Cottbus, Lubbenau & Spreewald (01/09/2019)

On this day we decided to do a day trip and visit a few places south of Berlin. We headed to the nearby station of Alexanderplatz and after having bought our Brandenburg ticket (which allows us to take any regional train around the state of Brandenburg for the whole day) we took our ride towards the city of Cottbus. After reaching our destination, we headed towards the city center, passing by the imposing State Theater constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. Not long after we reached the Altstadt, or old town, marked by the Spremberger Tower to the south. This gothic building was once part of the medieval walls surrounding the city, and it was further refurbished during the 1800s when a clock was added to it. We then walked along the main street where a mix of old and modern buildings coexisted, most probably due to the post-world-war-2 reconstructions. At the end of it we reached the Altmarkt, the old market square, with many historic baroque and neoclassical burgher houses around its perimeter. The day was sunny and the square was lively as the restaurants' outer spaces were starting to fill up, mostly by people starting their day with a beer or two. We passed by the central fountain and headed further until we reached the church of St Nikolai. Built in a gothic style around the 15th century, it features a nice light and airy interior with some baroque altars and furnishings. After the visit to the church, we then walked onwards and reached the neogothic Schlossturm. This tower was built during the 19th century on top of a mound next to the new courthouse where once a Slavic fortification was set. Here we decided to find a spot to sit down and enjoy the lunch we had brought from home. After eating we then strolled back through the old town and exited through the only other surviving medieval gate located at its western end. After reaching the train station we then took a ride to reach the next town that day, Lubbenau. This small town is one of the gateways to the Spreewald, a biosphere reserve consisting of marshes, canals, and small traditional villages. After arriving and leaving the station we headed towards the city center which was just a few minutes walk from there. The small town had a nice historic center with typical 18th and 19th-century timber-framed houses and a large church at its center. The oldest house is dated 1713 and is now a café. As we crossed through the town we noticed many stalls and shops selling the traditional Spreewalder gurken, the pickled cucumbers which are grown and then sold in the area. We decided to get some later on our way back while now we were interested in finding a place where to rent kayaks. We walked a while along until we reached the small village of Lehde made up of yet again the typical timber-framed houses. In this case, the houses were scattered around with canals passing right by them and a forest surrounding them; it looked like a typical dutch countryside town. Here in fact no cars were allowed and people were going about on either foot or by boat. We found a place to rent a two-seater kayak and started our own tour of the Spreewald. We paddled along canals passing through the houses and others meandering through the forest with just the sound of birds chirping and the water sloshing. Eventually, we headed back to the rental place and got back on dry land. From there we headed back to Lubbenau where we found a stall that sold the traditional gherkins, we bought some with different flavors: classic, pepper, and honey mustard. It was then time to head back to the station just as the sun was setting, we reached the station and from there took the next train back to Berlin.