Just another Bike Ride: Berliner Mauerweg

After 2 days of walking, that was enough, the bike was assembled. Day 3 was a ride and I enjoyed the freedom we all experience on a bike, presumably the same type of liberation the women of the 19th century enjoyed when they took to cycling and were no longer confined to the walking radius around their european village.

Where to go for my first ride - along the route of the Berlin wall "Berliner Mauerweg ". My apartment is very close to the Mauerweg so I covered about ⅓ of it - approx 60 kms of the southeast part. The total length is 170 km so there will be another 2, possibly 3 days to complete the circumference. Very little remains of the wall and none of it on my first section. The geography/environment clearly identifies most of the wall's route and typically the former West Berlin has better buildings whilst the former East Berlin has blander architecture or open fields, although the other 100km or so not yet seen will be another matter as it includes the section through the city's heart.

There are the occasional information signs to mark points of interest. The location of the 450 espionage tunnel from the west to under an eastern communications centre, the location of the road for the west's garbage trucks to a dump in the east, the border crossing to allow passengers from the west access to the airport in the east (much cheaper airfares, and a source of $US for the east), and poignantly, selected locations with photographs where people were killed whilst attempting a border crossing.

October 2nd was a fitting time to start riding the Berliner Mauerweg. October 3rd is the anniversary of German Unification and a public holiday. This year is the 24th anniversary although the wall was opened nearly 25 years ago in late 1989. The road each side of the Brandenburg Tor (gate) is the site of a Volksfest for a few days. Nothing remarkable, just the usual activities of a fair with German wurst and bier.

I have pretty much settled in, various sundry errands done, all 6 weeks accommodation organised. Some sundry images.

Celebrating German Unification with beer, music and bikes.