Eastern Adventures...

So far this year I have been North, South and West, but not East. Until now. This weekend we headed over to Leipzig and Weimar – two iconic German cities situated in the former German Democratic Republic.

First it was off to Leipzig. A quick bite at Pizza Hut (you can’t go wrong with two slices of pizza and a drink for 4.50 EUR), a night spent in a somewhat basic, but nonetheless cheery hostel, and it was off for a day of sightseeing. Our first stop was the Völkerschlachtdenkmal – the tallest monument in Europe, (apparently!) commemorating the victory over Napoleon. I’ve never come across a monument like it before- it’s a very impressive structure to say the least, though the bloody huge crane plonked right in front of it did spoil its aura somewhat!

See what I mean about the crane?!

Enjoying the view in the sunshine.

Back in the city centre, we visited other famous sights such as the Nikolaikirche and the Thomaskirche, (where I was plagued by a very unfortunate attack of the hiccups. Hiccupping inside a church is not the done thing, it seems!) in between stopping for food breaks, of course! Being a former GDR city, I expected Leipzig to be very grey and bleak, but in actual fact it was easily the most beautiful city I’ve been to so far. The town centre is both cultural and cosmopolitan at the same time, and its beauty was aided by the sunshine, which shone happily on us all day long.

A pub dedicated to Goethe's Faust

Thomaskirche in the sunshine.

Ok, so it's diet coke, not bier, but the glass was still cool!

Once the sun went in for the day, it was time for us to hop back on the train and head to Weimar – the centre point of all German culture. Surprisingly enough, however, I was slightly underwhelmed by the city, at least when we first arrived. Anyone who is anyone in German history – Schiller, Herder, my good friend Goethe, you name it – has either lived or worked in Weimar. Germany’s first attempt at democracy was even named after this city, so I was expecting a real showstopper of a place. Sadly, however, it felt a little dreary and definitely had a much bigger GDR-feel about it in comparison to the beautiful Leipzig. This may be an unfair judgement, however, as the weather we had in Weimar could not have been a starker contrast to that of the previous day – pouring rain and about 5 degrees in comparison to blazing sunshine less than 24 hours before.

After visiting the horrors of Dachau shortly before Christmas, I didn’t think that much else could shock me. That, however, was before we visited Buchenwald, the infamous concentration camp just outside Weimar. It is a truly eerie place – located up in the hills surrounding the town, a mere stone’s throw away from where normal people went about their normal lives whilst unimaginable things were going on right under their noses. 56,000 people were systematically murdered at Buchenwald – a number that I can’t even begin to get my head around. Buildings like the torture cells and the inmates’ cantine are still intact, and I must admit that reading about and seeing some of the objects used to inflict unspeakable things on countless innocent people made me feel physically sick. Similarly to Dachau, there are also photos of some of the camp’s inmates on display, which again makes it a very personal experience. It’s very hard not to shed a tear when you see them.  It sounds odd to say it, but I would recommend that everyone visit a concentration camp in their lifetime. There are no words that will do justice to the bleakness of that place - the eerie silence that surrounds it, reminding you that all life was exterminated from here long ago or the fact that nothing grows there, leaving a miserable expanse of land. I don’t think you can start to appreciate it until you visit one for yourself, and I don’t think we should ever forget what went on in these places.

After our trip to Buchenwald, I felt emotionally and physically drained. It was also absolutely freezing up there, so we headed back down into the city centre in search of some warmth and an energy boost. We passed the houses that Goethe and Schiller lived in, and enjoyed some unbelievably tasty waffles before heading back to our hostel. It was a shame that the weather was so abysmal. I’m sure had I been in a better frame of mind that I could have looked past the rain and enjoyed the city a little more, but as it was I was too cold to even take my camera out of my bag to take any photos. Note to self – pack more weather-appropriate clothes next time!

Get. In. My. Bellyyyy

Luckily on Sunday however, the sun managed to just about peep through the clouds, so we were able to enjoy the city a little more. The camera made a much more regular appearance! The longer we stayed there, the more Weimar grew on me. There are references to famous German writers and philosophers all over the place, making it seem as though German culture is there, whichever way you turn.    

Let me introduce you to my two new pals...

Weimar is the city in which the Weimare Republik (German's first democratic Republic) was founded.

The town hall

So there we have it. Another brilliant weekend away. I must admit though, I think I’m all German-cultured-out for this week.

Time for a cuppa!

Emily