Houseboats on the Spree by Kakapo2
As Berlin has nearly 200 kilometres of waterways it is also called ?Athens on the Spree?. This is more than in any other European city. It even has more bridges than Venice ? more than one thousand. The main waterways are the rivers Spree and Havel, the canals Landwehr- and Teltowkanal, and the lakes Tegleler See, Wannsee and Müggelsee. The lakes and rivers are connected by many canals, the boats are lifted up and down at about 80 locks.
For people in Berlin the abundance of waterways means many live in houseboats on the water. We walked past some very good examples of such lifestyle choices on our way from Treptower Park to Molecule Man, next to the S-Bahn station Treptower Park and a bridge named Elsenbrücke.
Those stationary houseboats are like homes taken from the tiniest villages in the most remote rural areas you can imagine. They are decorated with flowerpots, and have locked gates at the piers, so not everyone can visit them. Mailboxes are attached to the gates (as you can see on photo 2). Somehow like from yesteryear, suggesting a relaxed and alternative lifestyle, but also less luxurious and closer to the elements. And when they have enough of it all they can just detach their boat and travel on the river.
For you as a tourist the huge net of waterways means that you can hire a houseboat and explore Berlin, the region of Brandenburg and the Mecklenburger Seenplatte from the water. If you start a houseboat tour you do not need a licence, you get a thorough instruction, and off you go. If you want to travel within the city limits you need a licence, in Germany called ?Binnen? which means a licence for inland waterways.-
If you are interested in houseboat tours in or from Berlin, this looks like a good website ? and this is the English version:
http://www.kuhnle-tours.de/Berlin-and-Potsdam-City-Trip.367.0.html?&L=1
Another link:
http://www.hausboot-agentur.de/index.php?sid=hausboot_boote_yacht_charter_marina_lanke_berlin.htm
