Leipzig - 4 Nights At The German Library Association Convention

This is my favorite tram (M10). It picks us up about 1 block from
our door. We took it to the main train station.

Lulu has a convention in Leipzig - so we will be spending the next 4 nights in the NH Hotel by the Convention Center. In the last 4 weeks we have been spoiled with mostly sunny weather with temperatures in the 40s. Today was colder - high about 35 with a wind. We took a cab from the Leipzig Train Station to our hotel - because it as cold and we did not know the trams yet.

We left our apartment in Berlin at about 9:30 - the yellow tram above comes within a block of our front door. That tram takes us to the train station - and from the Berlin Train Station you can go anywhere in the world. Sunday morning was very quiet and we were at the station in no time.


This is our Bullet Train this morning from Berlin to Leipzig. $40 round trip.

Our high speed bullet train was stopping in Berlin at 10:30 - we had 5 minutes to get on it. Lulu bought two second class round trip tickets for $80. It is amazing how quiet these trains are. You cannot hear the clickity-clack you expect from train rails. The people are quiet too.

Our tram travels right down along the Berlin Wall. These posts
are a reminder of where it was. People got shot crossing the Wall here.

It was really overcast and a bit dark as we sailed across the German countryside. Along the German railroad tracks are these plots that look like squatter gardens. They plant fruit and vegetables but they also have small cabins on them that look livable. I would like to understand the sociology behind them. They seem to be all over. They are half way between a garden shed and my old house in Tamaqua.

We pass a real section of the Berlin Wall on the way to the train station.

By noon - we were in Leipzig. Because we did not know where we were going - we took a cab to the hotel. The cab driver did not get upset when I only paid him half what was on the meter - he was back tracking several times. His GPS took us to the wrong place.

Our hotel is quiet - big - beautiful - new. I imagine it will start filling with librarians tomorrow. It is Sunday evening - Lulu is back in town - meeting with a group of American Librarians for supper and comradery.

That is me pushing our bags into the big beautiful glass
Berlin Train Station. Our Tram 10 left us off right there.
We catch our Leipzig train inside. 

This is the Leipzig Convention Center. Our hotel is nearby.
That tram goes back and forth from the Leipzig Train Station.
You can travel door to door and never have to drive a car.