Today we spent a lot of time on public transit. We took a train to Potsdam, rode trolleys around the city, and took another train back. We’re getting better at navigating with our limited German. Fortunately, almost everyone we’ve encountered in Germany so far speaks English.

We began our visit to Potsdam with a tour of Neues Palais, a palace built for Frederick the Great from 1763 to 1769. It’s a very ornate example of Prussian Baroque style architecture. I thought the most interesting room in the palace was the Grotto Hall where the walls were decorated with shells and stones and the marble floor depicted sea creatures and plants. I learned from the audio tour that the word “rococo” comes from the French word “rocaille” which means “shell.” The tour was interesting, but very cold. Apparently they don’t heat the palace just for the tourists, so we kept our coats, hats, and gloves on throughout.

We then took a tram to the Dutch section of Potsdam to admire the architecture. We passed through another huge Christmas market where the Glühwein was tempting, but we passed on it again. We will indulge in this tradition German beverage some time before we leave. We made our way to the St. Peter and Paul church in the center of Potsdam. This yellow brick church with its huge bell tower was built in Byzantine and Romanesque style and was completed in 1870. It was damaged during WW II, but has been restored.

We next caught another train and got off at the Potsdamer Platz stop, got some dinner, then headed to the Berliner Philharmoniker Concert Hall for an evening concert with the London Brass. The London Brass was created in 1986 from members of the Philips Jones Brass Ensemble and is composed of four trumpets, four trombones, one French horn, and one tuba. Their Christmas program included selections from their Joy to the World CD. It was a beautiful performance by some of the best brass players in the world. Paul reminded me that England has a brass band tradition that produces great musicians. There’s nothing like a brass group playing Christmas music to get you in the holiday spirit!

Tomorrow we head to Leipzig (another train) to learn all about Bach and Mendelssohn and maybe a few other subjects. I have many other pictures to post here and on the Berlin photos page, but the Wi-Fi isn’t up to it today. I’ll try again later.