Berlin is a city full of bicycles. The majority of Berliners use bicycles and trains for transportation. There are cycle lanes on the highway, which are higher than cars because cars in Berlin have great respect for bicycles. Even bicycles were allowed on the train, so Berliners could use a bicycle and then connect to the train. There is no prohibition against putting bicycles on the train, there is even a special carriage for cyclists.
Bikes are also scattered all over the city. In the parking lot more bicycles than motorized vehicles. Even Berliners seem to just put their bicycles down, just put them on fences or electricity poles and chain them. So among the neat buildings, there must be bicycles that are placed arbitrarily.
However, that is Berlin. Very comfortable for cycling, safety on the road is guaranteed with its own lane. All public facilities can also be accessed by cyclists. In addition, the contours of the city are also flat, good for cycling. One more fun thing is, the city is minimal pollution! How comfortable is cycling in Berlin?
This bicycle tour in Berlin is carried out in conjunction with Berlin on Bike which is the most popular bicycle tour operator in Berlin. There are many choices of tours, ranging from tours of popular places, tours to parks to specific tours, for example to the relics of the communist era to tours of the Berlin wall. The price of the tour varies, for example, you don’t want to join the tour and you can only rent a bicycle.
The bicycle tour that I took was part of the Green Berlin Tour, this tour visited alternative places in the form of parks, public places as well as several residential areas in Berlin. Tour time is four hours with a distance of approximately thirteen kilometers.
There are some rules to understand for cycling in Berlin. The first is that cyclists must speed in the bicycle lane. Second, the helmet is free to wear or not, the risk is borne by the rider. Third, the bell is used carefully so as not to disturb the atmosphere. The rest are just sticks.
I need adaptation when using a bicycle from Berlin on Bike, the size of the bike is too big for my Asian posture. The tire circumference is also larger than the tire circumference in Indonesia. The bike is typical Berlin, there is a basket in the back as a bag. That’s how bicycles are in Berlin, because they are used to commute to and from work, so there is a place for a bag.
Berliners are used to bicycles. Even in formal clothes, they ride bicycles, people are often found wearing suits while pushing their bicycles, and women in formal dresses are often relaxed on bicycles. Maybe because the weather in Berlin is not too hot, it makes cycling comfortable, I can’t imagine cycling in a suit costume in Jakarta. Maybe his sweat was like meatball sauce, countless.
I had no trouble cycling in Berlin. It’s actually very easy, no traffic jams, no incline and definitely no pollution! Fresh! As a person who usually cycles in Jakarta, cycling in Berlin is clearly very easy, you can go fast, you don’t need to compete with motorized vehicles because they respect cyclists, who obviously don’t need to inhale the black smoke of Metro Mini.
The bike tour I took was very relaxing. Pass some parks, stop at a cafe, drink coffee and eat snacks for an hour, then go on. The leader of the tour is an Australian who has lived in Berlin until he had children, he memorized the corners of Berlin correctly.
Two of the highlights of this tour are Viktoria Park, this park is a park so huge it has waterfalls and artificial hills. The garden, which was built in the 19th century, is still one of the grandest in Berlin. The trees are really tall and a lot of people are relaxing in this park.
Next point of interest to me is Berlin’s former airport, Templehof. This is a super-majestic airport that was once the main airport in Berlin and then closed because of its location in the middle of the city. Now the airport has become a very large public space, the terminal building and hangar are empty, while the former taxiway and runway areas are a place for jogging. This place is usually crowded on weekends and is sometimes used for large-scale concerts or music festivals.
After four cycles around Berlin, I came to know why cycling in Berlin is so comfortable. First, the infrastructure is very supportive for cyclists, the second is the contours and the weather. No wonder in Berlin people prefer cycling to using a car, it’s cheaper and faster.
