We just completed Day 1 of our European vacation.
We landed in Leipzig at about 8 AM Germany time, Friday morning. After a little trouble finding each other, we and Avery finally connected and traveled from the airport to Halle via a short bus trip to the train stop, then the train to the Halle train station.
Literally as we disembarked from the train, we encountered a massive group of singing, beer-swilling, blue-and-white clad Hertha BSC football supporters as they were about to head in the opposite direction to their football match in Berlin. Welcome to Germany!
We made our way, via tram, to our hotel (Dorint Charlottenhof) and checked into the one room that was ready at that early time. After fighting off sleep as much as possible but feeling quite groggy from being up for 24 hours straight, we finally headed out and walked around a quite toasty Halle. My immediate reaction was I liked the grit of Halle. It's not touristy and doesn't try to be. It feels lived-in. It forces the visitor to like it on its terms and isn't trying to be loved.
Like every German city I've seen, the architecture--both ancient and modern--is stunning. I of course took a kajillion pictures on my phone.
We got to see Avery's place, which is not bad for student housing. Basically four bedrooms opening into a tiny hallway with a postage stamp sized kitchen. Avery's room has a window that opens out to Beesenerstraße, a main thoroughfare in the south section of Halle.
By about 3 PM Germany time, everyone was hungry, so we "trammed" back up to central Halle for Burgerheart. Happy to have Avery there who could make ordering easier because he can translate for us (sometimes annoying and definitely non-German speaking and loopy from no sleep) Americans. The food was great. I didn"t necessarily want a cheeseburger, but that was the consensus so I went with. I was hungry anyway.
Well, gotta get this phone on a charger to get ready for more fun today. Ta-ta for now.
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