Post – Fresh Air Pink Cheeks

Apr 29

Apr 29 Treptow to Köpenick

Firstly, let me get you up to speed in case you've missed my torrential spamming on Instagram over the past four months. I've moved to Berlin! All it took was 37 boxes, a brief stint of freelancing, a career change, finding a new flat, bringing my cat Wallace over from London, and *POOF* here I am at the end of April, on my new sofa in front of my open windows with leaves on the trees, birds singing, and am empty plate of chips (that's Pommes over here) in front of me. In short, life is fan-fucking-tastic. And most thrillingly, it's only TWO WEEKS until I start the West Highland Way! Julia (who easy peasy hiked the Wonderland Trail in Patagonia since she went on her first hike with me in November and got drenched) and I will be walking 96 miles from Glasgow to Fort William over 8 days and I COULD not be more excited to see the views, breathe the air, feel the feels. So it struck my mind that it might be a good time to strap them old boots back on and see what kind of walks I can find from my new home town!

I picked out an relatively short and easy-to-reach route from Treptow to Köpenick on this here site called www.outdooractive.com which sounded promising enough. 4.5 hours along the water and 20 minutes from where I live seemed good enough distance to get my legs into gear, but I expected it to be pretty industrial or at least city-ish. BOY was I wrong!

We started off in Treptow and walked through the huge park there and came across no less than a mahoosive Soviet memorial (fun fact: I can read all the Cyrillic letters that make the word S-T-A-L-I-N and proceeded to sound it out it rather loudly to my friend's amusement), the Jugend Insel and then further east along the river. Another fun fact at this point: if Germans go past you on a boat anywhere at any time they WILL wave back at you if you wave at them. Every time. True story! Try it!

After a lovely ramble along the waterside we couldn't find the indicated river crossing on the map - to discover it's a ferry! So yep, we got a boat too. What a day. Ferries are part of the Berlin transport system so you can just use your regular subway ticket to get on one. Bangin.

The final sections took us through an allotment garden and into lush green woods with pale baby leaves and clear, empty paths. I won't say no to a mountain, but I'm a total woods girl at heart. The slow but constant movement all around you, changing light and birds singing and smells of different trees. Oh man I love it. And I can't believe there are actual proper woods a mere 30 or so minutes train journey from my house! We finally got to an area called Wuhlheide which has a miniature train going through it, an outdoor events stage thingey and lovely lovely paths and trees. And, filled with chlorophyll to last at least until Wednesday and with decidedly tired feet we cut the walk short to head back home where fries and a bathtub awaited. Sometimes less is more. (Except mayo, then more is more.)