der Wald - forest

today i took a drive. i don't usually have the car so it was nice to get out of the city and join dan at work for lunch. and the productive trips to the big grocery store and the ikea (yes, again) were good too. but the highlight of the day was the drive between lunch and shopping.

being a chicken, i chose to take back roads to avoid traffic. i was rewarded for my chicken-ness with a beautiful winding road paralleling the havel river through the Berliner Forst Grunewald just west of berlin. it was so quiet. i realized just how deprived i had been of fresh air in the city. i wanted to get out and take a walk but, though it was above freezing today, it was not far enough above to warrant a spur of the moment solo hike.

as the months go by and the weather warms up i'll bet this route gets more popular. there were numerous bus stops and little parking lots along the way. today it was blessedly vacant. like the beach on cape cod when we visit my grandparents in the winter. stark and cold, undecorated by the trappings of spring and summer. it was nice to have a moment alone (albeit in the car) with the land.