Potsdam, Germany - 3 June 2024

We decided to do a day trip to Potsdam. It was a 50 minute train trip from our accommodation in Berlin. Easy trip and EUR4.40. We have worked out the Berlin public transport app now and that makes everything much easier.

When we arrived it was very cold and we walked to the main street and found somewhere for coffee and a chocolate croissant. It's much quieter than Berlin and much prettier.

We walked up this street to take a picture of this church and then found a local market right next to it.

It's an attractive and very clean town...

This is one of three city gates, Nauener Tor. We walked through here on our way to Sanssouci Park...

The park was built under Alexander the Great in the mid-eighteenth century...

The gardens are large and very well kept...

There are various buildings on the grounds...

It was a long walk from town to this palace...

Looking back...

The Chinese House which was more a perception of Chinese architecture than the reality...

Back in Potsdam, through the city gate, known as the Brandenburg Gate, not to be confused with the more famous one in Berlin...

Potsdam main street...

Had lunch in a Vietnamese restaurant and then headed back to Berlin.

Berlin, Germany - 1 June 2024 to 3 June 2024

Arrived from Prague, on Eliza's birthday, 1 June. The train trip was good, but over four hours so I was pretty hungry. Caught the local train from the main station but I couldn't get the app to work so travelled without a ticket which is dangerous here as my daughter Alex has been fined multiple times!

Safely arrived at my station and stopped at a Vietnamese place for food...

The AirBnb was a short walk. It is large and nicely decorated in an older style building. This is the view of the street (Boxhaggener Strasse) from the balcony...

The local area is really cool, lots of bars and restaurants. I went for a walk.

It's Eliza's birthday so we went for cocktails at a fancy cocktail bar called Timber Doodle...

After dinner we explored the local area. This is a karaoke machine so we gave it a try...

The next morning we caught a bus and a train to the wall (we worked out the public transport app!). This is from the Western side...

But the East side is way more interesting...

From the Western side, it is not that interesting...

Back on the East side...

It's very close to the river Spree...

We then walked over this bridge and back...

Then we caught another bus to the Brandenburg Gate...

We stopped for a very German lunch!

And then walked around the Reichstag...

There are some modern buildings close by...

Then we walked through Tiergarten to the Victory Monument. It was a decent walk. This carillion is somewhere in the park...

It's a long walk...

Finally we made it!

There was some bike event on with many bikes circling the monument...

I crossed over to the monument via the undergound walkway and climbed to the first level, which cost EUR4. There are many large streets off the roundabout. This is the view looking back to the Brandenburg Gate...

There's a gallery in the monument with an interesting roof...

I then climbed all the way to the top. Fantastic views...

Then walked back to the Reichstag for a tour I had booked online, only to realise it was for a week away! So went to the ticket office and booked a spot on Tuesday. It's a free tour but you have to book. It's an impressive building with a lot of history. It was nearly destroyed during the war.

Back at the apartment and this is a view of a bus from the balcomy. The street is in a great spot for public transport.

Vietnamese for dinner and the appetisers were avocado and karaage chicken...