Tour de Berlin - stage 2 and Mauerweg completed!

For the first stage we were two and the at the end of the tour we were four. It's usually the other way around with bike tour, you loose people on the way. Not this time.

The pitch 
A few month ago when the days started to get longer and the weather warmer - in theory only - the need to jump on your bike and to explore the city or to go away from it is getting bigger. An idea that come regularly at the same period of the year is "why don't we do the Mauerweg"? What is it you will ask, it's simple I will answer, there is a path you can follow which follows the former path of the Berliner wall. And no it's not only the East-Side gallery or the short version you can do in a group following a guy wearing a yellow t-shirt Mauerweg. It's about 170km.

The Berlin wall path forms a loop, it divides the city and actually surrounds West-Berlin. So when you do the Mauerweg you actually doing a tour all around former West-Berlin. The most impressive part is maybe the one in the city because we are full of images of the wall being built, houses destroyed, we think we know. The almost 120km other km are also very interesting.  It gives an idea of the Berlin size, you relation to the city changes. As often - at least to me - to know where I'm, where I go, what's the space I'm spanning is of great help to feel in control. It's probably why I like so much maps.

As the first half I did some weeks ago, this time we did not see remaining of the wall - actually only two pieces close the Schweinmuseum, true story. I can understand the desire to remove this sign visible. But it's also important to not forget. In that matter there is regularly small texts, explanations in the middle of the forest or just a picture of one or two men. Just to remind you that some years ago, wanted to cross the wall could be deadly. Telling history by the mean of bringing local memories to you is something you can easily relate to.

But let's back to the tour and its second stage Wannsee to Mauerpark for 75ish km

11:30am the fours cyclists are all in Alexander Platz waiting for their Regio toward Potsdam. 15min later we are in S-Wannsee ready to rumble in the Brandenburg jungle.

The first 10km almost bring you back to Wannsee, but before you go along the water, you pass the Pfaueninsel and continue to the famous spy exchange bridge also called Glienicker bridge. The following part passing by Potsdam Griebnitzsee is lovely, all house are beautiful and massive and you may consider to settle some years right there. But the stage isn't over so we continue.

We enter the forest, escaping it only to cross the highway and to observe the former Zoll station which looks impressive. A place you don't want to spend your vacation. You continue, along a canal for while, recognising many names of last subway station lines. You  may surprised yourself saying loud "haaaa it's here, hmmmm, yeah it's far".

After Lichtenrade and passing Rudow you enter an area in big changes. The "new new" aiport which should open one day is getting reached by the city and the mix between houses and fields with and without animals is more diffuse. In a few word it's not the most interesting part. But if you want to ride your bike fast there is a track going almost from the airport to Baumschulenweg in a long straight line.

We had a nice stop in an imbiss located in the garden of an house. Sitting there the time stopped, we did enjoy our beers and French fries with some Schlager coming from the garden. And we had time to see people. People and many dogs. The more you go away from the city center the more the typical couple you will meet is a human being and a dog. I have the same experience every time I go jogging toward Pankow and norther.

The entrance in the "alive" Berlin is fast and brutal as we forgot about the fête de la musique. We skipped the Mauerwerg path towards Görlitzer Part as we all knew it already to end in a nice beer garden but also cinema but also local brewery. Once again the time stopped. It was a super nice bike trip, crossing so many different areas, different people, different images in our heads.

8:22ish pm and we are home. Anne-Laure and me continue the tour to our place, leaving Steffen and Alexander near Ostkreuz. It's time now to have some rest or to collapse.