The Potsdam Konferenz (Berlin Day 4)

We began the day after breakfast by heading to Potsdam (most famous as the site of the Potsdam Conference which split Germany and Berlin up into its specific sections - but no - we did not do to the specific Palace where the actual conference was held).

Potsdam is about an hour away from Berlin as "the Cathy drives" and is the home of another (yes another) UNESCO World Heritage Site - the "Parks and Palaces of Potsdam and Berlin." Mum, Annabelle and I visited Park Sanssouci, probably the most famous of the Parks and Palaces in the region. This was the summer hunting lodge of Frederick the Great, and it is also the final resting place for him, after his remains were finally brought here after centuries of unrest in Germany. The park is enormous, and there are several palaces within the grounds. It being winter, and the park being a "summer hunting lodge" it probably wasn't the best time to visit, as the statues were enclosed within tin sheds and the palaces were mostly closed. We also only had 45 minutes to visit the park, as Emily was back at the apartment fretting about her imminent flight to Stockholm for her exchange. The good weather leant the park an almost summery atmosphere - and if it wasn't for the completely bare hedges and lack of any flowers whatsoever - combined with the fact that we were all absolutely freezing, and my water based lip balm had managed to freeze on my lips - meaning that I couldn't smile properly in photos. Sanssouci means "without care" in French, and the park is certainly designed that way. It's laid out Versailles style, and if you've ever been to Versailles, that's the general impression of this park, but laid out on a distinctly German style, whatever that means. Our guide was enormously helpful (if a little odd - she never looked us in the eye...), and I think Annabelle and Mum would agree if we said that we got an excellent overview of the park. I know I'll be back in summer so that I'll be able to experience the park at its very best.

We quickly departed Potsdam, and rushed back to Berlin to pick up Emily and James, before heading to the airport. They checked in to their flight, and we had lunch, before they departed. Here's Emily just before she left on her BIG ADVENTURE (written with capital letters to emphasis that the adventure is big).

 After we dropped the two of them off, we headed for the Haus der Wansee Konferenz, the location of the Wansee Conference, where the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question in Europe" was planned. It's an excellent Museum, and the house is well kept. It's slightly eerie as a location, as the beautiful setting of the villa on the lake is contrasted with the horrible things that were planned here by those in the SS and the Nazi Party Elite.

From there, we drove back to Berlin along the Kurfurstendamm, West Berlin's main boulevard, modelled on the Champs Elysee in Paris. The glamorous shops that line the street are a testament to the economic prosperity of West Berlin, and I'm yet to see as many shops on one street in East Berlin yet. Stopping along the street, we walked up to KaDeWe, so that we could grab some steak for us in the opulent food halls of Europe's largest department store. 

Annabelle spied a small bottle of sturgeon caviar for 300 Euros, and while I'm sure you're all disappointed that we didn't get it - we got something almost as good - American steak from the butcher there (which was later declared by Mum to be the best steak she'd ever had - at home or in a restaurant). I won't reveal how much we spent on the steak - but it was money well spent in the end, and a fitting way to cap off our time in Berlin. We also bought a couple of "German-Centric" films - authentic movies like Inglourious Basterds, The Brothers Grimm, and The Diary of Anne Frank. Really authentic German films you know...

It was a lovely last night in Berlin, and a fitting way to finish off our time in Germany's capital.