Last week-end, we traveled by ferry to several different towns near Potsdam. If I have learned one thing while being here, it is that Germany sure does have a lot of Palaces. Those Prussian princes were not too shy with the pocket book.
My picture taking drive was a little low that day. We did not end up eating lunch until 4:00 after walking around in the hot sun all day, so my mind was elsewhere.
Yet another Schloss (German word for Palace).
I thought this small church we went into was decorated very beautifully and simply. Much different than most of the churches you see in Europe. Small and modest.
View of part of the Wannsee, along which Potsdam and its surroudings towns lye.
Sometimes I get tired of asking people to take pictures of me. So I apologize for the selfies:
There was a table with bags of homegrown apples for sale. So tart and yummy!
Last week, we decided to wait in line at this Döner place that is suppossed to be one of the best in Berlin. We waited in line for over an hour. Bahhh, I don't even think that it was worth it.
On Friday, we visited an old Stasi prison. Our tour was in German, and I think our guide was not used to giving tours in German to people who barely understand the language. I think he kept cracking jokes at us the whole time. At one point, he told us not to lean up against the walls inside the buildings because the paint is chipping and we would get old paint all over our clothes. Then he stared at us for a minute, not sure if we understood what he said, and said 'I guess we will find out who did not understand me by seeing who leans against the walls'
We got back last night from spending the week-end in Dresden. Dresden is very interesting because the city center was completely fire-bombed (courtesy of the U.S. miltary) in 1945. It is part of the former Eastern Block, so the town is a mixture of classic Stalinist style architecture (a.k.a boxy and concrete) and older German architecture that was left standing after the fire bomb.
I really liked this fountain, which lies in a stalinst-style shopping square.
We later saw it with the water turned off and it looked like an underwater mine.
Classic stalinist style art. It glorifies the everyday laborer.
Inside an old Catholic church in Dresden. I was excited by this because I could actually understand what was written on the confessionals. Usually you will find them with Latin writing. This one says 'Leave the world and give yourself to me'
It was hot. And Germany has no air conditioning.
We went to dinner and after we ate, instead of giving us breathmints, the waitor handed us each samples of perfume...?
The Frauenkirche was destroyed during the 1945 fire bombing, but the back stones are ones that were recovered and used to rebuild the church.
An entire section of the Kuppel was recovered from the old building.
As we were waiting for a ferry to take us across the river to see another Schloss, we had fun taking pictures of the ducks.
Hello Mr. Duck.
And, after a long day of walking around in the heat without the relief of air conditioning in any of the buildings, I did not even feel guilty about spending €4,30 on this bar of chocolate.
And there you have it. Little words and lots of pictures.
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