Last stop before Berlin. Thought we would have a look at Leipzig, one of those classic cities which you always hear about. Hotel we had booked turned out to be brilliant, location wise and comfort wise. Right opposite the train station, right on the edge of the city. So, an opportunity to park the car and forget it (although after what we witnessed in Hamburg we thought discretion would be the better part of valour, so we parked in the car park of the hotel.
Spent the next three days getting a real feel for Leipzig. It's one of the more picturesque places we have visited (in fact we are all agreed that it is now our favourite city in Germany).
Each night the streets are filled with people at the markets, and there are markets all over the city. Not only are the markets there for Xmas, they also serve as meeting places for people to gather around the various stalls (food and wine) and socialise. It gives the whole city a sociable aspect we don't often see in Australian cities.
On Saturday Julie and Sam went off for some retail therapy while I went to one of the museums, the Museum der bildenden Künste, quite a large museum/gallery spread over 4 levels.
On Sunday, Julie and I took a trip on one of the hop on/hop off bus tours to see a bit more of the city. Really is one of the best ways to see it all (even though the commentary was only in German). We got off at the Monument to the Battle of the Nations which commemorates Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig in 1813. An amazing memorial.
While we were waiting for the next bus to come along we had lunch at a nearby restaurant, which consisted of a couple of bowls of some of the best soup we have ever had, just the ticket for the cold weather.
Speaking of the weather, we have experienced one of the mildest winters seen in Europe since the 1940's. The concierge at the hotel said it is not unusual for it to be -20 in Leipzig, with a couple of meters snow as well. So we haven't had to rug up too much since we have been here.
Tomorrow we head into Berlin where we'll stay for a week. It'll be good to catch up with Jake who is flying in from Rome. It will also be good to put our suitcases away for awhile and just take it easy (not that we have been taking it easy so far).