The E11 continues within Berlin. And I must say, this segment is more like a sight-seeing city walk rather than a long-distance hiking trail. After all, it brought back memories of the time when I was still new to Berlin and I was checking out the various monuments the city contains.
Since I stopped in Baumschulenweg the last time I was tackling this trail, I headed back there to pick up the trail where I left off. I took the S-Bahn, and about thirty minutes later, I got to my destination. I then headed west, again, going through familiar territory.
As the trail headed west, it skirted along the border of the old Spreepark, a former amusement park. It looks like it is being renovated into something else, but for the moment, the entire area is fenced and cannot be accessed. I pushed forward, and then stumbled upon the Soviet Memorial in Treptower Park.
I was only here once, during the winter of 2012-2013. It was snowy at that time, and I thought it was a good idea to visit such a memorial in the middle of winter, when it looked rather desolate. Now, I saw the memorial again, from the outside, as I didn't realise there's actually a fence encircling it. I don't remember this fence back then, perhaps I just didn't store it in memory. But I suppose it makes sense, since after all, I have read of reports where this memorial was vandalised, especially in the context of the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Then the trail goes to Kreuzberg, first through the infamous Görlitzer Park, where drug dealers of course tried to make eye contact with me and offer me their goods. It's such a bizarre park. There's drug dealers on the fringes, and there are families and their young children having a good time elsewhere. The trail runs through the park, and exits it on the other end, following the canal, until Hallesches Tor. Again, I've seen these places before, as several other trails use this segment.
At Hallesches Tor, the trail heads north, and goes to Mitte. I saw some interesting murals. I also saw the Berlin HiFlyer, a balloon that goes up and down to provide its passengers with spectacular views of the city. It was close to where I used to work, and even after living in Berlin for ten years now, I still haven't taken a ride with this balloon. Anyway, I went forward, and saw landmark buildings in Mitte, such as the Federal Ministry of Finance, as well as the Embassy of the Czech Republic.
Then this trail goes through prime tourist territory. It passes by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It goes across Brandenburg Gate. It goes through Tiergarten, and passes by another Soviet Memorial in Tiergarten. And it exits Tiergarten on the other end, where it follows the Spree heading to Charlottenburg.
I took the trail all the way to Charlottenburg Palace, which is again familiar territory. And I stopped on its northern end, where the Jungfernheide S-Bahn Station is just a short walk away.
