Day 08 : Leipzig in Plans Due to Continuing Polar Vortex

Day 08 : Lutherstadt-Wittenberg to Leipzig

Date	Jan 10, 2024 ( Wednesday )
Total This Camino:	59 miles.
Total 2024 Caminos:	59 miles
Total All Caminos:	2059 miles
Lodging:	AO Hostel @ $53
Total Lodging:	$ 513
Planes:	$ 1300
Total Planes / Travel Insurance:	$ 1470
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 25
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 78
Food:	$ 31
Total Food:	$ 231

I had an amazing day in Leipzig, Germany. 

The day had the shallower experiences of the casual tourist, which I enjoyed nonetheless, and the soul-searching moments of remembrances of life-changing events.

Meaningful Moment

I didn't know it yet, but around the corner I was about to have a transformational moment. This looks like just another city street.

I was amazed at how fast I came upon Sankt Nikolai Kirche. In 1989, this church was the gathering point for East Germans, and Leipzigans in particular, to protest against the communist-led German Democratic Republic.

It was 25 years ago that the Berlin Wall fell, and the protests in Leipzig, Germany were an important prelude. 

I may have some false memories, but I don't think it matters. I was stationed in San Angelo, Texas, as a US Navy instructor for the Russian language. I was preparing new Navy crypto linguists for their future mission.

 I was glued to CNN. I watched the protests in Leipzig, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the GDR.

Prayer has one great power

It makes a sour heart sweet

A sad heart happy, a poor heart rich

A dumb heart wise, a stupid heart bold

A blind heart seeing

A cold heart burning

It pulls the great God down into a small heart

And urges the hungry soul to the full God

From this church, the people repeatedly marched to Karl Marx Platz to demand greater freedoms from their oppressors, freedoms like the ability to visit another country and to live free of the fear of nuclear war.

Despite repeated oppression by the police and the government, the protesters never gave up. With resilience, strength and courage, they marched for the right to live as free human beings.

I instinctively knew that with their success, my life and the entire world would undergo a huge transformation.

 With a continuing succession of peaceful protests across all of the Warsaw Pact for the most part, came the end of the Cold War. 

Their success led to the fall of the Soviet empire in the long run.

My reason for being, a Russian linguist in the US Navy, a naval aviation aircraft maintenance specialist before that, and an assistant forward air controller before that  - all came to an end.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, my 20-year career in the military, in the Cold war, no longer had a raison d'être.

The Cold war was over. We won. It was a brave new world, and the role I played in it for the previous 20 years was no longer existentially important.

I wasn't alone in realizing that the world was about to take a titanic shift for better or worse, and it was time for the next generation to step up.

Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr gave way to Bill Clinton and Al Gore and George W Bush and Barack Obama.

Today in Leipzig, I feel old. For the first time in my life.

Random Thought of the Day

And on top of that, there's going to be a train strike in Germany tomorrow. I need the trains to run.

On the Road / Notable memories

7:30 a.m. Out of bed for a shower and downstairs to reception and the restaurant for breakfast.

8:30 a.m. Walking to the train station

9:11 a.m. My train to Leipzig arrives.

*** I learned more about the German train system.

On each car is a big number, 1 or 2. 

"1"means it's a first class car. 

"2" means it's a second class car.

Seats in the second class cars maybe reserved. On each seat is an LED indicator that spells out the name of the train stops between which a seat is reserved.

Since I'm only going to Leipzig, by reading the LED that says Leipzig - München, I know I can sit in the seat because I'm getting off in Leipzig.

9:45 a.m. Arrive Leipzig.

10:00 a.m. Checked in at A&O hostels. Great news that the room is ready.

Arriving Leipzig

I don't have a lot of time to be choosy about what I see, but I was able to book an in- English, 1 hour free walking tour of Old Leipzig at 1:30 p.m.

Made my visit to St. Nikolai Kirche. The site of the protests that led to the end of the Cold war left a powerful impression on me.

Sitting in the lobby at the hostel, just enjoying a cafe macchiato and unwinding a bit before I go walk around some more.

Met my tour guide and for an hour, we walked around the old part of the city, die Altstadt.

Stopped by the St Nikolai Church Coffeeshop for a coffee and cookie. It's a hospitality place, not a business.

Learned that there's a Deutsche Bahn train system strike going on tomorrow.

3:00 p.m. Back to the hostel to do some laundry. 

4:00 p.m. Headed over to the Deutsche Bahn information desk to see about a ticket for tomorrow, if there is one available. 

I navigated the Deutsche Bahn Info Desk. Communicated successfully and got a ticket tomorrow morning back to Lutherstadt-Wittenberg at 8:18 tomorrow morning.

5:00 p.m. Sitting in St. Nicholai Kirche for a Lutheran mass and choral organ music. It was so relaxing and so decompressing that I almost completely fell asleep during the music.

6:00 p.m. Burger King. My apologies! Let's get out of here

First impressions of Leipzig

Leipzig main train station is big

A&O Hostel

My view out the window. Hopefully you can see that I'm really close to the train station, which is what I want.

Sankt Nikolai Kirche Platz

Pretty Little Pocket Park.

It was dark when I was coming back from the mass, and some young man popped out and I think he was trying to sell me drugs, but I just said my usual " I don't speak German. " 🙂

St Nikolai church after the evening mass

Opera Plaza