I don't know if I hate packing, or I'm just no good at it. Maybe it's just that I'm easily distracted. Either way, instead of packing, I'm going to write a few words about Leipzig. Yes, it was a few weeks ago. But Köln has been pretty packed with adventure it's been hard to find time to sit down. That and the fact that the internet is pretty bad. Definitely not the worst I've seen, but it's up there. Certainly nothing to write home about. Which is good, because it'll take a while for that email to send.
Leipzig was a good stop. Lot's of music history - Bach and his tenure at the Thomaskirche, the boy's choir that's still going strong - and one of the most bike friendly (or at least, bike busy) places I've seen. Lots of streetcars, too. Makes for an interesting pedestrian adventure.
I tried Göse, which is a regional beer top-fermented beer. It doesn't comply with the German purity standards, but has an exception as a local treasure. It's an interesting brew. If you're here, find the old train station and walk around back. You won't think you're on the right track until you see the biergarten. You've made it. Try some göse. And maybe some potato bread. Good job.
One of the nicer days in Leipzig, I happened upon some performers in the street. They were good and I chatted them up on a break and found out they were on tour and are based in New Orleans. The singer/guitarist and I kept looking at each other with that "you are pretty familiar looking" look. Turns out, we were both at Western Michigan together for a few semesters. The bass player used to live in my neighborhood in Brooklyn, too. Lives and paths intersecting, years and miles and oceans apart. Small world. I sat in for a set of busking, making it a quartet, and got a couple of guys to come out to their gig later that night. A really fun hang at a cool pub and the band sounded great. A highlight of the week, for sure.
The Köln photos are going to take a minute to sort out, but I'll have them up soon. Nothing like a long bus ride to Hamburg to get some of that stuff done.
Til then ...
(slideshow for mobile)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharkvan/sets/72157630810421318/show/