Summer in the Park

Discovering the considerable number and loveliness of the parks and green spaces has been one of the most enjoyable things about my Summer in Berlin. There is a strong culture here of visiting the park that I have quickly and enthusiastically adopted. First and foremost is my local stretch of the Landwehrkanal, which I include here despite it not being strictly speaking a park. The extensive bank, lined by soft, sweepy tress is where people go to sit, eat, read, relax and meet friends. It is an especially good place to visit on a hot day, where the cool breeze coming off the water provides refreshing relief from the stifling city streets. Also good on this count is Treptower Park, as it is fringed on one side by the river. It also has a neat little island, accessed by an arched bridged, which adds some novelty to picnics. There is invariably some or other cultural activity/event taking place in Berlin's various parks. For instance, Gorlitzer Park, a little shabby in parts and shared between local Turkish families, hipsters and drug-dealers, recently hosted a work by the theatre company Shakespeare Im Park. Watching a top-quality (and free) dramatic performance based on Thomas Moore's 16th century classic, Utopia, while the sun set beyond the trees was quite special. The size of the parks also takes one by surprise. Hassenheide Park, down the road from me, is huge and leads onto the remarkable (and even larger) Tempelhofer Park, formally the Tempelhof Airport, constructed at Hitler's behest and to which the American food drops were made in the late 40s. Berlin is a city where a lot of people don't do much for a lot of the time. And a beautiful park is the perfect place to get busy doing just that.