On a sunny afternoon after work, I decided to do a hike around a couple of lakes close to Potsdam. I took a train and after switching in Potsdam took a bus which brought me to the village of Geltow. Once I got off I started hiking by following the northern bank of the Schwielowsee, a relatively large lake southwest of Potsdam. As I walked I admired some nice poppy fields, though, as it hadn't rained in a long time, and the grass around them was already dry and yellow as if it was the end of summer instead. Walking further I then reached the Schloss Petzow, an early 19th century neoclassical palace designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. I moved on following the path southward along the lake bank. The path led me through a small forest before crossing through a camping ground and another sparse village, Mittelbusch. At that point, I reached the southwestern tip of the lake where the village of Schwielowsee, which gave its name to the lake, is set. After walking through the path then left the lakeside and headed slightly uphill through a nice forest. Walking for quite some time like that I eventually came in sight of another settlement, the town of Caputh. I walked along the pretty waterfront, a canal that connects Schwielowsee to the next lake, Templinersee. Walking along the water I eventually reached a nice secluded grassy beach among the pretty housed where I decided to take a break. I took off my clothes and then went swimming in the nice warm waters of the lake. After the break, I walked onwards and came upon the Schloss Caputh, a 17th-century baroque palace right next to the lake. It is the oldest castle in the cultural landscape of Potsdam that has been preserved since the time of the Great Elector Frederick William. The castle itself was already closed but the park around it was open until sunset. I continued onward heading through more houses until I reached the forest once again. Right here a house stood out among the rest as it was Einstein’s Summerhouse, a place where he spent most of his time between April and November from 1929 to 1932. From the house, I entered the forest and walked along a nice peaceful path until I reached another beach on the lake. After stopping briefly for a photo I then headed back into the forest and onwards on my hike. Several kilometers later I eventually reached the suburb of Potsdam, walking until I reached the train station from where I then took a ride into Berlin.
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