After taking my first ferry ride in Berlin last year, I’d been wanting to try out another route (because I enjoy cheap public transport thrills like that). This time J and I decided for yet another old route, running between Oberschöneweide and Baumschulenweg. Both neighbourhoods are located in the Treptow-Köpenick district in the eastern part […]
This year, International Women’s Day (March 8) fell on a Monday, which was excellent because Berlin celebrates it as a public holiday. Berlin is, believe it or not, the only state in Germany that stipulates Women’s Day as a bank holiday. Then again, it’s also the state with the lowest number of public holidays in […]
Did you know that ferries are part of Berlin’s public transportation system? Around this time last year, just before COVID-19 shutdowns happened, J and I took a stroll in the Müggelsee area of Treptow-Köpenick. After reaching Berlin’s supposedly tallest peak in Müggelberg, we stumbled upon a ferry terminal and decided to take the ferry to […]
Happy (belated) New Year! Five days into 2021, how are you liking the year so far? To be frank, I haven’t felt much difference from 2020 mainly because of the shutdown/lockdown situation, which is looking pretty grim at the moment in Europe, with no real end in sight. On the other hand, I’m grateful that […]
Hope everyone had a festive, enjoyable Christmas week? Just like many of you, I feasted way too much and now it’s time to shed the extra calories. And what better ways to do it in this mild winter than to walk and enjoy nature? One easy route to explore is along the Löcknitz river, but […]
It’s officially the first day of winter, and Berlin and Brandenburg have been on “shutdown” since last week till at least Jan 10. This means that most shops and schools are shut, restaurants open only for takeaways and deliveries, and people could leave their home only for important reasons. Fortunately, sports do count as an […]
One thing I really enjoy doing in the cold seasons is visiting the thermal/mineral baths and spas outside of Berlin, which feels like heaven after a stroll in the countryside. Wellness centres like these are currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but at the beginning of autumn we just about made it to one in […]
Along Germany’s southeast international border with the Czech Republic lies the Ore Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park (Naturpark Erzgebirge/Vogtland in German). At 120 km long, it’s apparently the longest nature park in Germany. The region is especially popular for winter sports, but it’s ideal for hiking too. The landscape you see here evolved through 800 years of […]
An einem Sommermorgen Da nimm den Wanderstab, Es fallen deine Sorgen Wie Nebel von dir ab. Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) After summer is over, Sunday mornings become a critical point for me: if someone or some event doesn’t drag me out of bed by 10 AM, lethargy would swoop in and I usually resign into being […]
First and foremost, I really appreciate the fact that the German and Berlin government NEVER enforce a total lockdown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that we have always been allowed to go outdoor to exercise, although obviously not in unreasonably big groups and keeping a safe distance if households mix. Moderate […]