Halle Hello

For now just a note that I've arrived at my final European destination, Halle (Saale).

I am very grateful that the train trip was far easier and less eventful than the last one!

Tomorrow I meet with an emeritus professor from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, and I get to see sights related to my FAVORITE mathematician, Georg Cantor - who proved that infinity comes in different sizes!

I feel bad that I haven't completed my last two posts yet, but I think as I'm winding down I'm kind of wearing down also (they will eventually be completed).  We'll see what this destination holds.  I hope to do more blogging here and more paper and pen journaling as well.  It has the potential to be a less full couple of days, but the person I'm meeting with knows how much I love the pipe organ and has suggested a day trip to Leipzig, where J. S. Bach lived and worked  .  .  .  and then there's Wittenberg so close by, what with the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation next year and all  .  .  .

It's not likely that I'll ever be in Europe again - not impossible, but not likely - so I am leaning more towards doing those things than not.  This is my chance!

Halle is not only where Cantor taught, but it's also where Georg Friedrich Handel was born and baptized and first learned to play organ.  I'm eager to visit the Marktkirche where he learned to play, and which looks absolutely stunning in all the photographs I've seen of it online.

I think this will be a good ending to a great trip!  Thanks for following along!

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UPDATE - I've had my first day here and am going to morph this post, but it will take a while.  The very first thing I want to do is to share a video clip of what I experienced upon walking into the Marktkirche of Halle (a place where Martin Luther preached, by the way)

CONTINUING UPDATES: I've been in the Marktkirche here a number of times now - the first visit, seen above - an unexpected organ concert last night (Wednesday) - and an organ concert I planned on this (Thursday) noon.  The church is amazing inside and out.  Not only did Luther preach here, but Georg Friedrich Handel was baptized here and learned to play organ here.

Halle is known as the city of the five towers because of the four on the church and the one, the Red Tower, in front of the church.  Having known the name in advance, I was surprised it wasn't red in color when I saw it, but I learned it was termed "red" for another reason, as it was in front of this tower that executions were carried out in the past.

I positively fell in love with the "spaghetti" ice cream at the Eis Cafe Venezia!

 Manfred brought his most recent book along - one of mathematics history including anecdotes, poetry, pictures, etc. - to show me.  He's going to send me a copy - yea!  He is also a polyglot who loves practicing his languages whenever he gets a chance, so here he speaking Italian with the Eis Cafe Venezia owner and asking him if he's familiar with Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano.  I think during our time together I heard him speak in or translate from six different languages, but I'm pretty sure he speaks and reads many more than that!

 We took in the Halle State Museum of Prehistory, where there was a special exhibition on war, and where, as we found out, there were going to be re-enactments the next day.  

The actors, the above musketeer in particular, graciously let us get in on the action ahead of time!

As you can see this is quite different from anything in any of my other posts, but I guess that's what happens when a host comes alongside, a host that speaks the native language, has a good sense of humor and is an extrovert - a whole different experience!

This museum is best known for the Nebra Sky Disk, which is the earliest concrete description of the cosmos in the world.  It was discovered in 1999 and is considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.  Here are pictures of it on the poster outside.  We weren't allowed to take pictures of it inside, but it is beautifully displayed.  All of the displays in this museum were presented with exquisite artistry.  I don't know that I've ever seen a museum of this sort present things with quite the degree of artistic excellence that I saw here.

The first floor contained a very powerful and moving display about the Thirty-Years War, of which I knew very little before but know somewhat more about now having been in many places in this area that was so hard hit by this.  Recently a mass grave was found, not many have been, though many thousands were killed in this region, and there must be many mass graves.

The display case at the bottom contains the lead shot found in and around the bodies - many inside the skulls.  Almost the entire first floor was dedicated to information about this war and also about how this mass grave was excavated, preserved and displayed in this way.  I don't have the wherewithall to express all of that, but, among other things, I wonder when as a human race we will learn to stop doing this to each other.  (The personal impact on me was that on a mother of sons.  I was in tears looking at this.  What waste!)

OK - hard to know what to follow that with - 

 - I think I'll follow up with some random shots of town -

The image above is from the facade of the Beatles Museum in Halle.  It claims to be the biggest Beatles museum in the world, even larger than the one in Liverpool.  Since I didn't get time to go inside here, nor have I ever been to Liverpool I can neither confirm nor deny this claim.  I do love how in so many places in Europe the new and old co-exist very well; note the date on the arch under the image of the Beatles!

"Ich Leibe Es" = "I'm lovin' it!"

Giebichenstein Castle, Halle, Germany