Berlin Day 1

I had a beautiful day in Berlin, Germany. Das Leben ist schön hiere. I am staying in an apartment of other cyclists that do these crazy long trips in unknown lands, and they were great to meet. Their place is comfortable and quiet too--tonight they are in Rostock for a getaway weekend. They told me about a bike path that goes along the Danube River from Vienna to Belgrade, and they're doing that trek in a week for 3 weeks. In Germany, they get 6 weeks off a year. You can even save it up and take off a few months if you'd like. It all sounds incredible. They have been helpful and gracious utterly and completely. 

I am staying here for one more night and then I have a hostel reserved for 2 more nights. Tomorrow, I'm thinking of taking the train to Fürstenberg to finish the leg where I cheated and took the train. I hate that part of my personality, but I like to finish things.

Berlin is a mix of old and new architecture.

It seems to really blend well together. There is a real creative spirit to the city present in its street musicians, public art, and architecture. People seem to have their own style.

There are lots of bicycles, and this is the first city I've been to where people are intentionally working on their fitness in exercise clothes. I see muscular men and women: this is the first time in Europe I've seen a gym.

Germany, too, has the cycling mail carriers. Come on, United States. This should be my next career.

Today was the the anticipated day that I found my first pay toilette too.

Not bad. 

I spent some time trying to learn about the Berlin Wall, and I still feel a little unclear about how Berlin was initially split into 4 different zones. The stories of families that were split between the east and west were shocking. I remember the wall coming down--it may have been one of the first world events I remember truly.

Some of the escape stories called to mind border crossings of Mexicans to the United States to see loved ones.

Germany stiil remembers the United States air dropping food and coal for 11 months in the Berlin Airlift. They've made this area into a park now.

The night air was cool and lush, and it felt  like I was swimming instead if pedaling. People were hanging out in Lustgarten after dusk. A violinist and a pianist played some lovely classical music outside of the cathedral. It was one of the most relaxing moments of the trip thus far. On the way home, there were some random fireworks. It's the beauty of being on a bicycle sometimes--you can hear what's happening around you and can easily pull aside to live it.