Hufelandstrasse

On my way back yesterday I was trying to walk back a different way then the one that got me in the park. It's a habit of mine to never go back the way you came, because it gives you a chance to explore other parts of a city. Or in case it was the way to work I biked 4 times a week, it's somehow less boring. It also often gets me lost a bit (or sometimes a lot) but that can also be interesting.

Anyhow, yesterday I decided to walk back another way and this time it worked very well and got me to a really nice part of the neighborhood. First the Botzowstrasse with a great playground (Pirate ship with slides at the front) and a coffee/ice cream shop on the other side of the street. A perfect combination because I can lure my two-year-old away from the playground without making a scene by promising her an ice cream with candy (not sure what super nanny would say), because that's they sell at this place (forgot the name, around nr 41 it is). They have an ice cream window at the street side and when the kids come in the afternoon they have the funniest steps-on-wheels the ride outside so the kids can stand on the steps and order their child sized ice creams with disco dip and a gummy barchen on top themselves with the little cranky but very sweet guy behind the counter.

Around the corner is the Hufelandstrasse, a lovely street with nice shops and lot's of coffee bars along the big sidewalks, under the plantains. I would love to come back another day without my huge stroller so I can fit into the small shops with second hand clothes and gifts. Would also love to live in this neighborhood. A thing that really got my attention is the big amount of children on small bikes on the sidewalks. First thing about that is that there are way more here than I ever saw in Amsterdam, while that is the city of bikes, so very promising for Berlins biking culture. Second thing is the big bikes and the little bikes on the sidewalks seem to perfectly work together. I'm really not used to the whole bikes on the sidewalks thing and a bit too protective, for afraid my todd will be run over by one, but the Berliners seem to have found a way to co-exist on the sidewalk without (too much) irritation or accidents. Very well done and I am planning to mastering this skill as soon as possible.