2020 Travelling Germany !
Vacation time is travel time – and there it may go gladly also times beyond the national borders. But this year we didn’t feel like being stuck abroad or quarantined because of the corona, so we decided to take a closer look at Germany within its borders. So we packed two suitcases full of summer clothes, our sweet dog and her own suitcase into the car and started in a good mood with the best weather to the east.
Our first stop was Leipzig. The lively eastern city has been billed as the “new Berlin” in recent years. But why actually? We wanted to find out in person.
After our arrival, we first drove to the Leipziger Neuseenland. The beautiful post-mining landscape enchants us at first sight and soon makes us forget the strains of the journey. The landscape is growing and growing – in the next few years, a record-breaking 70 square kilometers of water will be created here!
After drifting through the city center, we finish our first stop in Europe’s best zoo – not only in our opinion. After 3 hours it was, unfortunately, time to go, although we had explored at most half of the fascinating and beautiful park with its exotic animals. We were most impressed by the graceful maned wolf and the Amur tiger, the largest cat on earth, which we could watch swimming. Not to mention the cute baby elephant that we fell in love with right away.
The next day we drove on to Berlin via Potsdam. . So at least we spent a long afternoon looking at the majestic Sanssouci Palace Park. We found a unique terrace complex and a magnificent fountain in the center of the park, marveled at the famous Sanssouci Palace, the impressive New Palace, and also discovered the Chinese Palace during our curious exploration. On about 300 hectares, there are more than 1,000 sculptures, garden art to enjoy, and a magnificent building to discover in every corner.
Our dog was less enthusiastic about the expansive gardens because of the midsummer temperatures, and unfortunately, we couldn’t see the palace from the inside because of her.
How fitting that there was a wine festival going on in the marketplace! After grabbing the last table at the best Italian in the place and feasting exquisitely, we ended the hot day with a glass of wine and .continued our journey to arrive in lively Berlin Mitte late in the evening!
Right in the center of it all, after a hearty breakfast, we were ready to start exploring. It’s hard to imagine that where trains and cars now run, where people pass unhindered, the Berlin Wall still stood until about 30 years ago. It not only divided the city, but rather families, friendships, cultures and ultimately all of Germany.
We started in the trendy “Mall of Berlin”, a new and modern shopping center, which was built on a 22,000 square meter area. This was the site of the Wertheim department store, once considered one of the most beautiful department stores in Germany and, until its partial destruction during World War II, the largest department store in Europe. The Mall of Berlin has become a worthy successor.
We continued to the maze “Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe”, where the disorientation of that time is made tangible
Not far from here we marveled at the Brandenburg Gate, probably the most famous structure in Germany. The gate is enthroned on 6 columns at the end of the magnificent boulevard “Unter den Linden”. It is the only preserved one of the last 18 city gates. The quadriga on top shows the goddess of victory Victoria, who is supposed to bring peace to the city on a quadriga. How fitting that it is precisely this that survived the Second World War – despite severe war damage.
The Reichstag building, the Victory Column, the Tiergarten, and Bellevue Palace round off the successful trip.
We have another long drive ahead of us until the next stop – up to the Baltic Sea! To make the drive not too long, we stop in beautiful Neubrandenburg. It’s Sunday, it’s raining and there’s hardly anyone on the roads except us. Wrongly! Because we discover many beautiful buildings and let them tell us the history of the city.
We continue to the island, more precisely to Rügen. For one week we explored Germany’s largest island with its beautiful beaches, numerous bays, many Baltic Sea resorts, and the Jasmund National Park with its famous Königsstuhl and the chalk cliffs.
Outside of Corona, Rügen is one of Germany’s tourist strongholds. In fact, this has now been confirmed again. In times when many prefer to stay in the country, the island attracted quite a few tourists again this year.
If one is spoiled from the last years by Mediterranean vacation weather with sun purely, one becomes in puncto weather however very disappointed – changeable, fresh Baltic Sea wind, even on sunny days sunbathing is recommended only in the lee. And you should also have a rain jacket handy.