tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-81250169604708107 2011-07-20T22:26:00+01:00 music-themed journeys by rail in Europe TypePad tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef014e8a0061c8970d 2011-07-20T22:26:00+01:00 2011-07-23T12:06:29+01:00

Sunday: The night train arrived in Paris from Berlin on time at 09:23, at Gare de L’Est. It had been a good journey: two of us started from Berlin, two others joined the compartment at Hannover. Two of my German companions spoke excellent English, making up for my lack of German, and we shared beer and coffee and talked until late. I slept pretty well. At Gare de L’Est we were greeted by many soldiers patrolling the platform with automatic weapons, and my German friend and I agreed it felt decidedly threatening. Under what circumstances would they open fire on passengers? Would they shoot to kill? We said our goodbyes and left the station quickly. I walked the 300m to...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef015390024a77970b 2011-07-19T12:06:54+01:00 2011-07-28T17:33:20+01:00

Saturday: departure day, although not until the evening. But it did mean I had to pack everything properly and bear in mind what I might need easy access to on the night train. Paid the hotel bill – only the second time I'd seen my hosts as I'd been out very early on both of the previous mornings – and to the nearby stop for the 142 bus to the Hauptbahnhof to leave my suitcase; the bus a new discovery for me, saving the 1.5km slog along Inviladenstraße which is currently in the middle of road works. The luggage lockers at the station are open again now – last time I was here everyone had to use the manual check-in...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef01538ff7a1f3970b 2011-07-18T00:04:47+01:00 2011-07-20T22:36:17+01:00

Friday was grey. Again. And felt cold: I wore an extra layer for the first time, and was glad of it. I got up slowly, after all that art on Thursday, but was out by 7:30. Walked to Oranienburger Tor station and took the S-bahn down to Unter den Linden. Pariser Platz had been cleared of its rubbish and was almost empty, so a chance for a couple of pix of the Brandenberg Gate, although an almost white sky was not what I wanted. I'd picked up a coffee on the way and found it fits neatly in the camera bag – with a lid on of course – in the space where the camera normally sits. To the nearby...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef015433bf0d46970c 2011-07-15T22:55:17+01:00 2011-07-22T13:32:30+01:00

Yesterday was my day to visit the big art galleries in the Kulturforum, the gaggle of museums plus the Philharmonie on the south-west edge of the city centre (Mitte): but the art to be preceded by some photo opportunities. So I was up early and out by 6:40 for the simple journey to the Brandenburg Gate to try to get the photos I failed to get last time because of a concert there. It rained heavily in the night and the weather was grey and very dull, not the bright July sunshine I'd expected. And when I got there I found people cleaning up after another event the night before. I did my best with the camera and moved onto...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef01538feab6f1970b 2011-07-15T20:22:19+01:00 2011-07-15T20:22:19+01:00

Here I am in Berlin towards the end of a rather hectic schedule, hence the lack of blog posts for a few days. I'm going to have to do a quick summary of the last three days: Wednesday morning I packed everything away after six nights in Leipzig - was it really that long? - said my goodbyes, paid a last quick visit to the Grassi Museum, and caught my pre-booked midday InterCity Express to Berlin. By 2:30pm I was installed in my hotel north of the centre, close to where I stayed on the Grand Tour, and walked the short distance to the Berlin Wall Memorial, near Nordbahnhof station. Not just a section of the well known wall, it...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef015433ae2d95970c 2011-07-13T08:41:44+01:00 2011-07-22T12:49:06+01:00

Another day out yesterday, to visit the Bauhaus building and the Bauhaus Masters' Houses in Dessau. I caught the 08:00 train from Leipzig for the 45 minute journey, and walked slowly through the apparently deserted city to arrive at the main building at 09:00, an hour ahead of visitors' opening time. I knew in advance that I wanted blue sky, green grass and bright sun; and that's the way it was. I walked around the outside trying to make some arty pics using the 12-24mm lens on the Nikon D300, and naturally working hard to properly record that iconic end view of the building, with 'BAUHAUS' running down it. The building is not as tall as I'd imagined. Then a...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef014e89c215ed970d 2011-07-11T14:22:17+01:00 2011-07-11T14:22:17+01:00

Today the day for Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, not to see Martin Luther but his friend, painter and printer Lucas Cranach. I had a choice of two trains: the Regional 08:11, which takes an hour and four minutes, or the later Intercity Express (ICE), taking half the time but at almost twice the price. I chose the slow train, not just to save €8.00 but also as a dry run for my 08:00 train to Dessau tomorrow. But I thought I would treat myself to the ICE for the return journey. When I'd finished in Wittenberg I walked the kilometre or so back to the station and was pleased to find that there would be a 14:35 ICE as expected (I knew there...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef014e89be796f970d 2011-07-10T21:15:13+01:00 2011-07-21T13:02:57+01:00

As today is Sunday - and the half-way point of the trip - I didn't set the alarm last night and had a lie-in until 07:00. But there's work to be done, so after breakfast I spent time writing the last blog post before heading off on foot in my posher togs for the nearby Mendelssohn-Haus. The apartment where Felix Mendelssohn lived for the last few years of his short life was an unexpected highlight of my last visit to Leipzig, but I wasn't here on a Sunday when there is an 11:00 a.m. concert. This time I'd booked in advance, for a programme of piano music by Carl Maria von Weber and others, accompanied by readings from Weber's letters...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef01538fc87a7f970b 2011-07-10T09:13:41+01:00 2011-07-22T12:41:01+01:00

I started yesterday at the Museum der bildenden Kunste, the Museum of Fine Arts, in its huge 36 metre high glass cube at the north edge of the old Leipzig city centre. Inside the space is vast and simple, with exposed concrete walls and floor, and massive oak stairs and doors. Originally, the museum was founded in 1858 by merchants, bankers and publishers, and I think that all or most of the collection has been assembled by gifts and foundations. Spread over four exhibition floors, contemporary galleries sit alongside 19th century and Romantic art. Occasionally they encroach on each other's space; it works. The Bühler-Brockhaus Donation, in its own gallery, has the feel of a personally assembled collection of 19th...

John tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83420661253ef01543396c794970c 2011-07-09T08:33:34+01:00 2011-07-21T12:55:58+01:00

Yesterday was the day to visit the rebuilt Bach Museum, opposite the Thomaskirche, which was closed for the building work last time I was here in 2008. Thursday's sunshine and humidity had given way to rain over breakfast, but the sky was merely dark grey as I arrived at the 10:00 opening time. The museum is very spacious and elegant, if tending slightly towards being clinical, but many of the visitors are school parties so it has to be robust. A good overview of Bach's life, very well presented, with the final large room naturally being about his life and work here in Leipzig. Much additional and fascinating information behind the main story is available on pull-out panels. Touch screen...

John