“Loop back at a trip to Leipzig” (Loula)

! POST IN TRANSLATION !

Hello! Loula here!
Today, I’m looking back on the first trip of the NOMADES 2026 project, a journey I took part in with great enthusiasm.

From this great journey, we can retain wonderful encounters, beautiful discoveries, and above all, an interesting musical exchange, fueled by ideas we had brought and prepared in advance. We wanted to come with a few “different” ways of approaching music education, focusing on working with an alternative language to what is usually seen in music schools.

After a long train ride (about 10 hours, starting from Lyon’s Part-Dieu station!), we’ve arrived in Leipzig. Located in former East Germany, it’s a real change of scene: the buildings and city squares are very large and quite impressive. It’s beautiful; it makes you want to see more, and although we’re tired, we can’t wait to check out the place where we’ll be staying for the next few days.

We arrived in Germany on the evening of Sunday, February 15. After having dinner at an Italian restaurant not far from our hotel, we headed back to rest up so we’d be in good shape. The next day, we met our German and Portuguese playmates and went on a grand tour of the city.

Something to keep you entertained on the train…!

One of Leipzig’s very pretty train stations; we were staying just a few meters away from it. Very convenient…

Day 1

On that first day, the afternoon was set aside for meeting with our foreign counterparts. However, we had the morning and early afternoon free. We took the opportunity to taste a German specialty and take a short walk around the hotel. We really liked the city, and I must also say that the snow, which had fallen overnight, made this first outing very pleasant for me. After a quick stop back at the hotel, we were already back out on our way to the meeting place.

We met up with the other young people, as well as the accompanying “educators,” near Augustusplatz. This was followed by a grand tour of the city of Leipzig, organized by the German team, who had planned this walk around the theme of music. Between the historic monuments where choirs were performing and the significant sites where J.S. Bach had spent time, there was much to discover. The snow, falling even more heavily than in the morning, added to the beauty of the moment, when walking was no longer an option and the cold had decided to be one of our companions.

My shoes, which have experienced dried beer on concert hall floors, the cobblestones I walk on every day, the ground of sunny paths, and now, the so white German snow!

After this long walk, we all gathered for an Indian meal at a restaurant in the city center: it was a chance for us to get to know each other in a relaxed setting and talk about our respective tastes and aspirations. We spoke mainly in English, a language that would prove very useful to us throughout our stay…
A small and typical German meat sandwich that made me realize that mustard over there is much milder than ours!

After dinner, the young Germans took us to a place where jam sessions are held regularly: the Villa. Here, people who want to perform sign up at the beginning of the evening and take turns. We had time to watch four performances, and I discovered a particularly beautiful German song (“Schagsechatten”, by AnnenMayKantereit). It was relaxing and moving to discover and listen to people who want to share their music.

Day 2

The schedule for this new day was pretty packed. First, we visited the Academy of Music: the German school. To get there, you have to take the tram and walk a bit. I think it’s worth mentioning that we got completely lost along the way… It’s pretty easy to take public transportation in the wrong direction in a country where you don’t understand a word!

After we arrived (late, consequently), we formed a circle to do some team-building exercises. After that, we set up our instruments and started playing. We presented what we had prepared in France, and the exchange, as well as the understanding, came together quite easily. Ideas flowed, and improvisation took shape through our ideas.

After lunch, which we had inside the school, we got back to the music; time was a bit tight, though, since the afternoon was set aside for a visit to the J.S. Bach Museum. There, we were able to enjoy an immersive experience thanks to virtual reality headsets: Thanks to this technology, we were able to see J.S. Bach speak to us and play his most famous pieces. It was quite a fun moment; I had never used headsets like this before, so I was intrigued by the concept and the graphics from the very beginning. We also had the chance to tour the museum and learn more about this giant of Western music.

Bust of J.S. Bach, at the entrance to the museum

J.S. Bach’s harpsichord

After the tour, we were all getting hungry, and even though we thought it was a bit early to eat, we were more than happy to have dinner. We ate at a kiosk, where I got to try an Austrian specialty. The evening ended on a cheerful note at Café Puschkin, a cute little bar in town. We got to try some German beers (I was particularly eager to discover them… :)) chat, and play games with our new friends. Laughter filled the air, and some of us started to feel sleepy. All in all, it was a very full day.

Pictures taken during the evening in the bar		Schnitzel and potato salad

Last day

On our final day, we went to WestWerk to visit a contemporary art residency and gallery. It’s a part of town that’s a bit less “neat and tidy.” You see more graffiti or stickers there, for example. You can really feel that art takes center stage there. We discovered several very diverse pop-up exhibitions. The gallery looks like a large barn, and artists can work there on-site and then exhibit their work. We took the opportunity to visit the art shop located there and pick up a few souvenirs.

The neighborhood	One of the exhibitions, the artist works primarily with plants	The art shop
After lunch, we worked on our music project at the German school, and we focused in particular on how we were going to incorporate all the different elements into it (for example, rap). Then, we practiced a bit of free improvisation, introducing others to objects to incorporate into the guitar playing. Groups were formed, and we had to improvise with these accessories.
The bar	The store’s sign	On our last day, our German friends wanted to introduce us to a historic bar in the Leipzig music scene: Horns Herben. It’s a venue where many artists (mainly jazz musicians) perform in a concert hall located upstairs. It’s a very charming place; you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time, and you quickly realize it’s steeped in history (the bar has survived two world wars, among other things). The owner was incredibly kind to us and didn’t hesitate to take the time to answer all our questions and provide detailed explanations.

We had to end this trip on a high note… That’s why, on the last night, we all gathered at the Academy of Music for a big jam session, to drink beer, and have fun. Anyone who wanted to could play —alone or in groups— the songs of their choice. It was a wonderful evening that gave us a chance to exchange contact information, reconnect, and, above all, see each other in a new light. What I appreciated most was the diversity of backgrounds and skill levels we rediscovered —it’s what makes this project so enriching!

All in all, this trip was a real opportunity: a chance to discover a new country, a chance to meet new people, a chance to tackle a new learning experience, and to build a project together. I found a lot of kindness, especially among the accompanying educators from the three countries, whom I warmly thank. This little report is coming to an end!
Thank you for reading!

Loula (March 4th, 2026).