Time for a small detour out of Berlin today, some 30kms away to Potsdam, summer vacation jaunt for the Royals of days gone by.

But first one must fuel the fire, so another cafe for breakfast, and a ripper at that. We are quickly discovering Berlin’s love for coffee, and have found another beauty just up the road from home. Plus, parked out the front has to be the crappiest car in Germany.

It fair dinkum looks like its just been pulled from the river, covered in mold, grit and grime. Remarkably, it still drives, evidently! We didn’t witness this miracle, but the staff assured me it does in fact start! There’s an article about it on the counter inside, but our waitress was Dutch and couldn’t read it, or explain this wonder of modern mechanics!

Anyway, breakfast was fabulous, so much so the wasps attacked in number. Germany is in the grip of drought and wasps are in plague proportions, dive bombing anything sweet.

Evidently they dont like croissants, which is reassuring!

Fueled, we hit the trains to Potsdam, about 45mins away, only having to change lines once on the way, plus catch a replacement bus from the station before Potsdam due to line repairs.

Potsdam is filled to the brim with magnificent parks, gardens, palaces and museums; way too many to do justice to in such a fleeting visit, so we limited ourselves to the Park Sanssouci pass, if for no other reason than it was walk-able in a day.

After yesterday our legs are beat!!

Park Sanssouci houses some of the more impressive palaces, and the gardens are quite grand as well.

First stop, St Nicholas Church, a lovely Protestant shack, with great views from the tower, and a tremendous church organ.

We walked through the old town, got a little lost, asked for directions and finally found the park and proceeded to walk, and walk, and walk.

Man this park is big!!

We had a 2.20 time slot for our tour of the most famous (popular), Sanssouci Palace, so staggered to the end of the park and Neues Palace, summer playground of the rich and famous.

I’m not really sure why I bother with all these Royal palace joints, the displays of wealth and poor interior decorating choices leaves me a little cold, and this place didn’t disappoint!

The main reception room was decorated as a marine grotto, for god’s sake!!

Rooms for dressing, entertaining…farting!!

Next!

The gardens are nice.

Actually, so was Sanssouci Palace, a modest abode, summer house to Frederick the Great. Fred was the grand poo-baa back in the 18th century, from all accounts quite the leader of man (and woman!).

Decorating was understated, for the time, and the whole thing was rather pleasant, small and restrained. Bravo Fred!

Before..

and after!

Official duties over, we walked back through town, window shopping as we went…dreaming of cold beer and raised feet, finally getting to the train station to catch our replacement bus…waiting…watching…pacing!

No bus for 30 minutes, so caught a cab to the nest station, only to discover the line works had finished, and we could have jumped on a train at Potsdam.

Hhhmmm!

First thing we did when we got back to Kreuzberg was grab a beer…and chips.

Dinner was had at a very nice cafe with great pasta and wine, chosen because it was 70 metres from home.

So much for a light day on the legs, we walked over 20km today. Our Mont Blanc training is complete…surely?