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Bicycle Tour Adventure #39: Germany, Day 9

Potsdam: Early Moring
German Red Cross vehicle. Map of the main tourist areas.
We are heading for Potsdam and the estate of Frederick the Great.
We left our apartment in Berlin at Oh'Dark-Thirty Military Time. We wanted to avoid Morning Rush-Hour Traffic in Berlin. We tried desperately to follow map and highway sign postings but it became comical in a real hurry. Street names changed every three block, signage absolutely sucks, unmarked turn lanes (left or right) occurred often, delivery trucks and busses blocked through lanes, and roads changed directions without more notice that a little street sign placard on a street corner that was often posted out of view or even behind the vehicle. So we resolved to just for me drive in a general direction (North of Southeast) and that actually worked - my internal compass was dead-on this day. See other Trip Notes.
Above Left: German Red Cross vehicle (Germany is very active in Humanity Issues; they were a big contributor to Hurricane Katrina recovery).

Above Right: Map of the main tourist areas, we are parked in that little red circle in the right-upper corner. It took us about three minutes to find that right upper circle; it was too subtle for 'out of towners'. We're at a Bus Stop but decide to walk, we have time and need to burn off calories for the next meal in the Dutch Quarter.
Frederick the Great's Palace.
Above: Frederick the Great's Sanssouci Palace (one of many, this is the main). We arrived so early (before opening, before workers arrived) that we had the place to our selves for a while and then decided to head for a Dutch Quarter Café. But we are walking by way of the Frederick the Great's private road through the estate, south 500 meters, then east to the old town of Potsdam.
Potsdam is in the Province Brandenburg, ergo the Brandenburg Tor (Gate) and Strasse (Street) actually lead to Potsdam and the area of Brandenburg.
View from 10 Meters/Yards away/south.

Frederick the Great's Palace.
Above: Sanssouci Palace view from 100 Meters/Yards away/south.

Frederick the Great's Palace.
Above: Sanssouci Palace view from 500 Meters/Yards away/south.

Eagle Eyes (Terry Struck). One of many sculptures.
Above Left: Eagle Eyes.

Above Right: One of many sculptures. We are surprised at how they do not seem to be aging, they have very clean finishes.





Above Right: Signals for Cyclists and Pedestrians.


Above: We're in the Dutch Quarter, which feels like an University area, but the trick is to find an open Café.

Community Gate. Community Gate.
Above: Each side of the community gate.

Side Strasse. Side Strasse Kaffe (Dutch).
Above Left: Side Strasse.

Above Right: Side Strasse Kaffe (Dutch).

Choices.
Above: Choices.

Kava Roaster. Kaffe.
Above Left: Kava Roaster.

Above Right: Kaffe.

Yum. appears to be an Egyptian monument/edifice.
Above Left: Yum. We only knew to check out the Dutch Quarter from our friend Ray F.

Above Right: This is not explained anywhere but it appears to be an Egyptian monument/edifice.

Bust of Afrikan. Sun gazebo.
Above Left: Bust of Afrikan, amazing sculpture; there is no indication of being created from two different colored rocks, there is no melding seem.

Above Right: Sun gazebo.

Palace facing the back yard (the view).
Above: Sanssouci Palace facing the back yard (the view).

Palace facing the front yard (coach's entrance).
Above: Sanssouci Palace facing the front yard (coach's entrance).

Eingang in three languages. Sanssouci Palace.
Above Left: Eingang in three languages.

Above Right: We're inside Sanssouci Palace. Sanssouci (French for Without Concerns) was used by Kings from 1747 and 1918. The ticket purchase has an established pre-set Guided Tour Start Time and since we were early, we toured with the second wave. As soon as I took this picture, I was asked if I had paid the Picture Taking Permit Fee (of about 3-5 Euros), I hadn't but a quick encounter at the ticket counter fixed that issue, it only took a minute; I got to wear a Press Band on my wrist. The German Sanssouci Palace is the equivalent of England's Windsor Palace.














Clothing of the Period. Clothing of the Period.
Above: Clothing of the Period.

Simulated cave entrance to the Garden. Garden.
Above Left: Simulated cave entrance to the Garden.

Above Right: Garden.

Pretty girl. Shrub and Flower Tunnel.
Above Left: Pretty girl.

Above Right: Shrub and Flower Tunnel.

Awesome picture of Sanssouci Palace.
The most awesome picture of Sanssouci Palace, ever.

We almost missed this, it's a gate to the family cemetery. Royal cemetary.
Above Left: We almost missed this, it's a gate to the family cemetery.

Above Right: Royal cemetery.

The way out. Fast Lane comes to a halt and merges into the slow lane.
Above Left: The way out.

Above Right: We're heading to Naumburg (formerly Saale) on the Saale and Rivers. Who designs a road where the Fast Lane comes to a halt and merges into the slow lane? This took about an hour to get through.



Naumburg (Saale): Evening
Our Hotel for the night. Classic Bed, two twins put together.
Above Left: Our Hotel for the night. I reserved the room as Dr/Prof, which is true, I just don't use the title very often and it means more in Europe than in the USA. We got the best room location, next to the lobby and restaurant that does not happen very often. We will have a wonderful stay here and we are treated like royalty.
Naumburg is a cozy little village that is in a little unknown but good quality wine zone. They are particularly known for good Spätsburgunder (Pinot Noir), Rhine, and Dornfelder (A robust red grape that where grown anywhere else tastes poorly, here, clearly is the most favorable terroir). See Trip Notes.

Naumburg was always a trade center on a favorable road (Via Regia - Royal Road East-West in Germany) and river junctions (Saale and Unstrut) and at some time in the 1500's, after a local 30 years war, Leipzig won local trade favor. One of the attractions is that many medieval structures remain including one of the old city gates.

Naumburg was within former Communist East Germany and tourism is appreciated here.
Above Right: Classic Bed, two twins put together, two separate bed sheet bottoms (some place one sheet over the entire bottom) and always with separate bed covers.

old East and West Germany. You-Are-Here sign post sticking in the map.
Above Left: This map shows old East and West Germany and there is a little Red arrow pointing to the approximate location of Naumburg.

Above Right: This Naumburg City map is at the town plaza (platz) and there is literally a You-Are-Here sign post sticking in the map. Through absolutely no effort on my part, North just happens to be at the top of the map and image. Our Hotel just happens to be in the center of this map on the main strasse.

Naumburg main plaza at about 1700 hrs. Naumburg main plaza at about 1700 hrs.
Above: Today is Mittwoch (Mid-Week, Wednesday - 28 Sep, 2011) and we are arriving at the main plaza at about 1700 hrs and they are closing up a farmers market. This main square will be totally absent of people, cars, or trash in about 30 minutes time.

Classic Germen Building Architecture. Classic Germen Building Architecture.
Above: Same Platz, note the Classic Germen Building Architectures.

Terry is looking up a menu word. Our Street Café.
Above Left: Terry is looking up a menu word, we are about to order some very good salads.

Above Right: Our Street Café.

Street Doors. Street Doors.
Above: Street Doors.

Local Wine Seller. Local Wine Seller.
Above: We take a drive, looking for a local Wine Seller and we end up here. This will also be our river bridge crossing point and future rest stop in the days to come, but we don't know any of this today. Today, we will taste good wine and make some purchases (Rhine and Dornfelder, White and Red respectively) - Yum, Good Stuff!

BTW, Sekt means Sparkling Wine. This is obviously an old church or monastery, but we never learn the rest of the story.

Wine Awards. Wine Products.
Above Left: Wine Awards.

Above Right: Wine Products.

Wine Products. Wine Products.
Above: Wine Products.

Shipping Boxes. Wine tasting.
Above Left: Shipping Boxes.

Above Right: Wine tasting.

Fortress or monastery above the town of Nißmitz. Across the Unstrut River from near Nißmitz.
Above Left: A Fortress or Monastery above the town of Nißmitz.

Above Right: Across the Unstrut River from near Nißmitz.

attractive doorway on or near the main town plaza. Another view on the plaza.
We're back from our wine run and we are performing a late evening stroll and we end up at the main plaza again, by way of a different path.

Above Left: This is an attractive doorway on or near the main town plaza.

Above Right: Back-stube means Baking Room, Terry found a Bakery.

we purchase some fruit for snacks. we purchase some fruit for snacks.
Above: We find a food market and we purchase some fruit for snacks (for the room, bicycle, and vehicle). This Markt happens to be run by a Vietnamese Lady.

Jew Lane. Jew Lane.
Above: It literally means Jew Lane, there is an explanation plaque but it is in German; the fact that the name survived both the Nazi era and the Communist era means a lot.

A walk about town. A walk about town.
Above: A walk about town, eventually heading for the Kirche.

Flowers in bloom. The main church.
Above Left: Flowers in bloom.

Above Right: The main church; in the town's heyday, there was a Bishop in residence. There is probably a Bishop in Leipzig now.

Exterior Icons. Interior Icons.
Above Left: Exterior Icons.

Above Right: Interior Icons.

Religious Figures. Religious Figures.
Above: Religious Figures.

Flowers about a main shopping strip. Our Hotel Lobby.
Above Left: Flowers about a main shopping strip.

Above Right: Our Hotel Lobby.

Our Hotel Lobby. Our Hotel Lobby.
Above: Our Hotel Lobby.



Naumburg: Night - Laundry

Above: We check with the Hotel Staff to see where the nearest do-it-yourself Laundry facility is located. They say that there is a Dry Cleaner but no Laundry Mat. Of course the Hotel will do our laundry for us, but the rate is typical hotel rates, starting with €4 for each pair of socks and then up from there.

So we do our own laundry, and we're getting good at it. Hallo operator, we need more towels!


Above: See Laundry Washing on the Road for more detailed self laundry issues and solutions. Terry deliberately travels with her ugliest underwear so she can trash it, not worry about its condition, and not worry about airport perverts going through her private wear. All of the synthetics will be dry in the morning, and the few remaining things will be re-hung to dry tomorrow night (and everything did dry out by the next morning).

Oh it's been a long day! We will have no problems sleeping tonight.

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