A winter walk on a sunny day only leaves you craving more.
When covid started I bought myself a fitness tracker and said I’d do at least 10.000 steps every day. Since then I’ve only had 4 days where I didn’t achieve my goal. During summer it was easy. The days were long, the sun was shining and because there wasn’t much else to do I regularly took a train to a new area for a day hike. Since I came back from Portugal it’s been a bit harder though. The evenings are dark and even during the day it can feel quite chilly. Some days I’ve got to force myself to go outside. And now I’ve started a new job it feels like I just don’t have enough time to do all that I want.
Two weeks ago the temperatures changed from minus 15 to plus 18 and the whole city flocked into the parks. It’s funny how quickly you can get used to warm temperatures. It’s about 5 degrees during the day now and they almost feel colder than when it was snowing. But today the sun came out and its rays are starting to feel really warm in your face. With a long weekend, I felt like I should use this chance to explore some new terrain. I found a short loop in the North of the city, around the Tegeler Fließ.
This time I found a 6,3 km loop, starting from the Hermsdorf S-bahn station. It was perfect for a late afternoon stroll. Wrapped up and with sunglasses I was ready to go. The route took me to a main road, from which it suddenly veered left onto a walking path. The small, slightly elevated path followed the Tegeler Fließ, a small, pleasant stream with lots of trees around it. Some ducks and the occasional swan were paddling through the water and many people had come outside to enjoy the nature.
I walked passed the Hermsdorfer See on my left and the swimming site at the Ziegeleisee on my right. You are by no means out of the way here, since you see many backyards bordering the swampy nature. But the buildings here are more like in a town, family houses with gardens and lots of space. The city left just enough space for the stream and some wetland, so that people can enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. I crossed the water over a wooden walkway and then looped back along the other side to reach the S-bahn station again.
Although it was warm, at night it seems to be cold enough. The water had a thin layer of ice in places. The sun was bright though, reflecting in the water, shining through the bare trees. A woodpecker was digging his hole high up in a tree. Children were playing on fallen tree trunks. A few women were chatting away. Runners passed by. There was a lot going on. I discovered there are many paths around the Tegeler Fließ and I’ve only discovered a tiny bit of it. The routes are even signposted with blue and white ‘Tegeler Fließtal’ signs and occasionally they state how far it is to the next train station. It seems that you can walk over 20 km. I can’t wait for summer. I would love to explore some more of this area!
