On a mid-May weekend, my friend Francesco and I decided to go on a hiking trip near Berlin. We chose one of the many lakes in the area and then aimed at walking its entire perimeter. After leaving Berlin we reached the Joachimsthal Kaiserbahnhof and got off the train there. Once there we started our hike which would take us around the Werbellinsee, the fourth largest lake in Brandenburg with a surface area of 7.82 square kilometers and the second deepest with 51m. We started at the northern end of the lake, walking along a cycling path which as time went by started to fill up with cyclists. That made it harder to walk side by side as we would often have to scoot over from incoming cyclists coming both ways. After a while, we reached an open field facing the lake where a small food was set offering snacks and drinks. We sat down on a bench and ate lunch, I had brought a sandwich with me while my friend Francesco had taken a bratwurst from the food truck. We enjoyed our break while admiring the lake and then after lunch headed back on the cycling path, walking onwards. The way meandered through the forest, now green, lush, and thick as is typical in late spring. At that point, we had reached the southern end of the lake where we then stopped for another short break on the small sandy beach of a camping ground, Berolina Camping. The place was already quite full with people hanging about their tents and caravans, or at the little food stand on the eastern edge of the camping ground. We sat to admire the nice crystal clear water of this lake which really surprised us as we didn't expect its clarity. Then we were off, leaving the camping ground behind us and finally following a footpath in the forest, with barely any cyclists now there to bother us. The way was harder than the other lakeside, with ups and downs, tree roots, felled trees, and other obstacles. But that made it more exciting and enjoyable especially as it was not asphalt anymore. After some walking, we reached a small hamlet by the lake, Altenhof, where we decided to stop at the local Gaststätte, right on the lakeshore. Here we took a snack while enjoying the water view, I had a plum cake while Francesco took a strudel. We were sitting next to some old German dudes who then asked where we were from and how come were we there. We told them about our hike around the lake and they were quite surprised and admiring about it, saying they were only covering part of it by bicycle and that seemed a lot for them already. Once we were done with the snack we said goodbye to them and left continuing on our walk. As we continued on, the northeastern side of the lake had become much harder to walk, with the slopes of the hilly sides reaching right on the water. That meant walking on a small path titled towards the lake with fallen trees and branches occasionally obstructing the way. It made our way much slower but much more exciting. In the end, we reached the train station, satisfied after completing the loop of the lake which brought us to a total of more than 25 kilometers.
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| Swampy area near the northern end of Werbellinsee |
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| The cycling path through the forest |
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| A break along the lake shore |
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| View of the lake at its southwestern end |
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| Boat moored on the lake |
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| The canal that connects the lake to the Oder-Finow canal |
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| The Süßen Winkel beach on the lake's southern tip |
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| A forest path |
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| The path turned more difficult with fallen trees |
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| A fallen tree in the lake |
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