Whatever the weather forecast, the calendar, meteorologists or theologians say – for me, yesterday was the first day of spring.
And so I went for a hike:
- From Müggelheim to Gosen, thus crossing the state line from Berlin to Brandenburg.
- Always along the shore of Lake Seddin, until I reached the Oder-Spree-Canal, which leads to wonderful Eisenhüttenstadt.
- From Wernsdorf to Neu-Zittau I hitchhiked for a few kilometers; thanks to the two friendly guys from Müggelheim who gave me a ride!
- And then I continued on foot to Erkner, which prides itself on Gerhart Hauptmann having lived there for a few years. Apart from that, well, let’s say there are more beautiful towns in Brandenburg.
As always in this area, plenty of water, requiring large detours on foot for what looks like a short distance on the map. Around here, a boat license is really more useful than a driving license.
But maybe this problem will dissipate when the Tesla factory in Grünheide, the next village, will take out all the groundwater. We really should rely more on ships rather than on cars. After all, we already have all the canals, and on those, you can get to almost anywhere in Europe.
Links:
- More hikes.
- More photography.
- And more about the history of shipping canals in Germany, in Europe and all over the world.
The Happy Hermit 
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Sounds like a walk which can warm you up even in (?)spring.
Sadly, the next day spring was over again. :/
Hey there, love your blog!
Great post! I love your adventurous spirit and your hike sounds amazing. The photos are beautiful too. Have you ever considered writing about the history of the canals you mentioned? I would love to learn more about their significance and how they have impacted Europe over the years.
Charlotte 🌿 http://www.arvorlife.com 🌊
With you from mountain to sea
Thank you very much!
And yes, I actually have thought about that.
Either a long walk along the canals, connecting as many countries as possible, or trying to hitch rides on boats, although I am not sure how feasible that would be.
But then, I don’t know if I will ever get to it, because I always have more ideas than time.
Maybe I will have some canal-related stories when I visit Suchowola in Poland as part of my quest to visit all the geographical centers of Europe: https://andreasmoser.blog/2022/08/11/journey-to-the-center-of-europe/
Because not far from there begins the Augustow Canal, supposedly a very beautiful canal leading into Belarus (and the visa-free zone of Belarus, on top of that). By the time of its building, this was all Poland, of course, and they built the canal because Prussia charged too steep levies for the use of their canals.
Always such a great escape to read about your long hikes. I have an inflatable kayak that’s given me a different view of my neighbourhood. But we sure don’t have the canals and history-soaked landscapes that you meander. Keep traveling, keep writing.
Thank you very much, I will do that!
In this part of Europe, traveling on water would really open a whole different bouquet of possibilities and perspectives.
Beautiful photos! I feel the same – It’s spring, yet we’ve still been having some dreary weather over here in Michigan.
Here too, I think I was excited a bit too early. :/