Susi: “Tonight is a “no curfew” evening.”
There are curfews??
Today we vacated our Berlin hotel and climbed aboard our first transport bus. Little did we know at the time that our “river cruise” would, in fact, be largely a land cruise on many busses. The itinerary called for us to make a tour stop at Potsdam; have lunch in the vicinity; and then be transported to our river boat.
Well, Mother Nature had not cooperated and the River Elbe’s water level was so low that our boat couldn’t sail to our embarkation port. In fact, the low flow threatened to kill any hope of cruising any stretch of the Elbe–which caused quite a bit of grumbling from GCT regulars who had booked a “cruise” and expected to “cruise” come hell or high low water.
However, we were not traveling with such expectations. In fact, this was our first European river cruise and everything was new! We were just thrilled to be exploring a whole new world and could have cared less whether it was by wheels or by water. We were in the epicenter of WWII, the Cold War, the fall of communism and the rise of the European Union.
Our first stop was at the Schloss Cecilienhof (Cecilienhof Palace) on the outskirts of Berlin. Here, in 1945, the representatives of the US, USSR and UK — Truman, Stalin & a politically-neutered Churchill — met in conference to create the map of post-war Europe.
But before that event, it was the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm of the House of Hohenzollern and his wife, Duchess Cecilia. As we toured the palace, our guide balanced the narrative by intermingling gossipy tidbits from the royal family’s long history with lesser known but often equally-intimate facts about the conference and its participants. I have forgotten pretty much all of it. However, what I do remember from the family history is this: Frederick the Great — the longest reigning Hohenzollern monarch — may have been one of the fabulous! (Wink! Wink!)
After the walk-n-talk, we were given some leisure time to explore the palace gardens and the grand park that surrounds the palace. (Pictures!)
We reboarded the bus and wound our way to Haus Sanssouci for lunch. The hotel is located on one of many lakes in the area. Our meal was served with a view: we sat on a covered patio at the rear of the building overlooking a broad expanse of lawn that extended to the water’s edge. Delightful.
However, when we arrived, I had spotted something that, if I was correct, was even more remarkable–and terrifying. After lunch, we were afforded a little free time before our next destination. I used this window of opportunity to walk next door and confirm my suspicion. The hotel/restaurant was, in fact, located adjacent to the House of the Wannsee Conference — the SS-commandeered lakeside villa where the Nazis planned the annihilation of European Jewry. It is now a memorial. Unfortunately, there was only enough time to take a photo or two before I needed to return to the bus.
Off we go to the university town of Leipzig and the Radisson Blu Hotel on Augustusplatz on the perimeter of the mitte (town center).
Now would be as good time as any to extend a large and loud round of applause to the resourceful people at Grand Circle cruises. In retrospect, knowing what was to come, I have nothing but admiration for the way in which they were able to seemlessly provide alternative programs when faced with the challenges of nature.
It was not on the agenda to secure lodging and meals for 100+ travelers in an unscheduled city. But GCT came through, arranging tour guides, alternative outings, hotel rooms and “happy” meals to make up for the lack of sailing time. We were both thrilled by the spontaneity and impressed by the efficiency.
Our trip had only just begun. With the ship nearly in “dry dock,” there were to be numerous minor “adjustments” to the itinerary during our two-week tour–mostly involving transportation. But none of these lessened the trip.
After settling in at the hotel, the whole group assembled for dinner in a huge Saxon cellar, the Auerbachs Keller restaurant, located just off what appeared to be the old town square.
Afterwards, Rob & I walk through the town, trying to artistically capture interesting architectural features as “the sun sinks low.” (I know, the lyric is Sondheim’s and the reference is Swedish not German. Sue me.) However, dusk-then-darkness crept in quickly and most of the photos were poor at best.
A Taste of the Soviet Bloc 