Tuesday, 12 June 2018. Timmendorfer Strand, Germany

This morning at 10 am we took a tram ride around Timmendorfer Strand.  The tour was in German, so we didn't understand much, but we saw many hotels, holiday homes, restaurants and shops. It was a good way to get oriented. The breakfast at the Hotel Royal in Timmendorfer was the best we've had so far, a buffet of assorted rolls, cold cuts, cheeses, jams and butter, fruit, yogurt, quark, muesli, and scrambled eggs.

Despite the cool, gray day, we sat on the beach for a while.  At the entrance to the beach, you could rent a Strandkorb, a wicker seat that could be positioned to protect you from the wind and sun.  However, we just spread a blanket and sat on the beach. The sand was warm and comfortable to lie on.  I waded a bit in the Baltic Sea and collected some clam shells.

The beach at Timmendorfer Strand

Back at the hotel, I rinsed off in the pool, and then we had lunch outside at the hotel: baked potatoes with sour cream, and a side salad with pickled herring.  Herring, like white asparagus, seems to be on every menu!

In the afternoon, I got my hair done at the salon next to the hotel. Negotiating what length etc. was a bit nerve-wracking, as my German and the hairdresser's English were not quite sufficient.  But when she was done, I was very happy with it.

We also sent our laundry out to be done. The temperatures were in the upper 80s and 90s during so much of our trip, so it didn't take long to sweat through all of your clothes. It came back freshly laundered, neatly pressed, and each item was wrapped in paper.

In the evening, we had dinner at a Greek restaurant that Dan spotted on one of his walks.  The food wasn't hot enough, but they fixed that quickly, and then the owner gave us complimentary shots of Ouzo, an anise flavored Greek liquer, afterwards.

Monday, 11 June 2018: Leipzig to Timmendorfer Strand, Germany

This morning we drove five hours from Leipzig to Timmendorfer Strand on the Baltic coast. There was heavy traffic all the way. Only as we entered Schleswig-Holstein in the north did the traffic begin to abate.

Timmendorfer Strand is beautiful! The air is so fresh, and the town has a quiet elegance. We are staying at the Hotel Royal, which is just a few steps across a shady promenade from the beach.  On the street side of the hotel is the beautiful "Kurpark," with fountains and meandering paths. Beyond the Kurpark, sitting up on a hill, are beautiful homes.

A path through the Kurpark in Timmendorfer Strand

Fountains in the Kurpark

I saw a Kurhaus ("Cure House") in the Kurpark, but it was closed. A Kurhaus was a building with a fountain inside where, in the 18th and 19th century, people could go to drink local spring water. Towns became famous for their local mineral waters, which were believed to have specific medicinal benefits.  People could also consult a Kurhaus physician who would prescribe various therapies for their ailments--hot mineral baths, steam rooms, special diets, herbal remedies, custom exercise programs, and daily regimens for rest and relaxation.

Surrounding the Kurhaus was a beautiful Kurpark and garden where people could stroll, breathe in the fresh sea air and relax. From what I've read about 19th Century European Kurort (Spas), a typical spa regimen might be as follows: Mornings would be spent drinking the mineral waters, having a light breakfast, and then soaking in the different kinds of baths, usually progressing from hot to cold, and ending with a rest period.  In the afternoon people might walk in the Kurpark, attend a concert or lecture, go sightseeing or shopping, or just relax in the library or at a cafe.  Dances were popular in the evening, and was considered a form of exercise. I think there were about 7 Kurhaüser scattered throughout Timmendorfer Strand, but I was told they all closed about ten years ago, except for occasional concerts.

A good climate for roses, which are already in full bloom

Our room is the nicest hotel room we've had so far:  A large junior suite, with leather sofa and chair in the sitting area, a balcony, a comfortable bed, and a small anteroom/ dressing room just outside the bathroom.

A walk through a small park will take you to the promenade and beach, and there is a pier that juts out into the Baltic Sea.

Timmendorfer Strand and the Baltic Sea (Ostsee)

Strandkorbe for hire (by Ströbi's cousin?)

We had dinner at the hotel.  Dan had a local fish with pan-fried potatoes, and a Weizenbier (wheat beer).  I had a mixed salad with Norwegian smoked salmon.  Fresh fruit juices seem to be very popular here, so I tried Johannesbeeresaft (Elderberry Juice) instead of my usual Kirschsaft (Cherry Juice).

We slept with the balcony door open to get the fresh sea air.  It's odd, but I don't smell salt air or that "fishy" seaside air I am familiar with, and I haven't heard a single seagull, just a lot of sleepy-sounding pigeons cooing in the afternoon, and early morning crows arguing--but no gulls.  And I haven't heard a cuckoo since our cruise from Dresden to Wittenberg, but they are a forest bird.

Sunday, 10 June 2018: Leipzig, Germany

After breakfast today, we went for a walk in the Leipziger Auwald park, which is behind the zoo.

View of Leipzig from Leipziger Auwald

Ströbi at the Leipziger Auwald

On the way back we stopped for lunch at a cafe. I had scrambled eggs with ham and dark bread, and Dan had a sweet apple crepe. Their mint iced tea, served with a dollop of lemon sorbet was very refreshing!

Stopping for crepes and coffee

We went back to the hotel to rest before the concert. Just before the concert, we walked to the Thomaskirche and had time to pay our respects at Bach's burial place inside the church.  I felt such gratitude for him, that we have been able to hear and enjoy his music, and be so changed by him.

Johann Sebastian Bach's final burial place

Thomaskirche Nave

Thomaskirche organ in the balcony

Thomaskirche pulpit

Thomaskirche stained glass (1)

Thomaskirche stained glass (2)

Cora's Ströbi waits quietly for the concert to begin

Ton Koopman before the Concert

We had better seats for tonight's concert.  The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra was in the balcony at the rear of the church, but we could see them.  Klaus Mertens, who has recorded all of Bach's Cantatas, was the bass.  It was wonderful to see him perform in person. The music was deeply reverential and so beautifully performed. 

Bows and applause after the concert

Ton Koopman and soloists. Klaus Mertens is on the far right.

Program: Ring of Cantatas 9

• J. S. Bach: Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161
• H. L. Hassler: Si bona suscepimus
• J. S. Bach: Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8
• J. S. Bach: Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende, BWV 27
• J. Gallus: Media vita in morte sumus
• J. S. Bach: Christus, der ist mein Leben, BWV 95

Martha Bosch (soprano), Maarten Engeltjes (contratenor), Tilman Lichdi (tenor), Klaus Mertens (bass), Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, direction: Ton Koopman

Judy in front of the Thomaskirche after a very moving concert

Judy and Dan. We did it! After 9 years of planning and saving, we finally made it to the BachFest!

We stopped for supper after the concert, a glass of Riesling with salmon and gnocchi, followed by a French cheese plate. Then we headed back to the hotel to shower and pack for our drive to Timmendorfer Strand tomorrow.

Saturday, 9 June 2018: Leipzig, Germany

We ordered room service for breakfast, as the buffets are getting to be a bit much.  We had birchermuesli, fruit, a boiled egg and tea. While I did some correspondence with the girls and friends, Dan went for a walk to the Market. There is always a lot of activity at the Market--open air  performances, open rehearsals in the Thomaskirche, and people dining in the cafes that line the market.

Leipzig Markt during BachFest 2018

Orchestral Suite (orchestra rehearsal) at the Leipzig Market

Ton Koopman rehearses Amsterdam Baroque in the Thomaskirche

Afterwards we went to a sidewalk cafe for crepes, and then took a walk to the Gewandhaus, passing through the very modern University of Leipzig campus.

The Gewandhaus

Later in the evening, we had dinner at an Indian Restaurant, which was a nice change. It was a light and unstructured day, but one for some much needed rest.

Friday, 8 June 2018: Leipzig, Germany

Today we drove 2 hours from Bad Tabarz to Leipzig. Our room at the Marriott was ready when we arrived. After arriving, we went for lunch near the hotel at the Riquet Cafe, where we had salads and quarkkuchen.  Then we scouted out where the Nikolaikirche, Market, and Thomaskirche were. We returned to the hotel for a rest, so we would be ready for the concert at the Nikolaikirche at 8 pm.

Nikolaikirche, Leipzig

Park on the way to the Thomaskirche

Thomaskirche, Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach served as Thomaskantor 1723-1750

Thomaskirche, Leipzig 

Statue of Johann Sebastian Bach at the Thomaskirche

Waiting for Spaghetti Bolognese before the concert

We stopped for a quick dinner at a cafe across street from the hotel and then walked to the 8 pm concert at the Nikolaikirche. The Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, performed four cantatas and two motets. Julia Doyle, my favorite soprano, was singing, along with Peter Harvey, one of my favorite basses.

Nikolaikirche from the second emporium

Nikolaikirche Second Emporium

Nikolaikirche Ceiling

Unfortunately, our seats were terrible, high up in back of the second emporium above the orchestra.  Dan stood up and held his camera up high, and so we have a couple of photos of the harpsichord, and by sheer luck, he caught the director, John Eliot Gardiner, briefly before the performance.

A lucky shot!

While we couldn't see the performance, the acoustics where we sat were great.  I knew it was Julia Doyle, the minute she began to sing! I hadn't realized she was on the program, when I bought the tickets six months ago. I have always wanted to see her perform, and there we were, but we couldn't see her! Peter Harvey, for some reason, sang one of his parts in the pulpit which is elevated, so we did get to see him. The music was full of spirit and so perfectly performed, with Gardiner's usual lightness and energy.

Program: Ring of Cantatas I

• J. S. Bach: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61
• J. Gallus: Jerusalem, gaude gaudio magno
• J. S. Bach: Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36
• J. S. Bach: Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!, BWV 70
• H. Schütz: Ach Herr, du Schöpfer aller Ding, SWV 450
• J. S. Bach: Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110

Performers: Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, directed by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Hana Blažíková (soprano), Julia Doyle (soprano), Reginald Mobley (altus), Peter Harvey (bass). (4 cantatas, 2 motets)

About Bach Fest 2018

The Leipzig BachFest, held in June each year, offers performances of all genres of work by Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as works by  Handel, Mendelssohn, Buxtehude, and other composers who were either contemporary to Bach or influenced by him in later years.  In this one weekend you can hear Bach concertos, cantatas, passions, organ preludes and fugues, in world famous venues such as the Thomaskirche (where Bach was Kantor from 1723-1750), the Nikolaikirche, the Gewandhaus, the Opera House, and the open air Leipzig Market. But the highlight of this year's festival is the Ring of Cantatas.

Cantatas in Bach's time were performed during a church service and focused on the Gospel reading of the day. The typical cantata lasts about 20 minutes on average. They are performed by a choir, soloists, and an orchestra. They often begin with a Chorus, then alternate between arias and recitatives by the soloists and end with a Chorale (a congregational church hymn, many of which were written by Martin Luther).

The Bach Fest 2018 Ring of Cantatas is a cyclical performance of the "30 Best" Bach Cantatas, as selected by the BachFest organizers, John Eliot Gardiner (Monteverdi Choir), Peter Wollny (Bach Archiv), and Michael Maul (BachFest).  They are performed in the Leipzig churches, in order of the liturgical year, by leading Bach directors like John Eliot Gardiner, Ton Koopman, Masaaki Suzuki, and Hans-Christoph Rademann, and soloists like Klaus Mertens (bass), Julia Doyle (soprano), and Andras Schiff (pianist), to name a few of my favorites.

The selection of just 30 cantatas was not easy. In fact, the orginal list of the "30 Best Cantatas" actually numbered more than 52, and finally ended up at 33.  Fifteen cantatas, however, were agreed upon at once by all three of the organizers.

A number of my favorite cantatas had been nominated for the Ring, but only the two in boldface actually made it into the final program:

• Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (BWV 1, Maria Verkündigung)
• Freue dich, erlöste Schar (BWV 30, Johannistag)
• Dem Gerechten muss das Licht (BWV 195, no Sunday)
• Jesu, der du meine Seele (BWV 78, 14th Sunday after Trinity)
• Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen (BWV 51, 15th Sunday after Trinity)
• Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (BWV 80, Reformation Day)
• Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140, 27th Sunday after Trinity)
• Vergnügte Ruh (BWV 170, 6th Sunday after Trinity)
• Erschallet, ihr Lieder (BWV 172, 1 Pentecost)

My favorite cantata, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (BWV 147, Feast of the Visitation), didn't even get nominated! 

For any Bach Cantata aficionados, here is the list of "15" cantatas that were deemed by all three organizers to be among the top 30 cantatas. How many do you know?

1. Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt (BWV 151, 3rd Sunday after Christmas)
2. Ich habe genug (BWV 82, Purification of Mary)
3. Sehet! Wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem (BWV 159, Last Sunday before Lent)
4. Christ lag in Todes Banden (BWV 4, 1st Sunday after Easter)
5. Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (BWV 12, Jubilate, 3rd Sunday after Easter)
6. Ihr werdet weinen und heulen (BWV 103, Jubilate, 3rd Sunday after Easter)
7. Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal (BWV 146, Jubilate, 3rd Sunday after Easter)
8. Brig dem Hungrigen dein Brot (BWV 39, 1st Sunday after Trinity)
9. Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht (BWV 105, 9th Sunday after Trinity)
10. Nimm von uns, Herr (BWV 101, 10th Sunday after Trinity)
11. Jesu, der du meine Seele (BWV 78, 14th Sunday after Trinity)
12. Wer weiß, wie nahe mein Ende (BWV 27, 16th Sunday after Trinity)
13. Es erhub sich ein Streit (BWV 19, Michaelistag)
14. Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (BWV 56, 19th Sunday after Trinity)
15. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140, 27th Sunday after Trinity)
16. Arctus tragicus (BWV 106, Funeral Cantata, not for a specific Sunday service)

And of course, there are 16 in the "Top 15", proving it is really hard to decide what is Bach's best, even for the experts!

Thursday, 7 June 2018: Bad Tabarz, Gemany

Today we took a drive through Bach country, from Eisenach to Weimar.  We drove first to Ohrdruf, where Johann Sebastian Bach lived with his older brother when he was orphaned in 1695 at age 10. His older brother, Johann Christoph, was organist at the Michaeliskirche (St. Michael's Church) in Ohrdruf from 1690 (at age 18) to 1721. He was only 23 when he became the guardian of his younger brother Johann Sebastian.

 Michaeliskirche (St. Michael's Church) in Ohrdruf

Bach attended the Lyceum in Ohrdruf, and he sang in the Kurrende Choir. Ohrdruf is a small, clean town, with a Lutheran Church. An American invented Kewpie dolls here in 1912!  There is something called the Tobiashammer there, but I don't know what it is.  The Michaelis monastery is also near here.

We noticed that people-watching from a window seems to be a common pastime!

In Ohrdruf JS Bach studied organ with his brother, but his brother would not let him study the music of Pachelbel for some reason. The young Bach used to sneak into the library at night, reach through the ornate metal grating on the door with his small hand, take the Pachelbel music out, and copy it by hand. After months of doing this, his brother caught him and tore up all of Bach's copies!  What could be so wrong with Pachelbel???

From Ohrdruf, we drove to Arnstadt. We went into the Bach church there and saw the organ.  It was the first place we saw, where I had that "Wow! Bach was here! Right here!" realization. The church was cool and quiet, and we were the only tourists in it at the time, so that probably helped.

Bachkirche, Arnstadt

Formerly the Bonifatius Church

Formerly the Bonifatiuskirche, which burnt down in the Great Fire of 1581, it was rebuilt from 1676-1683 as the Neue Kirche.  Bach began to play as organist there in 1703.  In 1935, it was renamed as the Bachkirche.

Nave and Altar

Nave and Narthex. Organ in the balcony.

Bachkirche Organ

Bach Statue in Arnstadt. Do I detect an attitude?

I stopped in the Apotheke to buy some arnica cream for Dan's neck.  Homeopathic medicines are quite mainstream here.

Apotheke in Arnstadt

Next we drove to Erfurt, where Martin Luther studied law. We found a cafe serving Schnitzel Toast for lunch -- It was good!

Erfurt Market

Dan went up the hill and photographed the cathedral there, while I wandered around the Marketplatz and did a bit of shopping.

Fresh berries at the market

Fresh herbs, vegetable, and berry plants for sale at the market

Then we drove on to Weimar. We stopped there for Kaffee und Kuchen.  Mandarin Quark Kuchen is very popular everywhere, but the Rhubarb cake with Strüdel and Eclairs were a nice change. We had them with fennel tea and coffee.

We then drove back to the hotel in Bad Tabarz for a swim, a nap, and dinner.  We ate dinner at the hotel each night because the chef there was very creative.  I ordered mint sorbet again for dessert tonight, and here is what I got!

Mint sorbet with chocolate cream and blueberries,
strawberry asparagus salad and a Tasmanian mountain pepper