James Andrew at Das Chinesische Haus.
Ever since I heard Nicky Haslam describe the magnificence of Potsdam, I’ve been very much wanting to explore the beauty of these royal grounds. Just thirty minutes from the center of Berlin, I could devote an entire day, which one really needs, to tour what many consider to be the Versailles of Germany – needless to say, I’m thrilled I did. Thank you Nicky!
After some extensive research, I established an itinerary for seeing the palaces I most wanted to see, focusing primarily on the smaller ones. The following are a few of the highlights of our tour.
We began with a tour of the elaborate Neues Palais, the largest Palace in Potsdam, then off to Schloss Charlottenhoff, which was built in 1826 as a summer residence for the Crown Prince. It was designed by Schinkel (the architect and interior designer of choice to royals of this time) in the style of a classical villa. We then made our way through the glorious Schloss Charlottenhoff gardens.
I’m standing (top) in front of the Chinese Pavilion, one of the structures I was most anxious to see. Located in the gardens of the Palace of Sanssouci, it’s a delicious Rococo fantasy fulfilling an 18th century European appetite for all things Chinese — obviously our architect has taken some liberties here, much to our delight!
The central entrance to Sanssouci from the garden facade.
Sanssouci – meaning “without a care” was designed as a place to enjoy life’s pleasures — music, friends, and food. More “maison de plaisance” than palace, it was created on a scale that one might consider livable by today’s standards — of course it is still quite a bit more opulent than one might be accustomed to!
Golden Suns, symbolizing enlightenment and humanitarianism, adorn the ornamental pavilions on either side of the palace.
Perhaps my favorite Palace in Potsdam was Die Neuen Kammern. Originally constructed as an Orangery — and I’ve had a long standing fantasy to live in an Orangery by the way — it was later transformed to accommodate guests and host lavish banquets.
Die Neuen Kammern.
We were somehow able to see almost all that we had wanted before rushing back to Berlin for our farewell dinner at the legendary Paris Bar restaurant, an iconic establishment, and a must while visiting Berlin.
We later treated ourselves to dessert and a provocative — and rather intimate — performance piece at Salon K — all very Berlin!
For our day of exploration, I’m wearing a Michael Bastian fair isle woolen sweater, Tom Ford white and navy cotton plaid shirt, Gucci chartreuse python belt with silver double horse head buckle, black leather tote and aviator style sunglasses, Diesel skinny jean, Lanvin high top sneakers in greens and black suede my fragrance is Creed Bois de Portugal.
