First, where is Halle?

Halle—usually written as Halle (Saale) to distinguish it from other towns with the same name—is in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, along the Saale River. It is about 24 miles from Leipzig, and the two cities form one of the region’s major urban and economic centers.

Halle is more than 1,200 years old, first appearing in written records in 806. Much of its historic center survived the destruction suffered by many German cities during World War II, so the old town retains a great deal of its original character. It is also well connected by rail, including Germany’s high-speed ICE trains.

Esther was traveling to Halle for an international scientific conference, and I went along to explore the city—and, of course, to add a little more adventure to the trip.

Friday, August 28—Getting Started

Susan drove Esther and me to the multimodal transportation center behind the Classic Center in Athens, where we caught the Greyhound bus to the Atlanta airport. This was a new experience for us, but at only $15 per person, we decided it was worth trying.

There were not many passengers, and the ride was comfortable and smooth. The bus arrived at the airport about 45 minutes late, however, and because it only runs once a day, you need to be patient and allow plenty of extra time.

Our Delta flight to Amsterdam was long but uneventful. Our original tickets had us sitting together, but after Esther changed her return flight, our seats were moved. Fortunately, the gate agent found us two seats together—in the very last row of the plane.

Saturday, August 29—Arrival in the Netherlands

We arrived at Schiphol Airport around 10:30 in the morning. As is often the case at Schiphol, it took nearly two hours to get through passport control.

We caught the 181 bus and then walked about eight-tenths of a mile to the Hotel Aalsmeer. After dropping off our bags and freshening up, we grabbed a quick lunch before going to see Esther’s father, Gerard.

Gerard had undergone hip-replacement surgery only ten days earlier, which was why we decided to stay at a hotel this time. We wanted to make him a nice dinner, so we found a couple of New York Times recipes that could all be prepared in the oven. We began with roasted broccoli and potatoes, followed by salmon fillets, corn and cherry tomatoes.

Gerard loved the meal, and there was barely a crumb left. After getting very little sleep on the airplane, we were more than ready for an early bedtime.

Sunday, August 30—Amersfoort and a Family Celebration

After breakfast and a leisurely morning, we traveled to Amersfoort to explore several neighborhoods where we had seen apartments for sale. It was a little rainy, but the visit was both fun and educational—and gave us a better sense of where we might eventually like to have a place in the Netherlands.

We returned to Aalsmeer around 3:30 and visited with Gerard before leaving for a barbecue hosted by Esther’s cousin and his wife as a wedding gift to us. It was a wonderful evening, with delicious food, good company and enough English spoken to keep me involved in the conversations.

Monday, August 31—Nine Hours on the Train

We took the train from the Netherlands to Hannover, Germany, and then transferred to another train for Halle. The trains were delayed by about an hour, so we spent close to nine hours traveling. Although we could get up and walk around occasionally, it was still a very long day of sitting.

When we finally arrived in Halle, we decided to walk the 2.2 kilometers to the Ankerhof Hotel. It was nearly 6:30 when we checked in. The Ankerhof was a pleasant old hotel, and our air-conditioned room was wonderfully cool—exactly what we needed after the long journey.

After freshening up, we set out for dinner at the Alchimistenklause, a restaurant Esther had found. It was about a 40-minute walk, but ten minutes after we started, the rain began. We quickly changed plans and ducked into the cozy Osteria Da Salvatore instead. The Italian food was good, and the wine was even better.

Tuesday, September 1—Discovering Halle

Conference registration began at 11:30. The 40-minute walk to the conference center followed the Saale River and was beautiful. The weather was cool and almost autumn-like, making the walk especially pleasant.

While Esther attended the conference, I spent the day wandering through the streets and getting familiar with Halle. Exploring a new city on foot is one of my favorite ways to discover it, and Halle’s historic buildings and old-town atmosphere made it especially enjoyable.

That evening, we attended a conference dinner at the historic Krug zum Grünen Kranze beer garden beside the Saale River. There were 277 people attending from at least 25 countries, making it a truly international gathering. The traditional German food, beer and conversations were all excellent. Afterward, the cool 40-minute walk back to our hotel was the perfect digestive.

Wednesday, September 2—Ancient Skies and Handel

After walking Esther to the conference for its 8:30 start, I continued to the State Museum of Prehistory. It was a fascinating museum filled with ancient artifacts, although most of the descriptions were in German, and translating everything on my phone became a slow process.

The highlight was seeing the famous Nebra Sky Disc. Dating to around 1600 BCE, the bronze disc is decorated with gold images representing the Sun or full Moon, a crescent Moon and stars, including the Pleiades. It is considered the oldest known realistic representation of the night sky and may have helped ancient people track the seasons and coordinate the lunar and solar calendars.

Seeing the original disc—one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Europe—was well worth the visit.

I also toured the house where George Frideric Handel was born and grew up. It has been transformed into a beautiful museum containing an impressive collection of musical instruments, many dating to the 1700s. Handel was born in Halle in 1685, and the museum provides a fascinating look at both his life and the development of music during his time.

The conference barbecue was scheduled for that evening, but we decided to skip it and finally try the Alchimistenklause. The restaurant was fully booked, but because we arrived at 6:00, they offered us a table for two hours. The food was very good, and we were glad we had made a second attempt.

Thursday, September 3—Esther’s Talk and Leipzig

We arrived at the conference around 10:00. Esther spent the morning putting the final polish on her presentation, which was scheduled for 11:00, and I attended to hear her speak.

Afterward, several conference participants wanted a word with Dr. van der Knaap. Once the scientific discussions were finished, we caught the train to Leipzig, about 35 minutes away.

In Leipzig, we visited a church, toured the Bach Museum and had dinner at a Greek restaurant. It was a full but enjoyable afternoon, and we returned to our hotel shortly after dark, around 9:00.

Friday, September 4—Back to Aalsmeer

Friday was another travel day. We took the tram to the Halle train station and began the long journey back to the Netherlands. We arrived in Aalsmeer around 5:30, with enough time to do some shopping and prepare another dinner for Gerard.

Saturday, September 5—Home Again

On Saturday, Esther remained in the Netherlands while I took an uneventful flight back to the United States. After landing in Atlanta, I caught an Uber home to Athens.

The trip combined family, science, history, food and plenty of walking—not to mention many hours on trains. Halle proved to be a fascinating city, and seeing the Nebra Sky Disc and Handel’s birthplace made the visit especially memorable. Most importantly, I was glad to be there to hear Esther’s presentation and share another European adventure with her.