Berlin is a big city, and because of its having been separated into East and West for so long, it's very spread out. We only had one day there, so to see as much as we could in a limited time we decided to do one of those hop-on, hop-off tour buses. Carl and I have never done one of those before, and I'll confess that in the past we've made fun of them and swore that we'd never set foot on one! :-) Oh well, I guess there's a first time for everything, and in fact I think it ended up being a good choice that enabled us to get around quickly and at least get a glimpse of the major sights. As for Berlin itself, it's an interesting blend of old and new, it's "cool", and it's actually quite affordable for a city its size. It must be a great place to live!
Potsdam is kind of a suburb of Berlin, and is a very pretty town. Unfortunately we didn't have time to see one of its main attractions, the Sanssouci palace and gardens; we were there to take a cruise among one of the many lakes (many of which are linked by rivers and canals) in the area. At this point I'll also mention that with the exception of one day we had really beautiful weather, which made some of these outdoor excursions even more enjoyable. Europe's been having some nice late Spring weather, and we've really been enjoying it!
Dresden and Leipzig are the two big cities in the former East Germany (besides East Berlin). Both were heavily damaged in World War II, but both have also been completely rebuilt and are quite attractive. It was really sobering to see some of the pictures of what these places looked like after the war, as compared to now. We also didn't know what to expect in terms of aesthetics, given the former East German government's penchant for building Soviet-style apartment blocks, but we were pleasantly surprised to find some beautiful places along the way. The infrastructure is very good as well, and we had no problem managing on our extremely limited German. The people in both cities were friendly, the prices very affordable, and there's quite a bit to see! If any of you are looking to stretch your dollars when it comes to European travel, I would really recommend checking out this part of Germany.
Meissen and Lutherstadt Wittenberg are two towns you've probably never heard of, and neither had we! Lutherstadt Wittenberg was just a quick stopover on our way to the airport, to check out the church where Martin Luther reportedly nailed his 95 theses in 1517, starting the Protestant reformation. The church where the first Protestant services were held is there as well, so we stopped to pay a quick visit to both of those. Meissen, on the other hand, is known mainly for its fine (and very expensive!) porcelain. Meissen is where we based ourselves for the last three nights of our stay, and this town was a surprise favorite for all of us! It's in a stunning setting right along the Elbe River, topped by a cathedral and castle that are perched on the top of a steep hill. It was absolutely beautiful, the people were very warm and friendly, and the food we had there was great! It's only a matter of time before word gets out about this charming town, and I only hope that greater notoriety won't ruin its charms.
One last word on this trip - we had some excellent meals in this area, particularly in Meissen and Dresden. There's a lot more to German food than sausage and sauerkraut, and even though I'd been to Germany before, I found the cuisine here to be about the best German food I've had anywhere.
Photos:
#1: Carl and I at the Brandenburg Gate
#2: One of the many old castles and palaces we saw on our cruise from Potsdam
#3: The view from our dinner table one evening in Meissen - it was even better in person!
#4: Central square of Dresden; the Residenzschloss is on the left, the Hofkirche on the right
#5: The church in Leipzig where Bach was cantor (the guy in charge of singing and music) from 1723 to 1750
1 comment:
I've been in Eaastern Germany a few month later, Sanssouci was LAME. We are a family that like ancient buildings, (old) palaces and museums but sanssouci wasn't that great
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