A Walk in Grunewald
After several days in Berlin, I’ve been feeling anxious and eager to get started hiking. I thought about leaving this morning, but ended up talking with my family late into the night/morning and thought it best to stay another day. I packed my bag in the morning and, after meeting Matt and Jess for lunch, headed to Grunewald, a large forested park west of Berlin. It was well worth it.
For 2.70€, I took a train far enough out of the city that I thought I’d missed my stop. The station at the far end of the park was fitting and I started my walk with a smile.
After miles of city walking the past few days, entering the park was an immediate encouragement. Large oaks and redwoods shouldered forest paths and the sounds of the city faded out. Walking long distance seemed to make sense again.
Like all of Berlin, the park is mostly level ground. The few hills were built from the city’s rubble after the bombings of WWII; they offered good views of the nearby lake, and modest preparation for the mountains that loom ahead for me.
I walked all afternoon, eventually covering some 10 miles in the forest on dirt roads, horse trails, and mountain biking paths. My anxiety about whether I can actually do this trip yielded a bit, and I started to feel more comfortable with the idea of hiking for so long.
By the time I’d reached the north side of the forest, though, I was pretty tired. Nothing hurt, but my feet and shoulders were definitely ready for some rest.
I took a short nap before heading back into town by train to meet Matt and Jess for an ice cream. Dark chocolate, pistachio, and hazelnut. Sehr gut!
Tomorrow (Friday) I plan to catch an early morning train out of the city and down to France. I’m not sure how strong my signal will be from now on, so I might not be able to post as many photos, and maybe not every day. I’ll do my best. It should be a beautiful, sunrise ride. Hopefully I can stay awake.