Back in November, I had a week where I was on holiday, yet because of the pandemic's second wave, it was difficult to go somewhere. I needed to use my vacation days, so I eventually just stayed in Berlin, yet I took long walks and tackled further trails. Trail 8 of Berlin's 20 Green Trails was on the agenda. So since the weather was still bearable, I put on my hiking shoes and headed out.
This trail began from Treptower Park, and ended in Mahldorf. It essentially is a trail that pushes all the way to the east from areas that I am rather familiar with, all the way to little villages and areas that used to not be a part of the city until Berlin became enlarged. I took the S-Bahn and headed to Treptower Park, which is an area that I am quite knowledgeable with, since my work is close by.
Treptower Park used to be part of East Berlin, but now it looks rather swanky. The trail traces the water from Alt-Treptow and Stralau. This area used to be not the most photogenic one, but nowadays, after a lot of building efforts, some of the city's nicest properties are located here, by the waterfront. As I was following this trail, I saw swanky and nice-looking people doing their morning exercise. This is definitely not how it was before.
Eventually, this trail goes through Rummelsburg and then follows the railroad, and then later on goes along the U5 line. Then it heads to a lake, the Biesdorfer Baggersee.
Then it eventually reaches Schloss Biesdorf, which is this red-tinted building you see above. And after that, it heads over to Kaulsdorf. Kaulsdorf is a neighbourhood of Berlin, deep in the east, and before 1920 was actually not part of the city. Only then because of the Greater Berlin Act was it incorporated. Nevertheless, even now there is a village-like feel to it, and it definitely does not feel like it's part of Berlin or a major metropolis at all.
At some point the trail goes to the Berliner Balkon, or Berlin Balcony as the name indicates. It's a small hill, nothing extraordinary, but it does have a nice panoramic view. There's wide roads from afar, but at least when you're in the wide green open space then you don't really care that there are trucks speeding by at a close distance.
This trail eventually goes through the backyard of the Gründerzeitmuseum, which is a museum founded by Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transgender woman. Apparently she had a massive collection of historical items from the 1870s. I haven't visited this museum yet, and due to the pandemic, it was closed, but I do plan to check it out whenever I have a chance in the future.
In the end, I reached Mahlsdorf. This is the final neighbourhood of Berlin, the city limits are right there, and across it lies Hoppegarten in Brandenburg. These 17 kilometres were interesting, and I took the S-Bahn and slowly made my way back to the city centre.
