us in his house. The night went well, and we slept at around midnight in preparation for a long day’s travel on the 9th. His garden, as usual, was outstanding.

—Babur :oWeiterlesen