Had a great nights sleep, a hearty breakfast and then off to Potsdam which was a 30 minute train ride from Berlin. As usual Carol quickly worked out the transport system and we took a bus to the Sanssouci Palace the Summer house of Frederick the Great. Our audio guide through the obscenely embellished rooms of the palace was very well presented, and outside we admired the vast gardens. A separate building housed a fabulous art collection - a gallery with hundreds of works of art hung cheek by jowl along the walls. In a way I felt that the amassing of so many paintings in such close proximity detracted from the ability to appreciate the collection. A quick snack of Bratwurst chips and a beer, satisfied the inner hunger and we took another bus to Cecilienhof Palace which is the final Hohenzollern Palace built in the style of an English Country House in the early 1900's.
This Palace was the venue for the famous Potsdam Conference which decided on the future division of Germany after WW2 and was attended by Stalin Churchill and Roosevelt, later replaced by Clement Atlee and Truman. The top right pictures show the Palace and the conference room where meetings took place.I nearly got caught taking the conference room picture as photos were not allowed and I had forgotten that the flash was on!!!
A very friendly bus driver then took us into the old town of Potsdam where we had a lovely stein of beer and Carol had her beer and raspberry (Heirbeir I think it was called!).Then a tram ride down to the Station and back to Berlin. Had an excellent meal in a restaurant near our hotel and were a bit put oout when the waiter brought the bill and made the point that it did not include a service charge or tip!! Carol was most unimpressed and we left the exact money on the table and walked out!!
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