Potsdam - Schloss Cecilienhof

The next castle was Schloss Cecilienhof.  Here was the location of the Potsdam Conference from the end of WW II.  The furniture had all been moved to a barn so that it would be safe and wouldn’t get destroyed in any bombing.  The castle wasn’t bombed, but the barn that held the furniture burned down.  Who knew?

Click here for wikipedia information about Cecilienhof

After touring the castle, we began our hour and a half trip back to the boat.  The boat had moved to another docking position, so the driver was in contact with the staff and we began the adventure to find the boat. It was fun to drive through the little towns, reverse directions when the road load was less than the weight of the bus, and finally find the boat. 

The tour guide Andreas was outstanding, extremely knowledgeable about the history of the city and events that took place. He interjected local humor and had us giggling quite a lot. The bus ride was very entertaining and a fun part of the day.  Sergey, the man in charge, did a great job keeping us all together, on time, and moving when we had to move.  Andreas would announce that we had to be at a stop point at a particular time, and it always happened that we were pulling up to the stop point a minute early.  He would make a “German punctuality” funny comment, and we knew that we needed to stay on time and keep with the program.  

Mistletoe in the trees

I paid my 2 euros for a photo permit.

This was a boat room, all nailed down as if on a ship.
This is the only original furniture in the castle.

Details in the ceiling

This shows the original furniture.

Potsdam Conference.
All gathered at the round table.

Ornate staircase

The table. The flags point to the seat of the nation.
Each of the three nations entered through a
separate door so that all were equal. 

Exterior was a comfy "cottage"

Gardens were blooming

Large areas with walkways and open spaces

I like this setting. It was at the
end of the building.