Schloss Charlottenburg

Sunny days have been hard to come by here in Berlin, so when the sun finally peeked its face out from behind the clouds, we knew we had to take advantage of it.

I'm sure that on an average day, Schloss Charlottenburg is beautiful. However, when we first rounded the corner and the palace came into view, it was a little underwhelming, to say the least.

So majestic!

When not in the process of restoration, Schloss Charlottenburg is quite lovely. However, the outside is not the most extraordinary part of the palace. Prepare yourself for picture overload, because I paid the €3 photograph fee!

The first room we entered was the grand dining room. It was absolutely massive -- I'm fairly certain I gasped as we walked in -- and filled with light from the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the long walls. The walls were a bright white and trimmed in golden filigrees and vines. Two fireplaces stood at either end of the long room and above them hung giant, golden mirrors. Each of the four sets of doors were covered in golden depictions of gardens, complete with various animals, flowers, musical instruments, and people.

One of the sets of doors

Mirror over one of the fireplaces. You can see the reflection of the ceiling beautifully.

Despite all the gold trim, crystal chandeliers, and ornate carvings, the first thing I noticed was the amazing ceiling. Unlike the rest of the room, dripping in opulence, the center of the painted ceiling was much simpler. Instead of intricately painted details depicting the life of the wealthy (a super popular theme of the 17th and 18th century), it featured broader brushstrokes in softer colors, akin to an impressionist painting.

One of my favorite pictures.

It turns out, the reason for this departure of style was due to the war. During WWII, parts of the palace were badly damaged, including the ceiling of the dining room. The painting seen today is neither original, nor a restoration; the artist was asked to capture the essence of the original painting instead of simply restoring it. What was once a pastoral scene is now a beautiful piece that captures and enhances the beauty of the surrounding room. The juxtaposition of the ornate, baroque with the modern is really rather amazing. Even though it was the first room of the palace we saw, I knew it was going to be one of my favorites.

Next, we entered the second banquet hall -- because why have one when you can have two!? Somehow even more massive than the dining room, the walls were a sort of mint green color with pink accents and were absolutely covered with golden flowers, cupids, vines, grapes, and other elaborate flourishes.

Some of the wall decorations.

Apparently the phrase "less is more" hadn't yet been coined.

We walked through room after lavish room -- it was all a little overwhelming. I can't imagine actually living in a place like this (though I would certainly give it a try).

This silk lining the walls was all hand-painted!

The library was another one of my favorite rooms (surprise, surprise). Painted in a light blue, instead of gold flowers and vines trimming the walls, they were all done in silver. Much prettier in my eyes without sacrificing luxury. ;) And with the sunshine streaming in through the windows and reflecting off the mirrors, it seems an ideal place to curl up and read a book!

Adrian in the library.

So much prettier.

Wedding service. Side note, I really should have had table elephants at my wedding.

She looks thrilled.

Porcelain chandelier in the tea house. 

Wealth means having a suitcase specially designed for your fancy china.

I know it's hackey, but I don't think I will ever tire of touring fancy palaces. I promise that this blog won't just turn into me touring every palace I can find -- if for no other reason than Adrian will eventually refuse to go to another one with me!

Markthalle Neun

If there is one thing that Adrian and I like to do, it is eat. Entire vacations have been organized around what cool and delicious things we could try. One of the reasons we decided to drive from Columbus to Florida to visit his parents? So we could make our way slowly through the South and eat crazy amounts of barbeque.

So it should come as no surprise that when we heard about an awesome food stall market, we immediately knew what our Thursday night plans were. 

Sorry about the pictures. I only have my cell phone, so the quality is pretty awful.

The Markthalle Neun is a regular food market three days a week, selling produce, meats, and other grocery items. But on Thursday nights, the hall turns into an international food market. 

The aisles are packed with people, both tourists and locals, as vendors call out their wares, trying to tempt customers in. The variety of stalls is incredible! There were wine "bars", noodles, barbequed meats, empanadas, antipasti plates, macarons, ice creams, tacos... Almost anything you could want to eat could be found somewhere in the labyrinth.

Aw, yeah!

Pretty much as soon as we saw the sign for carnitas, we knew what we were going to get. I never realized how much Mexican-inspired food Adrian and I ate in the States, so I had no idea how much I was going to miss it!

Wow. I apologize for the just awful pictures today.

I don't know if we were just super hungry after walking around the entire market or what, but Adrian and I both decided that these were some of the best carnitas we have ever eaten! 

Spicy chicken bao -- that's the food, not Adrian's nickname. ;)

We ended the night with delicious cannoli and ice creams. And oh my god, you guys. I have found my new favorite ice cream flavor. Lemon-mint tasted like summer, sunshine, and happiness. It seriously was the best tasting ice cream I've ever had (and I have had a lot of ice creams!).

Adrian had bourbon pecan, which I had to try. It was pretty boozy and wonderful!

Cannolis!

There's so much cool food to try! So if it's Thursday night, you'll know where to find me!

Barriers

Adrian and I were sitting in the train on our way home when two guys roughly our age came in and sat across the aisle from us. They chatted with each other, shaking their heads, waving their hands around -- obviously very deep in an interesting conversation. Several times during their conversation, Adrian chuckled. When they reached their stop and exited the car, I asked him what they were talking about. He told me that they were debating about whether or not today’s rate of technological advancement was comparable to the past.

And that’s when I came upon a realization.

Stretch of the Berlin Wall that has been turned into an art gallery

Obviously not speaking German in a country called Germany is a challenge. Adrian has to read signs to me. If I have a question for a waiter, Adrian is the one to ask my question. I rely on him to get us from point A to point B. Someone asks me a question? I have to awkwardly look to Adrian to translate. Adrian even has to call and book my doctor’s appointment for me and tag along, just in case the doctor has an important question that I can’t answer.

These language barriers are ones that I knew would arise. But I was not ready for such isolation, even when out and about. Eavesdropping is not something that I set out to do, but it’s impossible not to catch snippets of people’s conversations when on public transportation. In the States, if I like someone’s earrings, I can tell them and they will understand me. Even the children here seem to be aware that I do not belong. I smile and wave at them and they view me with suspicion.

The Brandenburg Gate

These little, day-to-day interactions between people are things that I am missing out on. This is where the real feeling of infantilization comes from -- even more so than having to rely on Adrian to translate the world for me.

I guess I should crack open my German textbooks and get to studying...

A Walk in the Park

A few days ago, there was a break in the wind and rain that has been plaguing Berlin, so Adrian and I packed up a lunch and took a train to the Großer Tiergarten. 

Where we ate lunch!

Adrian swinging his feet.

One of the algae covered channels.

Covering over 520 acres, it was hard to remember that the Tiergarten is in the middle of a city! Occasionally the sound of a car horn broke through the lush foliage, reminding me that beyond the thick tree trunks all around are concrete buildings and pavement. Each curve of the winding path brought a new group of people into view: young English tourists discussing the people they had each snogged the night before; new mothers in brightly colored scarves pushing prams with snugly bundled infants inside; elderly couples strolling together in comfortable silence; a smattering of folks lying on the lawns with books or phones, enjoying the sunshine which will become rarer and rarer as the autumn turns to winter.

The perfect size for a reclining Mary.

Pretty sure I don't want to swim in that pond.

Despite the many people touring the park, there was never a moment where it felt crowded. In fact, most of the time it felt like walking through a forest. The trees were dense and tall and the paths followed the landscape, making the walk seem much more isolated. Several of the paths curved alongside the river or wrapped around a pond. There were so many little "hidden", tucked-away spots that would be perfect for reading, bird-watching, or just relaxing. They felt so secretive, even though I knew that I was one of hundreds of people that would stumble upon them that very day.

While walking along the tree-lined paths, watching the sunshine filter through the leaves, Adrian made a confession. Apparently as soon as I decided that I would join him in Germany, he immediately began looking for parks we could visit. The Tiergarten was one of three he had starred on Google Maps for us to check out. It has actually become our standard "what should we do today?" date: a walk in the park followed by a beer (or an ice cream!).

It almost looks like it could be summer in this picture!

I can't wait to continue to exploring this park, especially as the seasons change! Autumn will be gorgeous with all the leaves turning, but I am especially excited to return in the Spring to see all the budding trees and blooming flowers. Look forward to seeing even more pictures from this staggeringly huge park!

There are more formal gardens throughout the park, but I'm saving them for Spring!

Sanssouci: "Without Worries"

Because we survived two grueling days of German paper wars, Adrian and I decided to go on a little trip to Potsdam and visit Sanssouci Park. Sanssouci Park is outrageously big and in addition to palaces from the 18th, 19th, and 20th century, contains a windmill, a "Chinese" pavilion, a Roman bathhouse, and expansive gardens! Despite spending the entire afternoon there, we only saw Sanssouci Palace.

Schloss Sanssouci

Schloss Sanssouci (after which the park is named) was built by Frederick the Great in 1744 as a vacation home. He was apparently a huge fan of wine, because the terraces in front of the palace were originally covered in grapevines. Although they don't really look too big in the picture, each terrace is about 10 feet tall and each "shelf" is roughly 20 feet wide -- that's a lot of grapes!

A close-up of the outside of the palace.

A little gazebo right outside the palace doors.

As with the outside of the palace, the interior was decorated in the Rococo style and was very ornate (one could even call it gaudy) -- lots of gilded swirls, marble statues, and elaborate wall carvings. Unfortunately, there was additional fee to take pictures inside the palace and I am incredibly cheap (something I should probably reconsider if I am going to be writing a blog...).

My two favorite rooms were the library and the Voltaire room. The library was awesome, not because of its decor, but because of its layout. At just 5'2" (roughly my height!), Frederick the Great was a very short man. He was also a voracious reader. Instead of having tall walls of books that spanned the entire height of the library wall, Frederick designed the room to have very low shelves to ensure that every book was within his reach. Never having to find a stepladder or stand on tiptoes to reach a book? Sounds like it was pretty great to be the king!

While the entire palace was impressive, the most amazing room was definitely the Voltaire room. 

Postcard of the Voltaire Room

The walls were yellow and covered in detailed painted carvings of fruits, trees, and various animals. Vines "hang" from the walls, dripping with flowers and fruit. Overhead, a delicate tangle of tiny white flowers and dark green leaves of porcelain made up the amazingly beautiful chandelier. The entire room was gaudy in the absolutely best way ever! I would have been more than happy to stay in that room as a guest of the king!

After leaving Sanssouci Palace, Adrian and I walked around the gardens, which were extensive! We saw less than half of what was there!

The Dutch Windmill overlooking the formal gardens

A mysterious path

I love me an ivy tunnel!

The Chinese Pavilion. Apparently the phrase "less is more" hadn't been invented yet.

After walking roughly five miles, Adrian and I headed back into the town proper, where we sat outside and ate fancy ice creams.

One of the main tourist streets.

Super happy!

Hopefully we will return to Potsdam in the Spring; I would love to see the gardens in full bloom and there are two more palaces to gape at!