Dorint Mercure Leipzig

... in the dome. So as a consequence it is around 8.30pm by the time we get in the car and out of the parking lot!<br> Luckily the drive is only around 1 and half hours, we stop at Maccas for dinner as it's fast and keep driving on to Liepzig. We land just after 10pm, to the guy who looks like he doesnt know we have a booking. Luckily his wife knows about us..we get into our room which is clean and comfy and try and decide what we are doing tomorrow.. Rothenburg it is!<br>

... were pretty and the rope climbing frame near the monkeys was a hit too.<br><br>Unfortunately, there was a long drive ahead, as we had planned to get to the Netherlands, so we had to cut the visit a little short. In the end we set off around 1.15pm and drove solidly for about seven hours, plus an hour's break. Once again the Michelin guide had underestimated the journey. It had suggested a five hour trip (yeah, right! Me and my helicopter!)

... stages that had sprung up for the Leipzig festival. Leipzig has been such a grey and dull place that it was good to see it come to life.<br><br>We finally found the Asia Bistro restaurant that had been recommended to us and enjoyed a tasty good-value meal.<br><br>Our drive home was the first one in the dark, but it proved to be quite easy.<br><br>It seems ironic that a day that we remembered as showing Leipzig come to life should have started in a cemetery!

... br><br>We caught the tram into town and visited the tourist bureau. Unfortunately it appears that there is not much on at the moment - the festival season starts the day after we leave!<br><br>We explored the huge Hauptbahnhof (railway station) which includes a 3-level shopping centre. We had an enjoyable lunch at Pic Cin cafe (spelt that way!) - ham cheese and mushroom crepes for J &amp; A.<br><br>We looked at Nikolaikirche and Thomaskirche, both ...

... keys for our room, we went back across the road to get our things - and found that the keys would not let us back into the building! We buzzed the office again and this time he answered and opened the door for us.<br><br>We were pleased to find that the apartments had been renovated recently and were quite nice inside. After unpacking, we went next door to the Lidl supermarket and bought some ingredients for dinner (having decided we were too tired to go into town).

The Start of our Travel was the regular Train-Journey from Zittau to Leipzig. A not very spectacular drive, which we do almost every week. We wanted to use the time to improve our spanish skills but ended up talking to some carneval-junkies, boarding the train some 15 minutes after us...

Das die Anreise anstrengend wird, habe ich ja geahnt ... aber so? Aber fangen wir vorne an. Sonntag 11:16 deutscher Ortszeit - der Zug verlaesst planmaessig den Leipziger Hauptbahnhof (nichts aussergewoehnliches wuerde jetzt mancher sagen - aber in Zeiten von ausserordentlichen ICE-T-Wartungen schon ;)) Dann wundert es natuerlich erst recht, dass der statt ICE eingesetzte IC gerade mal 5 Minuten Verspaetung hatte. Das war es dann aber auch schon mit der Puenktlichkeit ...

Leipzig had one of the coolest museums we've visited so far: one dedicated to the operations of the GDR (East German) secret police, known as the Stasi. The GDR kept extremely detailed tabs on EVERYONE in their country, employing spies of all ages and collecting and filing all the information. The Stasi Museum (Museum an der Runden Ecke) was their old headquarters in Leipzig and has been kept as it was to show the oppressive nature of even the Stasi workplace. Very exciting and VERY cool!

... world. I took the tram back to the hotel. and packed my bags. tomorrow i was going home! After i had packed i decided to watch some german cartoons before i went. i turned on the tv and Rumpelstiltskin was on. I couldnt hardly understand it since it was all in german. But i remember the english version. Hes such a silly little man. Time for rest, more tomorrow. Tschues!

... consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner...and it's the easiest thing to order when you only know a couple words of German. Anyways, my time is running out...I am going to Cologne tomorrow and getting a ride back home. Cheers, Marcel P.S.: Were you expecting some details about Oktoberfest? ;) Well, let me just give you what I wrote down in my notes: "Oktoberfest: Crazy beer-drinking party" Good enough? Hahaha, I will give you more details about it and my other adventures in a few days!