Travels N'at 2015: Berlin to Potsdam - Saturday, 19 September

It was a very early morning alarm today since we were leaving for Potsdam at 8:00. Tuned into the Pirates game only to learn they were losing again. I have a sinking feeling about hosting the wild card game. The Cubs need to go in freefall.

On the way to Potsdam we crossed the Bridge of Spies. The Glienicke Bridge crosses the Havel River and was a crossing between East Germany in Potsdam and the American sector of West Berlin. During the Cold War it was a place that spies were exchanged between the Soviets and the Americans.

Our first stop of the day was the Sanssouci Palace. We had been there in 2002' but it seemed tha much more restoration had been done to the rooms. The approach from the Norman Tower was formidable and conveyed the essence of power and wealth.

Sanssouci Palace was built around 1745 and served as the emperor's home until his death in 1786. One of Frederick's main reasons for building the palace was for the excavation of his grave. He meant to die there "without a care," the meaning of Sanssouci.

The rooms are in the Rococco style and gilded to the hilt. There are numerous references to gods and myths, especially Ovid's The Metamorphoses.

The back of the palace looking toward the gardens

Entrance hall doors

The library

Even Andy Warhol painted a portrait of Frederick.

After about a 90 minute tour of the palace we moved outside to the grave of Frederick and the gardens. Frederick was divorced soon after his marriage and left no heirs. He was buried along side his dogs. The potatoes signify his commitment and introduction into Germany of potato farming.

The gardens are modeled after Versailles, but pale in comparison to them or the gardens of Peterhof.

Back on the coach for a brief tour of Potsdam where we saw a real mixture of architectural styles. The original plan was to be able to get to the Saturday markets, but we were running late and had to forego that.

The pumping station for Sanssouci disguised as a mosque

As we approached the highway we got a brief glimpse of Checkpoint Bravo.

The choir had a brief rehearsal and then we were off for a 3 hour boat ride on the Spree and canals. The focus of the trip was the bridges of Berlin. We saw close to 30 bridges and I would have to do some research to remember all the names. Many were very low for our boat to pass under. The weather was quite changeable from a few raindrops to some sunshine to a downpour during the last 15 minutes of the voyage.