Since I moved to Berlin, everyone looks at me with a sort of unspoken sympathy when I tell them I live in Pankow. “Ooo…so far”, ”how can you make it”, “that’s the end of the world” etc etc.
Yes, I know it takes me one hour to get to Deutsch Akademie and sometimes, when I wait for the bus at 5am, I don’t have really orthodox thoughts about this neighborhood, but, on the other hand, let me tell you my dears, that Pankow is a piece of paradise. What makes it so special? It’s quiet, green totally awesome park!
Right next to me, only two minutes by foot, lays this beautiful piece of forest, crossed by a little river where wild ducks and herons paddle. Small red squirrels run from tree to tree, fooling around. People go biking or jogging, or simply walking with kids or friends. There’s no one to say “one two three four, one two three four” when I run, no one to ruin my Zen. Now, that the spring is here, the flowers are like home and their perfume spreads and covers the park each evening like a gauze. Drops of violet and yellow flowers break the green and blue “monotony”.
Some are reading on the blankets or in improvised hammocks. Others play badminton. Everyone enjoys the sunny pleasant atmosphere.
But, here, in Pankow, the nature goes hand in hand with history. Only 300 hundred meters from the park, rises up the 17th century Schönhausen Palace, where Frederick I’s coronation as King of Prussia took place. Since 2009, after a serious restoration, the palace is open for public visits and I am sooo looking forward to visit it and find out more.
So, even if it’s a bit far from the city center, a simple walk in this area makes me feel totally refreshed. But I think everyone has a place of its own, where he/she can feel better. If so…then what’s yours?