Prince Pückler without chocolate

We walk a lot in our new home, but today we're going on our first proper hike. We're walking from one capital city to another. The starting point is the central station in Potsdam, and the destination is the southwestern tip of Berlin at Wannsee S-Bahn station.

The majority of the route goes through Babelsberg Park, a creation of Prince Pückler, who people our age only know from the tricolored ice cream blocks of our childhood. The grounds and the palace have been freshly renovated and are well-maintained. You walk through generously planned garden landscapes. Whenever it starts to get boring, a castle-like building emerges between the green hills.

Everything is surrounded by the Havel River and several lakes that used to lie between East and West Berlin. This made them the site of many escape attempts, which often ended fatally. The "Mauerweg" (Berlin Wall Trail) and a small memorial remind us of that. The flowers from August 13th have withered.

The Glienicke Bridge reminds us of many exchange missions between East and West spies. At the end of the park, we meet an old friend. The end of the Teltow Canal becomes the Havel here, about 30 kilometers from our apartment. It would have taken us five hours by ship.

Just before the end of the hike, we find a shortcut in the form of a BVG bus to our destination, Wannsee. We decide to finish the day in Steglitz at our new pizzeria. Besides the good food, we appreciate the clear safety instructions.