Sanssouci Palace

Located in the town of Potsdam, in the countryside outside of Berlin is the summer home of Frederick the Great who apparently liked to live well (can't fault him for that). His tomb is here. The house and gardens were built from 1745 to 1747.

Berlin had started to warm up and stop drizzling so we decided to drive out there one morning and walk the gardens. We didn't go inside the palace as we are not that keen on displays of ostentation and wealth that make our home look rather understated-when you see how flashy the Chinese Tea House is later it will hint at what you might find in the villa on the hill.

The Palace is on just one level which is very un-palace like, but that's what Frederick wanted. At it's foot lies a terraced vineyard, which beats the pants off your home wine cellar...

  A circular pond with fountain (not running)

The temperature was in the mid 50's which made it pleasant for a stroll through the grounds.

Here is the Chinese Tea House

Ostentatious. Very few Germans had Tea Houses in the garden and even fewer had this much golden statuary. The good old days!

It was a nice peaceful day in the park, away from the noise of the city. It was a world of ponds and ducks and squirrels (who all apparently escaped being photographed) and winter trees, not yet bursting into bloom. This was the earliest time of year we had been in Europe as we usually go there in May, August or September. I blame Wagner and the Berlin Staatsoper.

I think it only took 45 minutes to get there-so a nice quick break and soon we were back in Berlin...
the local offices of Mercedes Benz.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church-a church that was bombed in an air raid during WWII and left standing as it was after the raid.

Looks like a fingertip getting into the shot!

Street sculpture in Kurfuerstendamm, a major shopping street.

Nearby the entrance to the Tier Garten (Tier = animal in English)

Back in the city and tonight back to the Opera House for another thrilling night of music and drama.
We met one of the main singers after the show-our friend Emily Magee- and went to diner at an outdoor restaurant of her choosing. She chose well.

Tomorrow we planned to drive way out of the city towards the Polish border to an area we had learned about from Rick Steves- a place few Berlin visitors seem to know about.....