the building from the outside, and the wooden stairs inside.
we were given our own apartment to stay in by lau li (old li). he had just renovated and painted the apartment. the apartment was just few mins drive from his wife's apt. he stayed at his wife's, and we stayed in his place. the first night was too cold for me because my blanket was slightly thin and light. could not sleep at all trying to warm myself under the blanket. i had the best bed in the apt, a room to myself. aunt slept on the sofa bed while uncle slept in a sleeping bed. since i could not sleep, the mind began to wander...ahhaah....i was wondering if the ghosts of yonder years would come to haunt me. after all, it could have been a hiding place for someone or a place ppl had abandoned during war period. i am imaginative huh.
on 16, we decided to visit potsdam, about 30 mins train ride from berlin train station. this was the place where the potsdam conference was held in 1945 which helped shaped postwar europe. one should spend a whole day here instead of half...we did half day only. and again we bought group ticket to 3 zones in berlin (potsdam is in zone 3).
st nicholas church in the city.
sans souci park. Sans Souci Park, with its palaces and gardens, was the work of many architects and sculptors. The park covers an area of about 1.6 sq. km (2/3 sq. mile). Its premier attraction is the palace of Frederick II ("the Great"), Sans Souci, meaning "free from care." Frederick was one of the most liberal and farsighted of the Prussian monarchs. He was a great general, but he liked best to think of himself as an enlightened patron of the arts. Here he could get away from his duties, indulge his intellectual interests, and entertain his friend Voltaire. The style of the buildings he had constructed is called "Potsdam rococo" and is primarily the achievement of Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff.Sans Souci Palace, with its terraces and gardens, was inaugurated in 1747. The long, one-story building is crowned by a dome and flanked by two round pavilions. The elliptically shaped Marble Hall is the largest in the palace, but the music salon is the supreme example of the rococo style. A small bust of Voltaire commemorates Voltaire's sojourns here.
West of the palace is the Orangerie , built between 1851 and 1864. It was based on Italian Renaissance designs. Its purpose was to shelter southern plants during the cold months. In the central core is the Raphael Hall, which holds 47 copies of that master's paintings. it was closed when we were there...winter.
The largest building in the park is the extravagant Neues Palais , built between 1763 and 1769, at the end of the Seven Years' War. Crowning the center is a dome. The rococo rooms, filled with paintings and antiques, were used by the royal family. The most notable chamber is the Hall of Shells, with its fossils and semiprecious stones.
dunno what this is called, but still in the park.
christmas market again in branderburg street in potsdam.
Dutch Quarter (Holländisches Viertel)
the Brandenburg Gate (built in 1770), not the one in berlin.misses in potsdam: cecilienhof, where the potsdam conference was held and The Glienicke Bridge, used for exchanging spies during the Cold War.
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