Brandenburg an der Havel
After three days hiking around Berlin, I was ready to relax, ride the train and see a bit of the countryside. Sometimes I forget just 28 years ago the area outside western Berlin was behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany.
Public transportation is extensive here with four options: train, U-bahn (underground), Straßenbahn (street cars) and buses. I took the U-bahn to the Berlin Zoologischer Garten rail station and then changed platforms to hop on a regional train headed for Brandenburg an der Havel.
Deutsche Bahn may be the world’s best rail system. The trains are unfailingly clean, comfortable and fast. Of course they run on an efficient German schedule. Once you get the hang of reading the signs and understanding the network, riding the trains are a joy. You sit back in a double-decker passenger car and enjoy the scenery as it whizzes by.
I’ve mentioned it’s unusually hot and dry here in Germany. You need to stay hydrated with all the walking around outside so I always grab a big bottle of flavored water. The key words on the packaging are “ohne Kohlensäure” meaning without bubbles. Mineral water is the default here and it just tastes gritty to me.
Brandenburg an der Havel was a short, 45-minute ride to the west of Berlin. Lakes dot this part of Germany and much of the town was next to water. Although 70% of the buildings were destroyed in World War II (there was an airplane factory here supplying the Luftwaffe), there were still parts of the Altstadt (old town) that feature medieval German architecture.
I came across a stark reminder that this part of Germany was under Soviet occupation following the war. A cemetery for Red Army soldiers was capped by a memorial and prominent hammer and sickle motifs on the graves.
Further into the old town, I studied an intricate red brick building set on the main market square. The old Rathaus (city hall) now houses a cellar restaurant. Everyone knows all the best beer is down in the cellar.
The details on the doors panels deserved closer inspection. I thought this representation of the German eagle was quite creative:
After returning to Berlin, I decided to check out the oldest Biergarten in the city. Germans have been coming together and drinking beer under the chestnut trees at Prater Biergarten since 1837. There was a sea of people enjoying the early evening under a canopy of lights.
Beer gardens are relaxed affairs with families eating and kids playing between the filled tables. There were two buildings, one where you picked up food and one for drinks. This time I ordered traditional bratwurst with potato salad and a Hefeweizen. The mustard was so spicy it caused my eyes to water (take another drink).
You sit at tables with lots of other people and eventually conversation flows like the beer. I talked with several people, sometimes in German and sometimes in English. It felt like a community. Why don’t we have beer gardens like this back home?
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