I spent this past weekend (Th - Sun) in Leipzig visiting Amanda, a fellow Fulbrighter. We met briefly at the teaching orientation way back when in August when everyone had just arrived in Germany, but we didn’t see each other again until a Fulbright event in Hamburg in October, which is how we got to know one another and became friends. Several other Fulbright ETAs live in the Leipzig area + nearby in a city called Chemnitz — there are also several teaching assistants from the UK living in Leipzig — so we got a big group together for an American Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday (Nov 28).
From the moment I arrived at the Hauptbahnhof I was impressed by the city. The train station is the biggest in the WORLD and is insanely beautiful. It even has a Starbucks featuring a stained glass ceiling and 19th century architectural design. I was also completely blown away by the Christmas market in the Leipzig city center. It is by the far the biggest market I’ve ever seen and had an amazing amount of booths full of typical German food, Glühwein, holiday desserts, Christmas decorations + ornaments, house shoes of all shapes & sizes, and more. There was even a medieval section of the market, a fairy tale land section, and a large ferris wheel with lights. I also can’t forget the Finnish section where there was smoked salmon being made outside in little smoke houses along with other Finnish cuisine.
After starting Friday morning (er, early afternoon) off with a run, Amanda gave me a tour of the city and then we spent a few hours walking walking around the Christmas market (and of course drinking Glühwein!) In the evening her boyfriend, Cameron, arrived from Chemnitz. On Saturday three of us + Brenna (a Fulbrighter from Chemnitz as well) spent several hours cooking/baking in preparation for Thanksgivings dinner. Truthfully I didn’t do much of the cooking but I helped cut up potatoes and some squash, so better than nothing! We brought mashed potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin pie and an apple pie to the meal. There were about 20 of us there so I got to meet a lot of new people (and eat a lot of homemade desserts!)
All and all it was a great weekend. Although I was sad to miss Thanksgiving at home with family, this was a solid substitute. It was great to visit Amanda and to see a new part of the country. It was my first time in an east German city (other than parts of Berlin) and I’m looking forward to exploring more of former East Germany during my time here.
From the moment I arrived at the Hauptbahnhof I was impressed by the city. The train station is the biggest in the WORLD and is insanely beautiful. It even has a Starbucks featuring a stained glass ceiling and 19th century architectural design. I was also completely blown away by the Christmas market in the Leipzig city center. It is by the far the biggest market I’ve ever seen and had an amazing amount of booths full of typical German food, Glühwein, holiday desserts, Christmas decorations + ornaments, house shoes of all shapes & sizes, and more. There was even a medieval section of the market, a fairy tale land section, and a large ferris wheel with lights. I also can’t forget the Finnish section where there was smoked salmon being made outside in little smoke houses along with other Finnish cuisine.
After starting Friday morning (er, early afternoon) off with a run, Amanda gave me a tour of the city and then we spent a few hours walking walking around the Christmas market (and of course drinking Glühwein!) In the evening her boyfriend, Cameron, arrived from Chemnitz. On Saturday three of us + Brenna (a Fulbrighter from Chemnitz as well) spent several hours cooking/baking in preparation for Thanksgivings dinner. Truthfully I didn’t do much of the cooking but I helped cut up potatoes and some squash, so better than nothing! We brought mashed potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin pie and an apple pie to the meal. There were about 20 of us there so I got to meet a lot of new people (and eat a lot of homemade desserts!)
All and all it was a great weekend. Although I was sad to miss Thanksgiving at home with family, this was a solid substitute. It was great to visit Amanda and to see a new part of the country. It was my first time in an east German city (other than parts of Berlin) and I’m looking forward to exploring more of former East Germany during my time here.