Garden in Potsdam ()
If you are in Berlin and need to get away from the hustle and bustle, less than an hour down the road is the pleasant town of Potsdam. Filled with castles, history and food, there is plenty to do without the crowds of Berlin.
Walk through History at Cecilienhof
History buffs and architecture lovers alike will want to put this on their list. Take advantage of the warm weather and take a leisurely stroll from the town center to this palace and enjoy the lake views along the way. Flowers and plants adorn the outside area. Once inside, you can tour historical rooms where royalty once lived, and perhaps, more famously, the location of the 1945 Potsdam Conference. At this Conference, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin and Harry Truman met to negotiate terms for the end of World War II.
Eat Croatian and Russian Food in Germany
I haven’t had the chance to go to Croatia yet, but my tastebuds traveled there at Restaurant Adriatic. We stumbled upon this place while meandering up and down the streets right after we dropped our bags off at the hotel. The Croatian red wine that I paired with our tzatziki and grilled cheese appetizers is now one of my top three favorites. I can recommend the lamb entrees with grilled vegetables.
Lamb with grilled vegetables ()
On our second day in Potsdam, we had the opportunity to explore the 19th-century Russian colony, Alexandrowka. The colony was formed for former Russian POW singers who settled in Potsdam after the Napoleonic wars, and the wooden architecture still exists today. Alexandrowka has been a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1999. While visiting the colony, you can see houses, a museum and a church, as well as enjoy a delicious meal at the restaurant. I started with a Bojaren Coffee, which is essentially a mocha with cinnamon, coriander and whipped cream. For my entrée, I had Pelmeni, a hearty meat and potato dumpling dish. I finished with small “Moscow-style” pastries filled with caramel milk cream.
Dumpling dish ()
Strolling the Sansouci Park
What is a German holiday without a couple of palaces? In addition to the aforementioned Cecilienhof, you will find several other palaces in Potsdam, and they are conveniently located in the same area: Sansouci Park. The park itself is several square kilometers, but fret not, there are museums, cafes and palaces scattered throughout to provide you with free maps of the area. There are three palaces for your viewing pleasure in Sansouci Park: Orangery, Neues, and the one that started it all: Sansouci. I highly recommend reserving your tickets for Sansouci Palace online prior to your trip, lest you be stuck waiting for three hours like a writer who shall remain nameless.
Sansouci Palace provides visitors a guided audio tour that takes you room-to-room. Fun fact, former U.S. President Clinton was treated to a rare treat in 1998 when, to the chagrin of the historical preservationists, officials insisted on hosting him in the palace for dinner.
Inside the Neues Palace, visitors can see walls adorned with over 20,000 gemstones, minerals, seashells and fossils. At the time of writing (and the time of my visit), Orangery Palace was closed to visitors, but you can still view the gorgeous exterior.
If the above suggestions were not enough, scattered throughout the city are plenty of cafes, ice cream shops, clothing stores, bookshops, game and toy stores, museums and more. There is something for everyone in the quieter town of Potsdam.
