On Saturday we took a train out to Potsdam. It is sort of the Versailles of Berlin. It is a small town, but it is famous for at least three large parks full of palaces and other imperial whims. We happily took a different bus than all the rest of the tourists and ended up at the opposite end of the park from them most of the day. So we started here at the New Palace (built to prove that Prussia wasn't bankrupt after its latest war). We didn't think we'd make it inside, but found out that we could buy a family ticket and have a whole month to try and make it through, so we decided to try just one palace.
We had to put on huge felt slippers so that we wouldn't scratch the (amazing) marble and wood floors, which added an element of skating to the whole event. Then we played our now favorite game in castles and palaces: "this is MY room!" where each of the kids chooses a room that is theirs. There were lots to choose from in this palace. All of Potsdam was part of East Germany during the cold war, and of course anything having to do with the monarchy was suspicious, so Potsdam has been ignored for thirty years and that was after it was bombed. The Sanssouci park where we were was mostly spared. It is only now being renovated and it was really impressive to see all the work that they're going to. Somehow it was more impressive to see it half in ruins that some of those castles that were all gussied up. Your eyes glaze over more quickly in the face of undiluted opulence, but when two of the doors have plywood in them, I was more in awe of the gold and the grotto room and the ball room and everything else.
After the New Palace, we wandered through the park and ended up here at the Orangerie. It is an amazing place too. Steps and steps and steps up to it though, so I went up and the kids ate lunch with Rob down in the park here in the foreground. Lots of work being done here on how to salvage and preserve the terracotta statues that were found all over it.
Then we wandered to the Chinese Tea House, which is completely preposterous and looks like it dropped out of Alice in Wonderland. It is one big room inside where Sebastian said he'd like to play cars with Tomas (I'll just bet he would!).
Finally, we meandered over to Sanssouci, the most famous of the complex (and the one closest to the train station . . . wonder if there is a connection). The name means 'without care' and was built as a pleasure palace outside of Berlin. There is a Voltaire room where he slept, and a ladies wing which had some good paintings and we went through that too. Maddie and I bought some candy rocks, which were more convincing as rocks than they were as candy. And we agreed that we would come back another time to check off more palaces on our family ticket. Only 29 to go!
On Saturday we took a train out to Potsdam. It is sort of the Versailles of Berlin. It is a small town, but it is famous for at least three large parks full of palaces and other imperial whims. We happily took a different bus than all the rest of the tourists and ended up at the opposite end of the park from them most of the day. So we started here at the New Palace (built to prove that Prussia wasn't bankrupt after its latest war). We didn't think we'd make it inside, but found out that we could buy a family ticket and have a whole month to try and make it through, so we decided to try just one palace.
We had to put on huge felt slippers so that we wouldn't scratch the (amazing) marble and wood floors, which added an element of skating to the whole event. Then we played our now favorite game in castles and palaces: "this is MY room!" where each of the kids chooses a room that is theirs. There were lots to choose from in this palace. All of Potsdam was part of East Germany during the cold war, and of course anything having to do with the monarchy was suspicious, so Potsdam has been ignored for thirty years and that was after it was bombed. The Sanssouci park where we were was mostly spared. It is only now being renovated and it was really impressive to see all the work that they're going to. Somehow it was more impressive to see it half in ruins that some of those castles that were all gussied up. Your eyes glaze over more quickly in the face of undiluted opulence, but when two of the doors have plywood in them, I was more in awe of the gold and the grotto room and the ball room and everything else.
After the New Palace, we wandered through the park and ended up here at the Orangerie. It is an amazing place too. Steps and steps and steps up to it though, so I went up and the kids ate lunch with Rob down in the park here in the foreground. Lots of work being done here on how to salvage and preserve the terracotta statues that were found all over it.
Then we wandered to the Chinese Tea House, which is completely preposterous and looks like it dropped out of Alice in Wonderland. It is one big room inside where Sebastian said he'd like to play cars with Tomas (I'll just bet he would!).
Finally, we meandered over to Sanssouci, the most famous of the complex (and the one closest to the train station . . . wonder if there is a connection). The name means 'without care' and was built as a pleasure palace outside of Berlin. There is a Voltaire room where he slept, and a ladies wing which had some good paintings and we went through that too. Maddie and I bought some candy rocks, which were more convincing as rocks than they were as candy. And we agreed that we would come back another time to check off more palaces on our family ticket. Only 29 to go!
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