Frankfurt Friends in Berlin!

Look who came to visit us!!!  Our old Frankfurt pals, Johanna and Frederic, came to spend the weekend.  We filled the weekend with several adventures including a to the German Historical Museum.  Johanna, Frederic and Fritz are all historians so this was quite fitting.  

We also decided to explore the charming city of Potsdam, which is just south of Berlin.  While Berlin is the capital of Germany, Potsdam is the capital of the German federal state of Brandenburg (Germany is divided into 16 federated states).  It was historically the residence of the Prussian Kings and the German Kaiser until 1918.  

There were several lovely rivers and streams around the city. 

An old communist building has been converted into a university building.

The Dutch Quarter is characterized be these quaint brick buildings.

The Brandenburg Gate is pictured above, not to be confused with the other Brandenburg Gate located in downtown Berlin. 

The Palaces of Sanssouci (pronounced San-Soo-See) is a must-see for anyone visiting Potsdam.  This is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia.  He carefully sculpted the park that surrounds the palace with gardens, greenhouses, nurseries, obelisks, goddess statues, and several thematic temples.  The steps leading to the palace's front door cut through a terraced vineyard.  Sanssouci was built in the Rococo style and has been said to rival the French Palace of Versailles.  "Sanssouci" means without worries as this location was intended to be a place of relaxation for the Prussian King.  It was built in 1747, but various upgrades continued to be completed, including the New Palace built just 20 years after Sanssouci. 

We came a few months too early to see the vineyard in bloom, but you can see the terraces behind us.  All of the busts and statues were covered up for the winter as well, each hiding in its very own tiny house.  I guess we will have to come back once spring is really underway so we can see the palace in full bloom. 

It was a lovely view of the grounds and the city in the distance from the top of the palace steps. 

Next to the burial place of Frederick the Great was a puddle where someone had dropped a little white origami crane.

Here's our gang looking so cool on the steps to nowhere.  Literally nowhere.  There was a wall with a locked gate blocking our way, so we took a picture and went a different way. 

Thank you so much for coming to visit us Johanna and Frederic!  We had such a lovely adventure with you!