European Odyssey
14 June 2024: Leipzig Walking Tour and Concert
From Stumbling Stones to Sublime Sounds in St Thomas Church
We decided to learn more about the history of Leipzig, so in the afternoon we went on a guided walking tour. It’s such a beautiful city with a long and rich history.
Most memorable was encountering stumbling stones (Stolpersteinen) in the cobbled pavement. I had not heard of them. It was startling and confronting.
They prompted me to reflect on how much time I was spending looking up at buildings and streetscapes with admiration and delight while being unaware of what was lying at my feet. I was reminded that beneath the surface of all the beauty and the culture is a history of loss and suffering.
It was very pleasing to see the care and effort the city is taking in restoration and reconstruction. The tourist dollar must be a big help.
We ended the day at St Thomas Church for a concert titled ‘Motette’ that included a superb work, Immortal Bach, by Knut Nystedt based on a sacred song by JS Bach.
14 June 2024: Bach Museum and Archive
Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach
After my lightening visit to the Grassi Museum of Musical Instruments I rushed to meet Cathy at the Bach Museum and Archive.
We had booked for a guided tour of a special exhibition titled Voices of Women from the Bach Family.
I was also keen to see the famous portrait of Johann Sebastian by Elias Gottlob Haussmann. This portrait is so iconic that you might even call it the Mona Lisa of Music.
The special exhibition was a fascinating tour de force.
The name Bach is associated with the composer Johann Sebastian Bach all over the world. But what is known about the women of the famous family of musicians?
I was inspired to look more deeply into the life of Bach’s second wife, Anna Magdalena, and her important and selfless contribution in support of her famous husband.
14 June 2024: Grassi Museum Leipzig
Leipzig’s Museum of Musical Instruments
I had not heard of this museum. Michael Dollendorf, my colleague in Berlin, told me I had to visit. And I’m so glad I did.
It’s a wonderful collection. A lot of thought has gone into the presentation of the instruments in an absorbing historical narrative.
I only had an hour to spend in the Grassi because we had booked for a guided tour of the Bach Museum at 11:00 am followed by a guided walking tour of Leipzig after lunch. So I had to be selective about what I looked at.
I’m definitely going back.
13 June 2024: Bach and St Thomas Church Leipzig
Hallowed Ground
Thomaskirche in Leipzig is doubly hallowed ground. It is a consecrated church and also the place I associate most with Johann Sebastian Bach: it’s a place I revere. I entered the church as a pilgrim.
Bach inhabits a special place in my heart. His music speaks to me on many levels: emotional, intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic. He saw himself as a craftsperson and devoted his life to serving God through his music. He brought his art (craft) to a level of perfection that has never been surpassed.
I’ve been playing and researching Bach’s music for at least 50 years. He composed some the most fulfilling music with flute ever written. So I am very grateful to finally have had the chance to get physically closer to where Bach lived, worked and died.
12 June 2024: Leipzig Bach Fest and Euro 2024
A Clash of Cultures
Today we journeyed from Paris to Leipzig. That’s not the clash of cultures I’m talking about.
After rising at 4:00 am and some minor dramas along the way, we arrived at our lovely AirBnB in Leipzig around 2:30 pm.
The day ended with an uplifting performance of four Bach Cantatas in the stunning Nikolaikirche.
11 June 2024: Musée de la Musique
A Trove of Instruments in the Cité de la Musique
In 1997 I tried to visit the Cité de la Musique but was thwarted by an actor’s strike that locked down the building. Today I succeeded. And it was well worth the effort of trekking out to the 19th arrondissement on the outskirts of central Paris.
Within the Cité is the Musée de la Musique which houses an impressive collection of musical instruments. You don’t have to be a musician to appreciate the beauty and craft on show.
Other French museums have loaned instruments and paintings to the Musée de la musique to provide a broader context and richer narrative, and so a more compelling exhibition.
11 June 2024: Our Last Full Day in Paris
Lunch at La Laiterie Sainte Clotilde
Tomorrow we catch a taxi at 5:00 am to get to Orly airport for our early flight to Berlin. Early to bed, early to rise.
For the afternoon, we’d booked to go the Musée de la Musique at the Cité de la Musique (see next post).
The morning we devoted to cleaning the Cameron apartment. As a reward, we decided to lash out on lunch at La Laiterie Sainte Clotilde. It’s on the way to the museum.
As this was a fantastic meal and some of you have asked for more about food, I took some photos to share.
10 June 2024: Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie
A Gem of a Museum
All the well-known museums were either shut today (Monday) or booked out.
Gone are the days you could turn up and wait a reasonable time (sometimes longer) in a queue. Now you have to book online, often for a particular time slot and a few days in advance.
Cathy had what turned out to be the brilliant idea of visiting the Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie in the Jardin des plantes. No booking necessary.
This gallery has an impressive display of rocks and minerals. So many colours and textures.
Earth’s geosphere is infinitely varied, patterned and layered. I am reminded of the frost heave patterns we saw at Dettifoss waterfall in Iceland caused by the freeze-thaw cycles of ice and soil.
9 June 2024: Gregorian Mass and Notre Dame
A Quiet Day in Paris
As it was Sunday, we decided to attend the 9:00 am Gregorian Chant Mass at Saint-Sulpice.
In the evening we met up with some friends staying in the Marais. We enjoyed a nice meal at the restaurant Chez Mademoisel.
On the way to and then back from the Marais we caught some glimpses of the construction work being done on Notre Dame.
8 June 2024: Melun & Le Dôme
It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times
The day started with frustration and chaos that led to the serendipitous discovery of a beautiful town and ended with a memorable meal in a top Parisian restaurant.
7 June 2024: The Gnomon of Saint-Sulpice
Science in Saint-Sulpice
I was totally fascinated by the Gnomon of Saint-Sulpice and went right down the rabbit hole.
7 June 2024: Paris – Church of Saint-Sulpice
I Love Paris in the Summer
After a long day of travel on 6 June, we awoke to beautiful summer’s day in Paris.
We decided to walk to Église Saint-Sulpice, a church that had been recommended by a colleague because of its organ and that I had never visited. On the way we met a centaur and strolled through an antique market.
In the evening we went out again to get into the Parisian spirit. We passed the Musée d’Orsay (not far from the Cameron flat) and walked along the Seine and just meandered in a big loop back home.
Very relaxing. It was good to slow down a bit.
2–6 June 2024: Edinburgh and the Water of Leith
By the Waters of … Leith
Our time in Edinburgh was pretty low-key. We took some time to rest and catch up with Cathy’s Scottish relatives over drinks and good food.
We did manage a few excursions: a tram ride to Leith to look at the Royal Yacht Brittania and a walk along the Water of Leith.
1 June 2024: Flodden Field
The Flowers of the Forest
After Lindisfarne we decided to return to Edinburgh via an inland route with a stop at Branxton to visit Flodden Field, the site of the most significant battle in Scottish history.
The Flowers of the Forest is a Scottish lament commemorating the defeat of the Scottish army and the death of James IV at the Battle of Flodden.
1 June 2024: Eyemouth and Lindisfarne
Our Pilgrimage to Lindisfarne
This was another big day out.
We hired a car and set out to visit Lindisfarne (another Holy Island) off the Northumberland (Northumbria) coast of England. It’s a very pleasant drive along the coast that takes about a 1.5 hours.
Iona (see previous posts) is on Scotland’s west coast and Lindisfarne is on the east coast. In 635 CE King Oswald of Northumbria, who had been exiled and educated on Iona, invited St. Aidan, a monk from Iona, to establish a monastery on Lindisfarne. This marked the beginning of Lindisfarne as a significant Christian centre. Aidan and his fellow monks from Iona played a crucial role in spreading Christianity in Northumbria, making Lindisfarne a daughter-house of the Iona monastery.
On the way we stopped for an early lunch at the charming seaside town of Eyemouth.
Our pilgrimage was blessed with perfect weather.
29 May 2024: Iona to Edinburgh
The Choreography of Travel
Today was another big travel day: Iona to Edinburgh.
All up it took 9 hours and 5 minutes. I didn’t take any photos worth sharing but I did film a few videos.
28 May 2024: Iona - Dùn I
The Heights of Iona
We decided to climb Dùn I, the highest point on Iona. It has an elevation of around 100 metres and offers some spectacular panoramic views.
Somewhere near the summit is a spring that according to legend is a Fountain of Youth. St Columba may have blessed it. Unfortunately we did not find it. 😥
In the afternoon the weather set in. We visited the Heritage Centre and had a hot beverage at the Rookery Café. We then headed back to Adoran House to look through the many books in the conservatory.
In the evening we had a very tasty dinner at the St Columba Hotel. Lamb Tagine and Persian Pavola Cake. I also tried a local beer called Fraøch.
This was our last full day on Iona. Tomorrow we are heading to Edinburgh — another long day of travelling.
27 May 2024: Isle of Staffa - Fingal’s Cave and Puffins
I 🩷 Puffins
The sun came out in the afternoon and the sea settled down, so we were set for our expedition to the Isle of Staffa.
The main things to see on Staffa are the amazing basalt rock formations, Fingal’s Cave and puffins.
I love puffins.
27 May 2024: Central Iona
The Boggy Ground Did Not Stop Us
We booked a boat trip to the Isle of Staffa in the morning. The weather was not great and the skipper said he couldn’t guarantee we’d be able to land. So we changed the booking to the afternoon (as you’ll see in the next post, this was a good decision).
So we decided to explore the central area of Iona. It rained on and off and the ground was quite boggy. We lost the ‘track’ a few times but the views were great.
And of course we started the day with the full Scottish breakfast.
26 May 2024: The North End of Iona
A More Relaxed Day
After a hearty breakfast we attended a Communion Service at the Abbey (see my rant below).
In the afternoon we walked to the north of the island (photos below). This was just beautiful and we met some lambs, sheep and cows.
In the evening we went to a spoken Evensong at Bishop’s House. This was a Methodist service in a very small chapel. Later Cathy went to a Meditation Service at the Abbey. She says it was lovely and not like the morning Communion Service.