Quarantine Diary. Part 1. by Rebecca Kinsella
It's rare that there is a historical event that has such magnitude that absolutely everyone will remember where they were when it happened. That event- The CoVid 19 pandemic....where were you? AT HOME!! Well, at home with the occasional exciting intermission of queuing outside Rewe to gain access.But between palm-sweat-inducing glances at figures and statistics (how can hands that are dryer than sand from all the washing still sweat so much??) we are all figuring out how to pass the time and maintain our sanity. This lapse in time has forced us all to evaluate how we spend our time, which is often more alone than we would like. I haven't got the magical answers but I have got some suggestions, which is almost the same thing. Kind of.
Cycling, for me , has been an absolute saving grace. To me, it is the perfect way to let off steam while being in the world. It’s also a good way to catch some sweet rays while staying away from people and maintaining, say it with me now - social distancing! Plus, cycling is a brilliant way to put some real distance,in a relatively short space of time, between you and your annoying children/ house mates / boyfriend/girlfriend (delete as applicable).With the weather being so great, each day has been an opportunity to get out and see some of the beautiful places that Berlin has to offer. Plus, and this is a real bonus - I have not seen one person taking a shit on the street in front of me on any of my rides so far! Wonderful.
So far I've been on the following journeys: Grundewald/ Havelsee route, this was just as the virus fever was hitting the streets of Berlin. The track around the lake here is really wonderful and the roads that link from Grundewald around Havelsee are smooth AF . Plus there are plenty of cross-ride opportunities throughout Grundewald which allows you to do some cool downhill stuff as parts of the forest are quiet at the moment. You are sheilded from shame if you crash out and end up eating dirt when you fall.
Gorinsee - Another great spot for a romantic cycle alone. I was recently here with Kim from She36, impressing her with how much I can sweat even on a relatively cold day. It's kind of a special ability. We cycled here from Prenzlauer Berg and took the long way around, and stopped for a tea in the café at the lake. Which , FYI does the most amazing looking ice cream sundaes I've ever seen. Those sundaes will meet their maker (me) as soon as all of this blows over.
Tegel See/ Tegel Havel/ Frohnau - Myself and Maria went on a fab cycle around this route on Saturday, while maintaining ABSTAND BITTE!! Maria was Road Captain-ess for this route and I was happy to let her lead the way, watching her as she whistled people out of the way. We went around the lake and over some bridges and passed by a woman who was shouting at some jelly sweets that had fallen on the ground. I was sick with jealousy cycling through Frohnau, we passed by houses that were bigger than my whole apartment block. I guess the joke is on those very rich people in those beautiful houses because A) they must take ages to vacuum B) Lying on piles of money every night probably isn't that comfortable anyway.
Liepnitzsee - I made a solo trip here yesterday, a smooth 65km around trip. I had visions of wading into the water like an Elephant in one of those "This craggy looking circus rescue elephant has never seen water, until now!" click bait videos. Splashing around and spraying myself with water from my nose. But it wasn't to be because the breeze off the water would have put your knickers in a twist. Instead I chilled out in the forest which was totally empty and so quiet. A good day.
