To re-cap: A group of twenty journalists traveled to Germany for a week to explore green building in Germany thanks to the German Foreign Ministry and The Eco-Logic Institute. Near the end of the trip, a volcano in Iceland erupted and European airspace was shut down.
Our stranded-in-Berlin correspondent, Charles Redell (who writes on sustainability and hangs out at Office Nomads) was supposed to fly out on Saturday, but instead he spent it traveling to the airport to rebook tickets, then being a tourist for a few hours. By the end of the day, Charles’ re-booked flight on Sunday was canceled and he was told that next Sunday was the soonest he could get on a flight. Here is his first dispatch and his second dispatch.
Things in Berlin are looking up, for our group anyway.
Today dawned sunny and warm, prompting a few of us to explore the possibility of renting bikes for our stay here. We found an awesome program, run by the German rail system. Simply put, you register with Call A Bike and then pick up a bike at the train station. A computer lock tracks your time with it and you’re charged .08Eur per minute (9Eur for a day and 36Eur for a week). When you’re done, lock the bike, call the system and number and tell them where in the downtown core it is, and they pick it up. Could not be more simple.
We took a nice slow ride out to the airport, six kilometers away. The entire trip was on dedicated bike infrastructure, much of it grade separated and with bike signal lights. There were no lines at the airport and I got a ticket booked for Thursday, which is currently everyone’s best guess for the second day travel will be allowed.
On our ride, we found a trail along the river that ended up winding through a collection of small cottages that seem to be weekend homes for Berliners, within an easy bike ride of the city. In the summer, when the city is stultifying, they seemed to the perfect solution for a population addicted to true sustainable urban living.
Now, we sit, satisfied with our day, in love with our adopted city, and relatively content with the idea of spending more time living and working here, even if when it may end is unclear. [Photos after the jump.]
Walking to the train station on Saturday night to refund my Frankfurt train ticket–which, at 118 euros, had become worthless to me when it was obvious I would not be flying out of anywhere–I came across a queue of taxis a quarter mile away from the station. Obviously, with no flights and all of Europe turning to train travel, all the cabbies on the continent are descending on train stations now.
Traveling and being stranded does weird things to your brain. With no habits and rituals to keep the mundane straight, papers get lost, numbers misplaced, and pepper gets put in your cappuccino. Luckily foam here is firm enough to hold the pepper for quick scooping.
I was thinking that seeing “Alf” on TV last night was a fluke. Apparently not. Even German counter-culture loves the little Alien Life Form.
Biking in German is fully supported. Here, a row of bike share bikes stand ready in the Berlin train station for anyone who wants to rent them by the week, day, hour or even minute. All you have to do is provide a passport, credit card and you’re good to go. Ride as you like, it comes with a lock. When you’re done, leave it on a corner, call a central number with the intersection and they will pick it up.
Everyone bikes in Germany. You can’t see it here, but this woman was also carrying her crutch. A few blocks later, in a less-populated stretch, she let her dogs out to have a wander of their own.
Strangely, there were no lines at the ticket counter today. Yesterday was only a 30-minute wait or so. Oh, I re-booked for Thursday, not Sunday! Now, if only the skies clear in time.
Along the trail on the way back into town, we happened across some awesome little cottages. Kind of dense, but with enough room for a comfortable lawn, gardens and eating/grilling, these little homes on the river seem to be the perfect weekend/summer get away, without the hassle of leaving the city.
At the end of a day as great as this one, it’s obvious why Christine and Lauren (http://www.greenbuildingcommunity.com)are so happy.
Hang tight little (actually kind of big and heavy) bikes. We’ll take you to dinner later.