Thursday, August 7, 2008

Brandenburg Road trip

Well, I guess you couldn't technically call it a road trip because we were there in 1.5 hours and back less than a day later. Nevertheless, I think the scenic drive from Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel rather than the town itself was the highlight of the trip.

We decided to take a quick day and a half trip there to meet friends and were really inspired by the landscape. While driving, it becomes clear why the region is known for it's well preserved natural habitat and the town is a nice stop over as it sits off the Havel river. On the way to our hotel, we drove through a village on the edge of town that was in the midst of a summer festival and has placed all along the road little scarecrows in the images of people. Only in Deutschland would such a thing be seen!

It also has the infamous distinction of having once housed one of the first concentration camps in Germany, as well as being one of the key locations where the Nazi's began testing the use of gas on their victims. Of course, they would rather be remembered now for their beautiful landscapes but the entire time we were there it was hard to shake the reminder of the dispicable past.

It is not what I would consider to be a tourist destination. If asked, I would suggest to people that they spend their time exploring Brandenburg's capital, Potsdam, although the town has a quaint little city center and many brick medieval buildings. It's just the type of place you visit because you can.

1 comment:

Snooker said...

Hey, you have officially arrived! You now have SPAM!

It looks like you enjoyed yourself. Thanks for sharing the pics.