BERLIN -- City Tour and Others..

POTSDAM

Potsdam  is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg. It directly borders the German capital Berlin and is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, 24 kilometres (15 miles) southwest of Berlin's city center.

Potsdam was a residence of the Prussian kings and the German Kaiser, until 1918. Around the city there are a series of interconnected lakes and cultural landmarks, in particular the parks and palaces of Sanssouci, the largest World Heritage Site in Germany. The Potsdam Conference, the major post-World War II conference between the victorious Allies, was held at another palace in the area, the Cecilienhof.

The World Heritage site covers two other ensembles that include parks, chateaux and buildings, in the middle of which stands the Marble Palace, the king's summer residence built by C. von Gontard and fitted out by K. G. Langhaus. At the northern end of the park, the Chateau of Cecilienhof, a pastiche of an English cottage, was chosen in August 1945 as the site of the signing of the Potsdam Agreements.

HOP on HOP Off Bus..is the most convenient way to tour around the town.

 The whole area was rebuilt as it was heavily bombed during the war and it has everything from shops, gardens, monuments, churches etc. Good photo stop.

MORE  OF  BERLIN...

one of the drivers of HOP on HOP Off Bus---

no need of earphones---they make commentaries LIVE :) 

one of my fave spots-- CHECK Point  CHARLIE

 artful wall

on the  Streets.....

Trabi cars (Trabant)...It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the Eastern Bloc. It was advertised as having room for four adults and luggage in a compact and durable shell; and being relatively fast.

Shopping...it is cheaper to shop in BERLIN...I am telling you..
just look at their faces---all smiles....lols...

Berlin’s most famous trademark department store is KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) – or department store of the West. It is Berlin’s shopping paradise, a favourite, easy to spot landmark on Wittenberg Platz. The KaDeWe has survived the turmoil of 20th century German history unscathed. Beginning its commercial life in 1907, the store was a constant Berlin presence, its highs and lows reflecting those of the city.

Ohhh...my BMG (Blue Man Group) is here !

Selfie more...

Might as well include our selfies also....

pork   knuckle ...pinkish 'ne

This trip is one of the special ones..I get the chance to be with my sisters and Ken.

"My  ideal  travel  companions...

are  my  family."

Thank you for taking time to view my travel blog..

--Freundschaft  Bee 


Instagram & FB: freundschaft_bee

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam

BERLIN...East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is an international memorial for freedom. It is a 1.3 km long section of the Berlin Wall located near the centre of Berlin on Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. The actual border at this point was the river Spree. The gallery is located on the so-called "hinterland mauer", which closed the border to West Berlin.

  Right after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery was painted by 118 artists from 21 different countries. Using various artistic means, the artists commented on the political events that took place in 1989 and 1990 in over 100 works of art found on the eastern side of the wall.

 Take the Subway in Alexanderplatz and get off at Warschauer Strasse and walk towards the river… you cannot miss them...then take the subway again at the Ostbanhof which is where the wall ends.

Artwork walls have mostly with graffiti .. I wonder how they can prevent those scribbles..
but some famous works are still there...

I don't mind visiting this again...as I look on the artwork..it makes
a mockery of politics on war, not only in Germany, but all over the world.

  I really enjoy strolling along the wall with all the different pieces of art and graffiti.
 I hope this wall stands through time.

A must see when in Berlin. The wall itself is massive, colorful and interesting..
which was once divide the whole city.

The Berlin Wall was the largest canvas in the world. Much of the artwork was not claimed by artists and remains anonymous. Because the wall was open to everyone, there were no restrictions on what artists could put on the wall. Painting had been prohibited on the east side of the wall during the Cold War, so not a lot of new art has been added since the 1990s.

My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love, one of the better known Berlin Wall graffiti murals, depicts Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker in a fraternal embrace, reproducing a photograph that captured the moment in 1979 during the 30th anniversary celebration of the foundation of the German Democratic Republic.

As I see the artworks ..it just let me ponder how much this wall divided so many people,
with suffering and oppression. On the contrary, the fall of the wall is the symbol of the new freedom in Europe – especially the painted pieces that are all over the world now.

"Don't  be  another 
Brick  in  the  wall..."

Thank your for taking time to view my travel blog..

Freundchaft Bee...

Instagram & FB: freundschaft_bee

References:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall_graffiti_art