Berlin sits in the center of Brandenburg like a crowded island in the middle of a beautiful lake. The analogy is reinforced by the surrounding lake filled landscape and by the 20th century’s political history of Berlin. West Berlin was an island of democracy and western culture during the cold war. In fact, many west Berliners (“Wessis”) have told me that they felt like they grew up on an island, and they attribute a lot of the positive aspects of Berlin to that history.
Two weeks ago, we left the familiar urban island of Berlin and ventured northeast into the surrounding countryside. Besides the obvious difference of city versus country, there is also an interesting impression created by the combination of the east German building style (or lack thereof) and the dramatic impact of all the new infrastructure. Since reunification, the Germans have invested billions in rebuilding the infrastructure of the east. The highways, bridges, local roads… everything, is brand new. According to an article I read by the World Bank, in the first three years of the unification over 90 billion dollars per year was pumped into east Germany. That equates to an astounding 50% of the west German tax revenue and 5% of gross domestic product. Despite that investment, unemployment in the east was 16% in 2006, twice as high as in the west at 8%. To put that in perspective, the US Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 4.6% in August this year. The unification and the struggle of the German people to deal with it are an ever present topic here. Given the scope of the challenge, it is easy to understand why.
So, anyway, we put our bikes on the roof of the VW and had our first small road trip through the farms, forests and lakes of Brandenburg. Our destination was the Brandenburg Tour bike path. The BT is a bike route that circles Berlin through the Brandenburg countryside. It is 1,100 Kilometers long (about 700 miles!). We decided to start at Kloster Chorin and head northwest through the tiny village of Senftenhütte to a lakeside community called Althüttendorf. We had no idea what to expect.
The first thing to surprise me was the size of the forest. It stretches out for miles around Chorin. The 13th century ruins are nestled beside a beautiful lake and are surrounded by woods, interlaced with trails. The terrain is slightly hilly, but nothing compared to home, and the bike path changes intermittently from asphalt to Kopfsteinpflaster (head stone pavement, or cobble stones :-) . Thanks to all the investment mentioned above, most of the BT is newly paved. Like any journey through unknown territory, the trip out was a challenge. It took a bit of time to understand the signs and get a feel for riding time versus posted distance and the map.
Our first destination was Senftenhütte. We emerged from the young growth forest and descended through farm fields into the village. It originated in the early 1700’s when Johann Georg Senf, Mr. Mustard :-) , started a glass blowing business there. A small church and WWI war memorial marked the center. Little stucco houses clustered close together had tiny, flower filled gardens adjacent to the street. The road proceeded through the quiet village and we stopped at an intersection, not of roads, but of paths.
Cycling / walking paths are everywhere here. All marked with mile stones or signs indicating the distance to the next destination. The majority of the paths are not paved like the BT, but that does not prevent people from using them. As we pondered the map and tried to figure out which track to follow, an elderly couple emerged from one such path on their bikes; not mountain bikes, not touring bikes, just what are known here as city bikes. Sturdy, laden with lights, fenders and racks, these are bikes made to be used everyday. It is a heart warming site for a cycling nut!
So we proceeded on our way and eventually rolled down the path into Althüttendorf just in time for the pangs of lunchtime hunger to catch up with us. One of the many wonderful things about Germany that we have experienced is the abundance of cafes and restraunts. So, here we were in what felt like the middle of nowhere, and up pops a restaurant by the side of the bike path. Unfortunately, or fortunately if you are Danielle, the beer garden was not open. So we enjoyed our Wurst inside, had a short rest and then made our way back to Chorin in what seemed like half the time of the outbound trip. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful introduction to cycle touring in Brandenburg.
Two weeks ago, we left the familiar urban island of Berlin and ventured northeast into the surrounding countryside. Besides the obvious difference of city versus country, there is also an interesting impression created by the combination of the east German building style (or lack thereof) and the dramatic impact of all the new infrastructure. Since reunification, the Germans have invested billions in rebuilding the infrastructure of the east. The highways, bridges, local roads… everything, is brand new. According to an article I read by the World Bank, in the first three years of the unification over 90 billion dollars per year was pumped into east Germany. That equates to an astounding 50% of the west German tax revenue and 5% of gross domestic product. Despite that investment, unemployment in the east was 16% in 2006, twice as high as in the west at 8%. To put that in perspective, the US Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 4.6% in August this year. The unification and the struggle of the German people to deal with it are an ever present topic here. Given the scope of the challenge, it is easy to understand why.
So, anyway, we put our bikes on the roof of the VW and had our first small road trip through the farms, forests and lakes of Brandenburg. Our destination was the Brandenburg Tour bike path. The BT is a bike route that circles Berlin through the Brandenburg countryside. It is 1,100 Kilometers long (about 700 miles!). We decided to start at Kloster Chorin and head northwest through the tiny village of Senftenhütte to a lakeside community called Althüttendorf. We had no idea what to expect.
The first thing to surprise me was the size of the forest. It stretches out for miles around Chorin. The 13th century ruins are nestled beside a beautiful lake and are surrounded by woods, interlaced with trails. The terrain is slightly hilly, but nothing compared to home, and the bike path changes intermittently from asphalt to Kopfsteinpflaster (head stone pavement, or cobble stones :-) . Thanks to all the investment mentioned above, most of the BT is newly paved. Like any journey through unknown territory, the trip out was a challenge. It took a bit of time to understand the signs and get a feel for riding time versus posted distance and the map.
Our first destination was Senftenhütte. We emerged from the young growth forest and descended through farm fields into the village. It originated in the early 1700’s when Johann Georg Senf, Mr. Mustard :-) , started a glass blowing business there. A small church and WWI war memorial marked the center. Little stucco houses clustered close together had tiny, flower filled gardens adjacent to the street. The road proceeded through the quiet village and we stopped at an intersection, not of roads, but of paths.
Cycling / walking paths are everywhere here. All marked with mile stones or signs indicating the distance to the next destination. The majority of the paths are not paved like the BT, but that does not prevent people from using them. As we pondered the map and tried to figure out which track to follow, an elderly couple emerged from one such path on their bikes; not mountain bikes, not touring bikes, just what are known here as city bikes. Sturdy, laden with lights, fenders and racks, these are bikes made to be used everyday. It is a heart warming site for a cycling nut!
So we proceeded on our way and eventually rolled down the path into Althüttendorf just in time for the pangs of lunchtime hunger to catch up with us. One of the many wonderful things about Germany that we have experienced is the abundance of cafes and restraunts. So, here we were in what felt like the middle of nowhere, and up pops a restaurant by the side of the bike path. Unfortunately, or fortunately if you are Danielle, the beer garden was not open. So we enjoyed our Wurst inside, had a short rest and then made our way back to Chorin in what seemed like half the time of the outbound trip. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful introduction to cycle touring in Brandenburg.
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