The very final tour of the 66-Lakes-Trail had the most participation out of any leg: my coworkers, Mandy, Iris, Pauline, and Mini, and two friends of theirs, both named Sabine. Since we all got on the S-bahn at various stops along the way, we gathered together at the platform when the train reached Seddin.
With more hikers than ever, I expected the tour to be even more leisurely than the previous one. But we shot out of Seddin and in no time had passed by the small and large Lienewitzsees. In the blink of an eye, we were at the Caputher See. Another colleage, Svea, wanted to meet us there on her bike and then hike the rest of the way with us, but we were so early, we decided to postpone the meet up until later.
In Caputh, we stopped by the Schloss (palace) and then took a break on the dock to have a bite to eat and take in the view of the Templiner See.
Less than a kilometer after the Schloss is Einstein’s summer house. Yes, THE Albert Einstein. The house is only open for visitors on Saturdays and Sundays, so we were in luck and got a tour of the place. We first sat in the yard and listened to the history of acquiring the land for the house, finding a suitable architect, and meeting both Einstein’s and his wife, Elsa’s wishes for the home. Then we got to tour the summer house. Unfortunately, there is no original furniture left in the home, but some period pieces give the impression of what it may have once looked like.
After visiting Einstein’s, we continued walking the eastern shore of the Templiner See. We bumped into Svea on her bike, and she decided to ride around the lake and meet us in Potsdam instead. Unfortunately, the pedestrian bridge was out, so we couldn’t cross the lake in the center. As an alternate route, we remained on the east side until we reached the peninsula, Hermanns Werder, and took the ferry across to Potsdam. The ferry was pulled across the lake by a cable system under the water.
Now in Potsdam, it was just a matter of getting to the Brandenburger Tor (gate) to complete the hike! Once the gate came into view, I honestly must say it felt a little disappointing and sad. Getting to the gate would mean the hike was over. What would I do on the weekends? Where would I go hiking now? Putting these questions aside for the moment, we crossed Luisenplatz and arrived at the gate full of smiles and congratulatory hugs at having accomplished the hike together.
We took some selfies at the Tor (because did anything in 2017 really happen if you didn’t take a selfie together to prove it?) and then walked down Brandenburger Strasse to meet Aniseh and Svea at Pfeffer and Salz, an Italian restaurant, to celebrate. There we enjoyed an excellent meal outside while continuing to soak up the great sunny day.
So…now what? The trail has been completed, but I will keep on hiking. Some of the trails I would be happy to hike again. And there are even more trails in Brandenburg than just my trusty blue dot. I came across hikes marked by yellow, green, and red dots, and just as many colors in stripes. Hopefully I’ll discover more of Berlin itself, since I feel I have yet to spend quality time with the city. And now that I’ve got a bicycle, I’d like to be able to explore even further or just see things differently on two wheels. Whatever it is, I’ll be sure to keep you posted 😉
If you’re interested in hiking (some of) the 66-Lakes-Trail, check out some tips and recommendations in this overview.