Day 18, Thursday 31/3:

Today, when we awoke, a light dusting of snow was falling from the sky, meaning the temperature lay somewhere between bloody cold and freezing.  We decided that the best course of action would be to visit the Charlottenburg Palace. This palace was originally commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, wife of the then Elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich III, in the 17^th century and continually extended thought the 18^th century in order to cope with the rigors of royal life. Much of the palace was damaged or destroyed in WWII, meaning large sections had to be reconstructed post war. This has been done exceptionally well and it really is beautiful, both inside and out. We explored the rooms via a vey good audio guide, the highlight of which had to be Sophie’s immense collection of porcelain, which fills the walls of a massive room. We then ventured outside and checked out the gardens which had also been restored to their former glory. 

Once we had finished this we headed for home, detouring for coffee along the way. Patsy and Philip then spent the rest of the afternoon at a laundromat and brought home a Turkish takeaway for dinner.