Leipzig - City Countryside Sea - Germany 2022 - 2
Stage 2 - Leipzig
We stay at the Motel One Augustinerplatz. It's on a side street of the pedestrian zone and easy to reach. We don't even try to park the car in the hotel's own parking garage but drive straight into the large public one on Augustinerplatz. The hotel is also kind enough to contribute to the parking fees if you park there. Our wish for a quiet room is fulfilled, it faces the inner courtyard and we won't hear anything from the surroundings.
As lunch turned out to be a bit sparse, we go to the Italian restaurant on the market square early. Afterwards we take the streetcar to the Monument to the Battle of the Nations [↗].
We have not used the 9 Euro ticket much so far, but on this vacation, it comes in handy. In Leipzig and Berlin, the idea is to leave the car completely in the garage and go by public transport.
The last time we were in Leipzig we had skipped the Monument to the Battle of the Nations and only went to the neighboring Southern Cemetery [↗]. Today we are on time for sunset and take pictures of the monument reflected in the pond in front of it.
Back at the hotel, we end the evening at the tables in front of the hotel bar.
The next morning we take it easy. We have not booked breakfast and therefore go to the pedestrian zone to the bakery chain "Backwerk". Freya is nagging around. Neither the sweet things nor the heartier variants are appealing to her. After all, she only drinks a coffee while Juergen is having sweet pastry. Instead, she enjoys the pomegranate seeds we took with us.
Our first destination today is very close to the main station. We have to go there anyway, as we want to take the suburban train (called S-Bahn in Germany, while the metro is called U-Bahn) anyhow. So we first go to the new building of the Development Bank of Saxony. The main station itself doesn't offer much photographically. Quite in contrast to the S-Bahn Station Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz to which we are now riding. Of course, you have to like the style.
After that, the Federal Court House [↗] in the building of the former Imperial Court is our destination. We can have a look at the big hall, stairs, and the gallery. The courtrooms and the security area are off-limits. But the toilet doors alone are great. Thicker and heavier than our front door!
We also watch an interesting film about the building and the past times. Unfortunately, we can't see the ceremonial room, where the presiding judge used to celebrate his parties.
Since the new city hall is close to the streetcar stop to which we now have to go, we also go in there. But after the Federal Court House, the large reception hall is rather disappointing and so we quickly get out again.
Now it is about the reason why Leipzig after only 2 years is on the agenda again: The old cotton mill [↗]. Last time we were there on a Sunday and the galleries were closed. Therefore, the start of this trip was on a Tuesday. Most galleries are open from Wednesday to Saturday.
We go into a few smaller galleries, which are not really appealing to us, and into a public exhibition in one of the halls, which we like much better. Finally, we have something small to eat in the beer garden there.
Refreshed, we walk to the "Westwerk", another old industrial building nearby. The main building houses a supermarket and small stores and businesses have established themselves in the adjoining buildings. The reason we are here, however, is the graffiti.
Finally, we take the streetcar back to the main station and walk a bit through the city center. On the way, we have a delicious local beer and then we go back to the hotel. Tonight, there is no photo spot on the agenda and so we just go out for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant.
