I had no plans to go anywhere today, as I was due to fly home this afternoon. Instead, having seen the children off to Kindergarten, we headed back to the Stern centre to pick up some memory for the PC, which I noticed had been managing (just about) on 256MB. Having fitted that, we walked into Potsdam centre again and went for a lunchtime kebab, before walking back to the flat and then heading to the station to catch the train directly to Berline Schoenefeld. Peter accompanied me to the airport and then we said our goodbyes and he headed back home whilst I caught the plane back to East Midlands Airport, picking up my car at the airport and then arriving home at 17:45.
I’ve had a nice week out in Potsdam. I went primarily to see Peter and family, timed to coincide with the Helge Schneider concert. Peter and Susi’s kids are growing up fast and because we don’t see them often, it was nice to catch up a little with them and see how they’re getting on.
Potsdam itself has moved on even more since my last visit. The city has been completely transformed since I lived there for several months as a student in 1992. The city is more vibrant and colourful, the old, grey, Eastern block buildings having been given a makeover and are now renovated. The Ikarus buses no longer run, nor do the trolley buses, but the trams are still there and the public transport system is still excellent. The Russian troops have long gone and the city’s main shopping street, the Brandenburger Strasse, now features many shops common across the rest of Germany, including the obligatory Karstadt department store. It’s still an exciting city and, to my mind at least, is still an undiscovered gem and wonderful potential tourist attraction, featuring, as it does a host of palaces, parks, and lakes. I kind of hope it stays relatively undiscovered.