The Berlin Wall has always held a certain fascination for me, even more so since 1989, when I was in East Berlin the night it finally “came down” So today was all about the wall. I was going to ride about a third of the 160km trail that pretty much follows the route of the wall, much of it using the road/track that ran alongside it and was at one time patrolled by DDR border guards.
I was riding from North of Berlin to the South, starting in the suburbs and through the centre and out again. For once there were no mishaps today, just a straight forward ride in glorious weather.
A 30 minute trouble free journey on the S- Bahn, brought me to the pretty station of Hermsdorf, if only British Rail stations were so interesting.
After riding down a few suburban roads I found signs for the trail, handily put at 3.6m high, the same height as the wall. It was odd to find these in suburban streets, but that was the reality of the wall, which randomly split neighbourhoods and families
The trail continued out into open countryside, dotted along were information boards and occasional memorials to those who tried and for the most part failed to cross the wall.
After a while I hit the beginning of the city proper. There were occasional glimpses of what remains of the wall. In some places iron stakes have been planted to show it’s position.
As I reached the centre, I took time to pause at the Holocaust memorial, near the Brandenburg Gate. Opened in 2005 it covers 19,000 square metres, with 2711 concrete blocks of different heights, remembering the 6 million Jews who perished.
Then it was on southwards, stopping at checkpoint Charlie and snatching a quick shot with the Brompton. Now a tourist attraction with an adjacent McDonalds, it was very different when I transited to the East through there 36 years ago. It’s hard to imagine now, just what a different world it was
One of the longest stretches of remaining wall was next. This is given over to artwork, some of which has achieved iconic status and was a must have for the Instagram generation.
Before long, it was back to countryside – even here there were reminders of the wall. The end point of my trip on the Wall trail promised the sight of Water Buffalo, all rather exotic for Germany, alas all I got was the sign and an empty field !
After 55km, I deserved lunch before heading back on the train, so I “treated’ myself to that well known German favourite – Currywurst mitt Pommes. Once tasted never forgotten, or should that be best forgotten !
As it was only mid afternoon, I finished up with a ride around a few more sights in central Berlin. Starting with a relaxing few kms through the Tiergarten, an oasis of green in the very centre of the city and then on past some of the impressive buildings that survived the Second World War to the bustling Alexanderplatz with the iconic Berliner Fernsehturm. For the nerds amongst you the tallest publicly accessible building in Europe, standing 368m tall.
That was pretty much the conclusion of the day, all that was left was dinner in a restaurant under Friedrichstrasse station. The food was great, but the noise and shaking when a train passed overhead was a little disconcerting !
Steady Pedals 