GERMANY ADVENTURE – Day 4

            And we had some adventures!  First of all, before we even left the room, Bill and Connie Natzke’s friend “Pommey” called and asked if he could come and meet us in the morning.  We had heard Bill and Connie talk about him, but didn’t expect he would call.  He came right after breakfast, a delightful man, but didn’t have much time to chat.  He was on his way north of Berlin to play with some of his friends in a bluegrass festival.  That was the biggest surprise.  We would have like to hear him, but it just didn’t fit into our schedule.

            So we headed for the Charlottenburg Schloss (palace).  We got one set of directions on what subway and bus routes to use to get there; we got a second set of directions from a man at the subway station, and a third set of directions from a man at a different tram station.  We actually sort of combined all three sets, and made a couple changes.  Lo and behold, we arrived at the Charlottenburg Schloss!

            This immense palace was built by the first King of Prussia, Frederick, for his wife Sophia Charlotte.  She died at the age of 39, and he named the Schloss after her, even though she had given it another name.  The original Schloss was greatly expanded by later kings of Prussia, all the way through the nineteenth century.  Much of the Schloss was destroyed by allied bombers during WW II, but it has been restored as nearly as possible to its original configuration. 

            The Schloss doesn’t end!!!    You walk and walk, aided by an audio presentation, and are awed by the gilt and glitz and opulence of the place.  When you think you’ve seen it all, you find some more.  Very little of the original furniture is there, but they have assembled period pieces and reproductions to good effect.  There is gilded this and gilded that.  One section contains the crown jewels and treasury of the Prussian court – you can’t imagine the silver plate, gold plate, china, and porcelain – thousands and thousands of pieces.  Finally you almost become immune to the opulence.  On the top floor is a ballroom that must be at least as big as a football field, with gilded ceilings and trim all over the place.  Unbelievable.  I think I have some pretty neat pictures of some of the stuff.

            Then, after touring through three sections of the Schloss (there’s much more to it, but not all of it is restored or open to the public), we went outside and walked through the beautiful formal Baroque garden, that filled an area about the size of four football fields.  It was absolutely overwhelming, and definitely worth a day of walking and getting lost trying to get there.

            But that’s not the end of the getting lost saga!  This was the day we were to pick up our rental car for the rest of the trip.  Since I forgot my passport in the room, we had to retrace our route from Charlottenburg back to the hotel, before we headed to the airport to pick up the car.  Naturally, we could not recreate the different subway and bus line numbers, having had so many given to us in the first place.  At the first stop at the Zoological Gardens, a nice man said “Where are you trying to get, finally?”  We showed him on the map, and he pointed out the easiest way of all on how to get back.  It all depends on who you ask!

            Picked up the passport, unloaded some gear, used the facilities, and headed to the airport.  Easy to get there – we knew just what bus line to use from right in front of the hotel.  That’s where the simplicity ended!  Because my brother and wife are joining us for a time, we had to arrange for a car size upgrade.  They had to search for a car that would hold all of us and our luggage, but finally found a nice Ford. Straight stick, which I think is really fun.  Air conditioned, which Dea thinks is much better.  Headed back to the hotel following the hotel’s driving directions from the airport.  After driving what seemed like half way to Hamburg (well, not half way, but quite a ways!) we decided we had missed the first turn.  I learned how to do lots of U-turns and on-and-off-the-autobahn turnarounds.  I frankly thought we’d spend the night driving around Berlin, hoping someone would know where our hotel is.  Finally we found the right directions, and got to the hotel about 7:00, frazzled but relieved.  Had a nice supper in the hotel, and now it is just down time.

            One of the things we decided is that this is not just a wonderful adventure; we came to the conclusion that we are spending our children’s inheritance!  Touring in Germany is not cheap!  But it’s a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we are making the most of it.

            Tomorrow should be interesting.  We are leaving the expensive rental car in the hotel garage, and plan to take the train to Leipzig for a Bach concert.  Can’t wait.  Sleep will come soon – hope everyone who reads this is doing well.

P.S.  for all the Jan Bender fans out there.  We hear quite a few police and ambulance sirens at our hotel.  Guess what interval they use?  Right – the diminished fifth or augmented fourth.  Every time I hear one, I think of Bender’s “Begone Satan!”   Those who don’t know the