The pea and ham soup was a success! The smoked pork was the right choice for the flavour and the meat fell away as it was shredded. It was delicious for breakfast.

The weather promised to be perfect again, although cold! 

The plan was to go to Potsdam for the day, a city about 25–30 km (15–18 miles) from Berlin. We strolled down a few blocks to find the car Scott had hired for the day, a modern Peugeot. The traffic was heavy in places but we persevered and finally reached our destination. 

We walked down to Brandenburg Straße and stopped at Das Eiscafè am Brandenburg Tor for coffee and apple cake. The coffee, food, service and atmosphere were excellent.

We wandered up the Main Street which was lined with shops vying for the tourist dollar. There were a good variety of stores that enticed us to buy some items too. We also picked up some beef roulades and placki (potato cakes) for dinner from the fancy delicatessen, Lindner. 

Onward to the Sanssouci Palace, through a run down church building with a bell tower and religious statues. We followed the paths, some with ice, to the impressive estate and gardens. 

Potsdam was a major Prussian royal city.  This palace was built in the 1700s as the summer palace of Frederick the Great. Its name means “without worries.” It’s famous for its Rococo style, gardens, and for hosting thinkers like Voltaire.

 In 1945, the Potsdam Conference was held there, shaping post-World War II Europe and Potsdam’s palaces and parks, including Sanssouci, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the drive back to Berlin we encountered some traffic but the setting sun was casting a lovely light over the landscape.

We found a parking spot relatively close to the apartment for the hire car. We settled in for the evening enjoying the food we purchased in Potsdam and catching more episodes of Younger on Netflix.

Guten Nacht