Copyright: Jurgen Brauer, Augusta, Georgia, USA

1. Spending part of the summer in Europe for a conference in Bristol, England, I decided to visit my mother and my in-laws in Berlin, Germany, as well. As circumstance would have it, a former student of mine lived in Potsdam, just to the southwest of Berlin. A good opportunity to visit her, and Potsdam, and - especially - Sanssouci, Frederick the Great's beloved summer retreat, again. A section of the public transportation workers' union had gone on strike for the early morning rush hour, but by noon traffic had normalized, and I had little trouble using the S-Bahn, the intercity train service (below), to travel to Potsdam.

2. Potsdam Hauptbahnhof greets me. Wonderful sunshine promises a good day of walking.

3. Manja Jonas (former student and, as it turns out, my current research assistant), waits for me in good German tradition right at the appointed time. Cool to have one's very own tourguide. Thanks, Manja!

4. From the train station, one can take the tram (below) for a short ride into town, ...

5. ... walk through "the other" Brandenburg Gate (that is, not the more famous one the center of Berlin), ...

6. ... and then enter through the Gruenes Gitter (Green Gate) into Park Sanssouci, a UNESCO World Heritage site of about 500 hectares of parks and 150 buildings.

7. For the French-challenged, one might translate Sanssouci the Aussie way: "No worries, mate". What's there to see? Parks and gardens to rest the soul, and a few critters as well. But also plenty, in fact hundreds upon hundreds, of sculptures and buildings imbued with Prussian history. The stone masons certainly were kept busy in those days.

8. So are, these days, the restoration experts. Pollution has marred all figures (below). In fact, I took a picture of the very same figures a few years ago, at which time the one on the right was pure white, but now it is already somewhat darkened again.

9. Another example: the gilded crown atop the "Neues Palais" is all cleaned up, while the massive larger-than-live figures, carved from sandstone, await their own scrubbing. (This palace alone is decorated with about 400 of these sculptures.)

10. The "Orangerie," built 1851-1864, houses temperature-sensitive plants during the winter. The outside ...

11. ... and inside (just one wing), ...

12. ... and a couple views from the top, which show the fairly uncluttered landscape of Potsdam and surrounding areas.

13. "Krongut Bornstedt" (Bornstedt Crown Estate) seen from above. Manja and I decided to have a close-up look.

14. The estate now houses a wine-cellar, bakery, restaurant, a small shop, ...

15. ... and, incongruously, a Portuguese master glassblower, a few of whose works I captured below.

16. Of course, the Gut also has its own small pond.

17. On we go to the Neues Palais (New Palace), built - to celebrate Prussia's victory in the Seven Years' War - between 1763 and 1769. With over 200 rooms, Fredericks' principal use of it was as a reception place for foreign dignitaries and royalty.

18. Potsdam has its own university of course. One of the two campuses is adjacent to the Park. Hereunder students in front of the university president's office.

19. Back in the park, Manja and I continue our afternoon excursion with a stroll through a meadow.

20. Grapes, unfortunately not yet ripe.

21. A family outing, come to greet us ...

22. ... and an innocent, cute litte "show-off" who probably expected a hand-out of breadcrumbs or a similar treat.

23. The Chinesisches Haus (or Chinese Teahouse), built between 1755-1764, served as a garden pavillion. At the time, all things Chinese evoked much fascination throughout Europe.

24. On the way to the Friedenskirche, I noticed this unusual fountain spewing water into an irrigation canal (below).

25. The Friedenskirche (peace church), built between 1845-1848 by King Frederick William IV of Prussia (1795-1861), still houses an active protestant congregation.

26. The grounds also house a mausoleum with the remains of the King's nephew, Emperor Frederick III (who died in 1890 after a short 99-day reign) and of his English wife, Victoria. Hereunder, the bell tower.

27. Somewhat exhausted from hours of walking, Manja and I returned to Potsdam's center for a late afternoon coffee. In the evening, her dad and my mom joined us for dinner. All conference travel should start like this.

[The end.]