Potsdam

After a frantic escapade from Leipzig to Nurmberg to Berlin all in one day, in addition to kitchy hostel decor and treatment, I was tired and exahausted as I made my way to church in Berlin and then to Potsdam to finish our Bach program. Turns out, Potsdam was GORGEOUS, and the perfect place to find refuge from a big city. We had three days of lectures and two days of presentations for our Bach projects--explaining how we will tie Bach into the curriculum--and in the afternoons we played. Potsdam was where Frederick the Great, known for vicious wars and for ushering in the enlightenment, built a HUGE summer palace with gardens that go on for acres and acres. The city is GORGEOUS. I biked one afternoon and saw two castles. I swam in a lake three times (one of those being at midnight with people from the group including Louise, my favorite, who is a brillian 65 year old history buff with jet black hair and is a New Yorker through and through), I ate delicious ice cream (strawberry mint is my new favorite) and toured San Souci. Our last night as a group we ate at a traditional German restaurant and had a ball. I am so grateful to have been in the NEH program--I learned so much about Bach and met just incredible people.