Albert's news.

I believe Albert is in Leipzig for the Bach Fest, and to marvel at the world's largest station.

Say what you like about the communists who ran the place for 40 years, at least they left all the old buildings alone. Not that they had any option really. What with property ownership being verboten, there was no money to be made from demolition and redevelopment.

I wonder if the Party could ever have imagined that one day the west would restore the buildings and turn them to capitalist use. 

The  largest railway station in the world. Hitler could have staged rallies inside, and still have had lebensraum to spare.

Last night's performance of Bach's Musical Offering in the Evangelical church was a huge treat. For years I used to listen to it, with Mary Hopkin, on the old LP she nicked from her old man's collection. I know it inside out, so that last night I was able to get such fun from it, despite the jet lag doing its best to slam my forehead against the pew. And despite the family who dragged their poor kids in with them, to sit in front of me and play with their electronic devices. The band was the Freiburg Baroque Consort, and it was obvious that they love the piece as much as I do - the only difference between us being that they're world-class baroque soloists, and I know five chords on the ukulele. 

Today I'm in a packed old Lutheran church, for a Bach cantata. But the shameless old cleric is milking the moment, with droning sermons before every single piece, AND he's taking a collection, on top of the ticket price! 

Wait - now he's getting everyone to stand up and chant a prayer. What a nerve!

Lunch was duck and vegetable curry, with bubble tea flavoured with coconut.