Frozen Krumme Lanke

Dear Gran
It has snowed several times this week, with the snow sometimes so light that it was not so much falling as just floating around - a bit like being inside a snow dome. On Wednesday night, we went out to drinks in a Mexican restaurant run by rude Germans where we toasted Australia Day together with a Finn, three Muskovites and a Bulgarian (all from Julie's language class). All the other students come from colder climates so they find Berlin winters pretty warm. Apparently this winter is warmer than is usual with no minus 20 degree days like they had 2 years ago (Schade!). Yesterday we went for a walk around the lake Krumme Lanke in Grunewald Forest with friendly locals Kenneth (pictured) and Christina.

The lake had frozen over completely in the last week, although it looked pretty thin in places. We spent the afternoon at their place drinking Australian wine and being fed delicious roast lamb. In the evening it began raining and today there is almost no snow left at all. (Echt Schade!) Our week's snow holiday in Berlin has come to an end.
love from
Brendan

Snowy Stralau & Spree

Dear Gran
I enjoyed walking last week looking at the scenery that had been transformed by snow and sunshine. The river Spree forms a peninsula close to our house which is the site of an old fishing village called Stralau. I liked seeing snow on the jetty - behind is a crane from a disused wharf and moored barges. There is also a view through the bare trees to the spire of the old Stralau church.

This is the Alt Stralau church in the snow. I don't know whether the tower leans to one side because it is 500 years old or because it got damaged in WWII - or maybe a bit of both.

huru
Brendan

A cold day for cycling in der Schweiz

Dear Gran,

On Sunday, Brendan and I were indeed cycling "in der Schweiz" (in Switzerland)-- that is, in the Markisches Schweiz. This is the name given to the countryside between Berlin and the Polish border. It is slightly higher, not quite so flat, and has many lakes.

The forecast was for -1° C with snow-showers, however when we set out the weather was fine and overcast. Our plan was to connect Erkner, the end of the south-eastern suburban train line with Strausberg, the end of the eastern train line. The first train in the right direction didn't go all the way to Erkner, so we started riding where the train stopped. The extra five kilometres added about 1½ hours to our trip- the small towns (really they are semi-suburbs of Berlin) can be very confusing. But we saw some lovely things- we cycled for a while along a single tram track through the forest. A little toy tram, about a third the size of a Melbourne tram, came past at 10 minute intervals.





We ate lunch on top of a lock between two lakes. We considered stopping inside one of the little restaurants surrounding the lake, but decided that the speciality of the house (alles von Pferd! everything from horse!) could not compete with the vegemite and nutella sandwiches. (I should make it clear: vegemite and nutella were in seperate sandwiches).

Thoroughly frozen, we continued through the forest to Erkner (our planned starting point). The first Bakelite factory was in Erkner. Next, we joined the R1, a cross-Europe cycle trail, and picked up the pace and quickly thawed out. It was well marked and mostly off-road- champagne cycling through beautiful forests and farmland. Old snow was still sitting around in the shadows, showing that it is higher and colder than Berlin--- in the city we hadn't had snow on the ground at all in the past weeks.


In this photo you can see Brendan in front of one of the stone barn walls of the area.


We arrived in Strausberg- a medieval town that in the DDR era was home to large parts of the Volks-Armee- about half an hour before sunset. As our train left the station it was engulfed in wild flurries of the promised snow---

which has persisted, dry and unmelted, to the present day (Tuesday). It is lovely- hiding all that is ugly (the dirt, the broken glass, the scraps of firecracker left over from New Year) and revealing the patterns of people's footsteps, the way they cross the park outside our flat.

Much love,

Julie