66 Seen Weg: on fire

Stage 14: from Halbe to Wünsdorf

I’m catching a couple of good days this week, with temperatures of about 26 degrees Celcius. It’s a bit hot to start a nearly 33km day, but it’s better than walking in the rain that’s supposed to come later this week. It’s still quiet when I leave the Halbe train station, although there are a lot of houses that have construction going on. Very soon I see a lovely little lake, called Heidesee. A toddler is trying out her balance bike with encouraging words from dad. Then I leave civilization behind and enter the forest.

There is a very unpleasant stretch where there is no other way but to walk at the edge of a very busy road. It’s to cross the highway. Cars are racing past me and some don’t even slow down. The route takes forest or rural roads where possible, but I guess some of these points are unavoidable. Luckily I arrive safely in Teupitz, which turns out to be a lovely little town. I take a little detour to see the market square (and get some ice cream) and the lake, where I find a beautiful viewpoint to enjoy my soft serve.

A bit later I find the most perfect spot at the Tornower lake. The locals have made a beautiful picnic and swimming spot. I take a bench and start my lunch. Then a man comes riding his bicycle. “Do you mind if I swim without my shorts on?” he asks me. After his swim he tells me he’s been living in the area since 1981 and he loves it. Since there is no café close by it’s always quiet at the lake. I totally get it. When I continue I walk further alongside the lake and find some more, but smaller, swimming spots.

After Egsdorf I follow a long, looooong road. At the start it says it is partly closed from the 2nd of June. Today. Great! Assuming it’s only for cars, I keep going. It looks like they are starting to build a highway or something. A wide stretch of forest was cleared and this is where the very old forest road is cut off to cars. There is nobody working though, so I cross and keep going. The area here used to be a training ground for the military, so it’s not advised to go into the forest. That’s why I keep following the road for about 4 km. Then I hit a little town and a lake again.

As I approach Wünsdorf Waldstadt I check the time. I will either just make the train, or just miss it, so I start to pick up my pace and run the last bit to the train station. I made it! My feet weren’t too happy with it though. With the heat and the friction I’ve developed some blisters. I can’t wait to free my feet!

Stage 15: Wünsdorf to Trebbin

I’m on fire! After a long day yesterday, I’m out again for another 30 km. My feet have got two gigantic blisters, but despite the pain I continue. My legs move like a machine. I’m killing it. But also, I feel like I’m on fire. Today is a hot day again and the route doesn’t provide much shade. For the most part I’m out in the fields and the sun is slowly roasting me. Occasionally a gust of wind comes by and I take off my hat and let it blow through my hair. Such intense joy!

The morning takes me through the forest, where I walk past an animal shelter that has some enormous dogs. I hear them barking from afar and they didn’t seem to stop at all after I’d walked by. After the forest I reached a strange path between an industrial zone and some big ponds. And then I entered Sperenberg. At the end of the town I saw an old airfield. It was used by the military of the GDR and later, until the 90s, by the Soviet Union. The red stars were still on the gate, but you couldn’t really see anything else. I walked along the barb-wired fence until Kummersdorf.

It was now time for some intense tanning. I walked on a road made of concrete slabs and was occasionally passed by a tractor or a car. On both sides were wide fields, but there was no shade. Even when I reached the forest, I only walked along the edge of it. Near the Gadsdorfer See I got some shade in the forest, but I exchanged the sun for something far more annoying: mosquitos! They buzzed around me despite the amount of insect repellent I’d put on. I was actually happy to reach the open fields on the other side.

I’d seen the windmills from afar and now I actually walked amongst them, on a small country road towards Christinendorf. Unfortunately a very unpleasant and busy road was waiting for me again. Cars were allowed 70 km/h, but probably drove much faster. I tried to stay in the grass on the side of the road, but in places it was taller than my knees. Spiders had created lots of little webs on the ground. Again I crossed an even busier road by bridge and I thank whoever has cut the strip of grass on the side, which made it possible to cross safely. I reached the end of my walk in Trebbin. I was out of water so happy to be home soon for a refreshing shower and a cold drink. But it wasn’t meant to be. The train was cancelled. I had to sit on the platform in the sunshine for over an hour until I could go home. When I did get home, water had never tasted so nice!