Schloss Charlottenburg

Yesterday, I participated in another excursion with GLS, this time to Schloss Charlottenburg. It was amazing! The tour only included the main part of the castle, yet I was in complete awe of the beauty and luxury in those rooms. I can't even image seeing the whole place in it's day...it would have been unbelievable.

This is the main part of Schloss Charlottenburg.

This is a statue of King Fredric Wilhelm I of Prussia.

This is a model layout of the grounds as they were originally planned.

This is the toilette of Queen Sophie Charlotte, for whom the castle was renamed after her death.

This was a sitting room meant to capture the beauty of nature and bring it indoors, thus the floor-to-ceiling windows to the gardens and the abundant mirrors.

This was the receiving room where the Queen took guests, it is large and circular, with the rear semicircle of the room jutting out of the facade of the castle and into the gardens.

This harpsichord belonged to Queen Sophie Charlotte, who was reportedly a gifted musician.

Just some ornate and beautiful decoration...

This room was absolutely gorgeous; my camera couldn't capture the deep red color of the walls. It seemed to even dim the sunshine.

The most beautiful ceiling painting I've ever seen. The four panels represent the four seasons.

A windclock in King Fredric Wilhelm II's bedroom.

The King's bathroom.

One wall of Queen Sophie Charlotte's expansive porcelain collection.

Another wall in the same room.

The Chapel at Schloss Charlottenburg.

 This room was completely paneled in oak. Absolutely gorgeous.

This is Queen Sophie Charlotte's bed chamber; the small door in the corner led to her wardrobe.

Queen Sophie Charlotte's writing desk, survived since 1700s.

The staircase...

I can't relay adequately just how much porcelain there was...

And silver...

Rooms upon rooms of this...it was breathtaking.

These are some of the treasures still housed in Schloss Charlottenburg.

Also breathtaking!

The crowns of the King and Queen.

And yet more porcelain. The pieces were so detailed...

 These are some of the Queen's jewelry boxes.

Like I said, beautiful!

This was another sitting room, used by the King.

This is a view of the gardens as seen from the second story of the castle.

More porcelain.

 
This was the King's library. None of the books remain but that is his writing desk, which has survived for hundreds of years.

A view of Schloss Charlottenburg from the gardens.

The Belvedere.

And finally, the Mausoleum.

It was a beautiful trip and one I would recommend to anyone visiting Berlin. I wouldn't mind going back before I leave Germany! 

Galleriespanziergang

Today was the first time I joined an excursion offered by the school. Every afternoon after classes, the school offers an activity or an excursion, like a movie, a seminar, or a tour. Today was a "Galleriespaziergang," which basically means a walking tour of various art galleries. So it was only four people total and two of the galleries we were supposed to go to were closed but it was lots of fun anyway! We saw some very cool art, including an impressionist film about the allure of horror movies, which I loved!

The first place we went was Koenerpark in Neukoln.

In Koernerpark, there is a small gallery which exhibited the realism work of a local artist.

This is the crest of Neukoln. The goblet represents the migrant population that inhabited the area; the eagle is the Brandenburg Eagle, because Neukoln used to be owned by Brandenburg but is now part of Berlin; and the Maltese Cross is in remembrance of the Knights of Hospitaller who Christianized the area. 

There are called Stumbling Stones. They are part of an project that spreads over Europe which attempts to commemorate the lives of the people who were lost to concentration camps during the Nazi Regime. The Stumbling Stones are placed in front of the home of the persons being commemorated; they state the person's name, birth year, year of deportation, and which concentration camp they were sent to.

This is the "dirty bar" our guide took us to...it wasn't really all that bad. There was actually some cool live music going on.

And this is the menu from a Turkish street food shop. 

And I have officially eaten Schawarma!!! That scene at the end of The Avengers were they all seem like they're not really enjoying the schawarma? Well, that must have been a crappy shop because this stuff is delicious!! Served with hummus and taboon...yumm!!

So, that was my Friday night. And tomorrow I'm going on another excursion to Charlottenburger Schloss!! I will get pictures up for that sometime tomorrow evening! 'Til then!

P.S. I watched The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in IMAX yesterday!! It was awesome! If you want, you can read my review on my Facebook Page The Movie Was So Much Better, said no one ever.