Back In The Saddle Again June 12

Our first day of biking. First stop was a cemetary for Allied soldiers.

 We  were amazed at how well the grounds were groomed.  Flowers between the graves and not weed in sight.

 Then off to the woods, the Grunewald.

Ninty percent of the day was spent on trails similar to this. It is a vast and beautiful area in the section of Berlin controlled by the British and Americans. At one point we had a view of a spy tower. It was built during the cold war to monitor East Berlin. The tower stands on a 80 meter tall hill composed of rubble from buildings destroyed by allied bombing of Berlin during WWII.

The tower is in the background.

A stop at Wannsee was chilling, where in 1942 senior Nazis officials formulated the "Jewish Solution."

Then on to Potsdamn. To get there we crossed back into the Soviet sector over the "Bridge of Spies" (Tom Hanks movie.)

 Where  our guide Felix is standing is the location where captured spies were exchanged during the cold war.

Then on to our home,  the Merlign. Notice the tower in the background is architectually similar to the Spokane county courthouse.

A slight incident for me today. I was peacefully lying by the lake during a tour break when a bike tipped over hitting my head. Felix was quickly there inquiring about my well-being. After he was assured that no damage was incurred,  he quipped "That's why you should never take off your helmet. So....

Back at my Merlign cabin.