SwissMissMeg

A long weekend in March gave me the chance to visit friends in Leipzig, Germany. Derek and I worked together at APIS in Seoul. He and Devi have a beautiful family, moving from country to country as teaching positions allow. As this is their final spring in Germany, I wanted to visit while we were still connected by train.

I’ve interspersed my pictures from Leipzig with images from a recent cyanotype workshop in Lugano. The trip to Leipzig was creatively inspiring, particularly after speaking with Devi about her art. Years ago, Devi generously shared her artistic process with my students in Moscow. This time, I brought back some of her artwork to inspire my students in Lugano. Her website is definitely worth the look.

A trading outpost since the time of the Holy Roman Empire, two major ancient trade routes intersect in Leipzig’s city center. Via Regia runs east/west, connecting Spain to Ukraine. Via Imperii runs north/south, connecting the Baltic Sea to Rome.

Leipzig is also a city of music. Wagner was born here. Mendelssohn conducted here. Bach is buried here. A visit to The Grassi Museum of Ethnology proved impressive with collections of everything from musical instruments to Bauhaus design.

Following the Second World War, Leipzig remained a major urban centre in East Germany. Today, Porsche and BMW both maintain factories in the city.

Leipzig is also home to one of Europe’s oldest universities, Universität Leipzig (1409). Goethe and Angela Merkel are both alums, although in the East Germany days when Merkel attended it was known as Karl Marx University. The Monday demonstrations, peaceful protests that proved a catalyst for the fall of the Berlin Wall, took place in Leipzig. Within the campus footprint, we enjoyed a sun-splashed lunch at Cafe Barbakane, located within the Moritzbastei cultural center. The cafe is built into the old city wall, a structure dating back over 500 years.

Boasting Europe’s largest railway station – 24 platforms – Leipzig is also a center of transport. My greatest surprise of the weekend was the realization that German trains do not run on time. Far from it. I got Deutsche-bahned on both legs of my journey. 3+ hours in delays on arrival, then a total rerouting of my journey home with delays on my way home. Bit of a challenge to link up with the timely Swiss train system.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather during my visit. Lots of families out on foot, enjoying the day. We road bikes through a nearby park and enjoyed lunch at a neighborhood spot along the canal. Fun fact: Leipzig has more bridges than Venice at 427 total – 27 more than Venice.

Below, Ronan tours me around a food hall in a recovered factory space. The diversity of options included Georgian.

Also notable, the robust funky sneaker culture among the people of Leipzig, young and old. Below, art vending machines. There were stickers posted all over town.

On my last afternoon in Leipzig, Devi and I took Hachu for a walk down by the river. Hachu is an old man now but still as sweet and spry as he was in his Wolgye-dong days. The years may pass but the friendships still endure.