Another lovely sunny morning.  On finishing our breakfast our plan was to inspect the largest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall located near the ornate bridge beside the River Spree.  The pieces of wall have now been decorated in modern art / graffiti and plaques explain the historical significance.

A train to Potsdam was next on our agenda.  The journey took one hour and on arrival at the modern Potsdamer Railway Station, we soon found a bus to take us to the New Palace of Sanssouci.  The New Palace lies to the north of Sanssouci Park and is one of Germany’s most beautiful palaces.  We followed a route through the park, ‘Schlosspark Sanssouci’ passing the ornate Orangerie before arriving at the grand Schlosspark Sanssouci.

We strolled through formal gardens with raised flowerbeds and fountains, a circular pond was frozen in places, and it was amusing to watch the ducks slipping and sliding over the ice, trying to find their way into the water!  A huge restoration programme was underway and the majority of the statues had been enclosed in blue wooden boxes ready to be taken away for repair and cleaning.

On leaving the park we walked into the old town quarter of Potsdam.  It’s a delightful place with its many period buildings and cobbled streets.  We would have liked to stop off for a hot chocolate but as it was a Sunday, everywhere seemed to be closed.  Even large stores in central Berlin do not open on Sunday.

Returning to Berlin, we left the train at Tiergarten where a Sunday antique and flea market was taking place.  It wasn’t very interesting, so we crossed the road and wandered through the large urban park, passing dog walkers and keep fit enthusiasts along the way.  We viewed the Spanish embassy and then took the underpass to the Statue of Victory which was constructed in the 1870’s.  The landmark is surrounded by five major roads and the Brandenburg Gate can be seen in the distance.

Conveniently, a No.100 bus appeared so we jumped on board for the short journey to Lustgarten (Pleasure Garden) which is located in a park on Museum Island.  This is a vibrant part of the city centre with the grand Altes Museum and Berliner Dom (the cathedral – featured main photo above) to be found there.  Artists were showcasing their work along the riverbank outside the City Art Gallery.  Around the corner we found ourselves outside the Natural History Museum so we called in for a short visit.

Continuing along the river we arrived at Hackescher Markt, a lively district filled with bars and restaurants so we returned there later for our evening meal.

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