Pretty Potsdam

It's a public holiday today and also Fathers Day (Mothers day is this weekend), but it is celebrated rather differently. Lots of groups of youths travelling around, singing and drinking. Often they have a little trolley with them loaded up with a small BBQ and picnic paraphernalia or casks of beer. I saw 1 trolley with at least 3 casks of beer on it.  It's one thing you notice here: lots of young people carrying glass bottles of beer, drinking in public places like the town square or waiting to get on the tram. There is also an awful lot of smoking and inevitably lots of cigarette butts lying around. However there are now also a lot of non-smoking areas.

I had a nougat almond croissant yesterday - so yummy. Will have to look out for them.

Potsdam is really pretty with all its little lakes. We went cycling with Barry's German ex post doct who now lives here with her family, along with zillions of others. Everyone is out on their bikes!  They have a caterpillar in their oak trees which if touched can cause a severe allergic reaction. Nasty!  Their parks are quite unkept looking to our eyes but the nice thing is they don't use nearly the amount is sprays that we do.

This little church by one of the many lakes was right on the boundary of the Berlin wall with the demarcation line going through the grounds of the church and the wall actually using the tower as part of the wall.

Berlin wall - 1961 - east on left, west on right towards Berlin

1844 church (Heilandskirche) on edge of Lake Sacrow

Lake from church