Slow Travel and onto Potsdam

We have really enjoyed our experiences using slow travel as our inspiration. Basically slow travel is an opportunity to spend more time making connections with the community you are in and in undertaking experiences similar to those around you. We have mixed our time staying in relatively tourist free areas and of course visiting the major institutions such as galleries and museums-but having a smaller more intimate area to return to. Slow travel is a response to speed and its association with success. Even then we have only scratched the surface of what is available in Berlin. For those musically minded the Specials, the Jezebals and Suede all played in Kreuzberg over the last week or so. There are some superb private galleries. Wandering through Orianerbergerstrasse we found the Hofs-German courtyards -full of small shops and artists studios. As well as Tacheles, an artist cooperative based in one of Berlin’s most grand department stores of yesteryear. Here in the misting rain we found shelter in a small brown bar and drank 15 year old malt whisky. Journeys are, as Alain de Botton aptly reminds us, the midwives of thought. Alain de Botton wrote the wonderful book “ The Art of Travel “ that everyone who enjoys life’s travel experiences should read. By traveling slower our perceptions are enhanced and we can discover the subtle differences between places. We have been fortunate to have access to bikes and this has been a wonderful time allowing us freedom to explore local areas at street level. And staying in apartments rather than hotels is private, comfortable and homely. We have been able to have some enlightening discussions and to get an idea of contemporary life amongst the immense history of Europe. It has also enabled us to catch up with old friends and make new friends. 


"So may Potsdam rise and call out: I shall not
give way, even to those cities hailed as the most beautiful." - Bellamintes

On our trip to Potsdam we took our bikes onto the S Bahn no 7-bikes get their own ticket and arrived about 30 minutes later. Having a bike gave us a fantastic freedom to explore and to escape the crowds whenever you wanted. It also allowed us to cover lots of space quickly. Potsdam and the gardens and palaces surrounding it are spread over quite a large area. Potsdam is a beautiful town separately from the grandeur of the palaces. The Dutch quarter is more reminiscent of the Netherlands than Germany with the distinctive architecture. And we have fortunate that the days we have decided to visit were warm, with gentle winds and free from rain. Over two days we transversed Potsdam and visited the World Heritage listed sites: Sanssouci, New Palace, Charlottenhof, New Garden, Babelsberg Park, Sacrow Estate, Linstedt, Chinese Haus.

One of the areas we found rather remarkable was the Dutch settlement on the lake. Built in 1906 it is in the most idyllic of locations situated inside the park and is impossibly picturesque. Red brick buildings with gables and large gardens. Further along is the luxurious suburb of Berlin-large beautiful homes on sweeping lawns with towering oak trees overlooking the lake. As we rode we kept coming upon groups of nude sunbathers loading up on vitamin d before the onset of winter. The main thrust of most people’s visits is Sanssouci-which is spectacular after all-but once you leave here and explore the areas further afield the crowds quickly dissipate. Many times we found ourselves alone at the most intriguing of places. A truly delightful experience.