Picturesque Potsdam

When my sister and her husband visited a little while ago, a bike tour was high on her list and we decided to take the tour from Berlin to Potsdam, going past the Wannsee, a lake that's a popular summer destination. It's about 35 miles one way and would have been a breeze if it had been flat. As it was, there was a slight up and back down on the last bit, and I was huffing and puffing and ready for lunch and some refreshment when we arrived. 

On the way into town, we had a good look at the Glieniker Bruecke, a restricted border crossing used by the allied forces during the cold war. Also called "bridge of spies," the bridge was used for exchange of agents during the cold war. The German wikipedia page has fairly detailed information, while the English language page has a focus on the role the bridge played in novels and movies. 

We rode through one of the city towers....

...and sat down in the little cafe on the left. First, of course, we parked our bikes, you can see the handlebars at the bottom right in the picture.

The tower was in the neo-medieval style so popular in the area, with little gargoyles etc. But the lunch was outstanding - we had some great Italian food and some large bottles of water.

Then we set out to explore the town a bit, and it was quite a wonderful surprise. We're so used to the large rows of grey or beige 4-story and 5-story houses in Berlin. Potsdam is different. Red brick houses with pretty white window frames, 2 or maybe 3 stories high. Cobblestones. It's really a small town at 160 000 inhabitants (even though it's the capital of Brandenburg and seat of the corresponding government offices). 

We appreciated the quiet, the many people on bikes, and the postcard-pretty blue sky. And while there were quite a few tourists, it didn't feel crowded the way some of the areas in Berlin can feel. 

We were sorry to leave - partly because we were thinking of the long way back. But the ride home was enjoyable, and we came home only a little saddle sore and happy to have explored such a different part of our temporary home town's surroundings. 

Fountain at the edge of town