Bernsteinsee
Our second trip in this series starts in Neukölln, Berlin. Blankets, refreshments, and books in tow, we can barely contain our excitement as we pack our picnic basket and backpacks for our first full-on beach day of the season.
Heading north through the city, we drive through Friedrichshain and Weissensee. We pass the cute stretch of old houses that line the B2 in Malchow and make a quick at one of the roadside farmer stalls to stock up on fresh foods from the fields before continuing on our way. The kilometres fly by as we branch off onto the A11. Just 15 minutes later we’re already off the highway and on the significantly more scenic L31 toward Ruhlsdorf.
Bernsteinsee is a gravel pit lake with a surface area of 0.25 km and a maximum depth of around 25 m. In our Berlin Edition, we highlight the lake’s three designated bathing spots. The beach we picked out for our day trip is located on the lake’s southern shore. In summer, flocks of people gather here from Berlin and Brandenburg to bask in the sun and take in the scenery. Today, however, there’s no one in sight. We spread out our blankets and picnic to the sound of birds chirping and waves lapping against the shore. Somewhere over the dunes, we catch the echo of children’s chatter. A little while later, a couple with two dogs walks by. Their four-legged friends eagerly sprint up and down the beach and splash in the waves.
Sundown at Liepnitzsee
With three hours till nightfall, we unanimously decide to stop by Liepnitzsee (Berlin Edition | P. 39 | 13 km south of Bernsteinsee) on our way home for a short sunset stroll. We hop into our WeShare and head for the public parking lot on the lake’s northern shore. A five-minute walk through the woods, and we’re standing at Liepnitzsee’s ferry station which looks out over Island Werder. We follow the path east for 30 minutes. The light begins to change rapidly as the sun closes in on the horizon. Soft shades of pastel purple and orange merge with the water’s dark blue surface and the forest’s bright-green foliage.
We circle back to the car along Liepnitzsee’s little sisterly lake, Seechen, a magnificent sight greets us: a family of otters has made an impressive dent in the trees that line the edge of the shoreline. Back uphill, our phones refuse to reconnect to the www. Perhaps they too do not want this day to end. We wait patiently for the internet to restabilise before logging back into the WeShare app, hopping back in our car, and making our way home.
Bernsteinsee (Berlin Edition, S. 17)
Car 60 Min. | 80 km from Berliner City Centre | 16348 Marienwerder