"Do you want to swim?" Good question, and whether I want to. And Paulina and Klaas certainly agree with me. It's only just after eight in the morning, but it's already easily 28 degrees. We're sweating in T-shirts and board shorts. But we're not going into the water yet. We have another plan for now: "No, we want to go to the SUP station." "Oh well, go through then. Over there to the jetty." At the end of the jetty, there's a sizeable diving platform on the left waiting for the brave. To the right, a few motorised rafts typical of East German lakes bob up and down on the jetty. Probably still a little too early for day trippers.
A mischievously smiling John-Patrik stands directly behind us and waves. "It's nice to stay here, eh," he greets us. Yes, you can stay here. Especially on such an incredible late summer's day. Not a cloud in the sky for miles. Perfect conditions for a long-planned excursion. Some time ago, John-Patrik, the landlord of the SUP station here at Strandbad Friedrichshagen, had raved to us in the most dazzling colours about a visit to New Venice. At first we smiled at him a little, New Venice in Berlin, someone must be trying to pull our leg. But Patrick's powers of persuasion, coupled with our curiosity, won out in the end. Now we're here. So let's go ...
Adventure feeling on a SUP adventure in Berlin
While we are pumping hard, there are a few loud splashes behind us. All right, the diving platform has come to life. The first kids are streaming onto the site. Isn't it school today? Well, the kids in Berlin certainly don't have their mouths shut when it comes to finding a suitable excuse. Speaking of Berlin, it's an interesting neighbourhood here around the Müggelsee. But if I didn't know any better, I certainly wouldn't have guessed Berlin. I've been to the capital a few times, but as a tourist you mainly know the areas around the Brandenburg Gate. OK, the street on which we parked, straight as a die, lined to the right and left by grand old mansions, gives you that big city feeling. But here, just a few hundred metres away, it's green, spacious and relaxed.
"So, as far as I'm concerned, we're ready to go!" Aye, aye Captain, the crew and their equipment board the Hoppetosse. Slowly, Paulina, Klaas and I get a bit of a Pippi Longstocking adventure feeling. As we slowly chug across the Müggelsee, always in the shipping lane - everything else is off-limits for motorboats. Where did I see that picture of someone standing at the bow with their hands outstretched? Of course: no panic on the Titanic! In this weather, icebergs are in short supply. Before we turn into the Müggelspree, we make a short stop at the "Bänken". The wide meadows and shallow corners overgrown with water lilies remind us of our trip to MC-Pom last year. After a short cool-down, we continue into the Müggelspree. It's around five kilometres from the Nalani SUP station to the entrance to the small canals of New Venice.
Berlin "charm" in New Venice
"So, I have to kick you out here, I can't get through under the bridge up ahead, I'll see you at the station tonight!" Bye, bye Patrik, thanks for the lift, so from here on we're on our own. We paddle across canal number five into the old garden estate. And after the first few metres of paddling, we realise that the Berliner was just exaggerating a little. The name New Venice is not inappropriate for this little labyrinth of canals, interrupted only now and then by a few bridges and bends. To our left and right, immaculately manicured gardens alternate with wildly overgrown properties. Some of the new buildings have been built with a lot of effort: my house, my boat, my Porsche, the property prices here after reunification have probably gone through the roof in no time at all.
"Sorry, are we on the right way to the restaurant?" While the older gentleman in the small boat doesn't give us a second glance, his wife tries to explain the way as we pass. "Yes, up there, then...", we hear and the two of them disappear around the next corner of the canal. So they're not particularly friendly here, the Berliners... I can well imagine that the old-established residents don't have much of a problem with the new arrivals here. Two canals and three small bridges further on, we see the pub we were looking for. It's called, as usual, New Venice.
How New Cameroon once became New Venice
"Can you please put on a T-shirt?" Of course, we quickly comply with the waitress's friendly request. Although we didn't necessarily expect so much emphasis to be placed on etiquette here in the garden, without any other guests. Well, the pub is also the headquarters of the Wasserfreunde Neu Venedig e.V. association, founded in 1933 - just the right place to learn a bit about the origins of this settlement.
The starting signal was given as early as 1925. Canals were built through the wet meadows of the Müggelspree to drain the properties. The idea was to create a development area for water sports enthusiasts. Five kilometres of canals and six islands were created under the name Neu Kamerun. A few bridges were built, including arched ones, and as the average Berliner has always been anything but reserved, the name Neu Venedig was born in no time at all. It also sounded much better. Back then, by the way, the plots went for 3.5 Reichsmark per square metre. Well, if only my great-grandfather had known that. But it wouldn't have been much use anyway. In GDR times, you had to be a high-ranking party official to get a dacha or weekend home here. Today, especially in the centre of the estate, some properties lie abandoned. On the one hand, this is due to unclear ownership and, on the other, to the fact that permanent housing is not permitted here. In the event of a flood, the area could be flooded. That's it for the little house.
Sporty return journey
After a proper refreshment, our expedition enters its second round. After all, we have a total of 13 bridges and six canals to discover. You can't really paddle away, the whole area is laid out in a ring and so you always come back to the starting point. At the end, we paddle back onto the Müggelspree through the Rialto Bridge, which could be called anything else. There's more traffic here, and every now and then a couple of decent motorboats come along and create a swell.
Shortly before Müggelsee, we pass the "Neu Helgoland" restaurant. A kitschy dream with a white fence and red tablecloths. Instead of coffee and cake, we jump into the lake again before starting a short race back to the lakeside resort in Friedrichshagen. I squeeze in behind Paulina and Klaas. After all, drafting is allowed. After a long day, I'm really glad that there's no headwind. While we are in the middle of the lake, the sun slowly sets. A huge red ball of fire slowly setting over Berlin. A crazy picture. The Italian original couldn't have done it any more beautifully or kitschily ...
