Trip to Bad Saarow

Oct 18 2008

Last Sunday I went to Bad Saarow

Just before then I had been to a not very successful two day workshop about Linux. Even the teacher apologised, so I was pleased when Oldie Hermann phoned and asked if I was interested in a day out a Bad Saarow. I said, yes, for I needed a break from Berlin and two days of computers and systems not working properly – and just wasting time on theory.

And so as Jan and Arancha got wet at Niagara Falls and Paul was climbing up a pass in the north of Pakistan, I got on a train and headed off for Bad Saarow. It is to the east of Berlin not too far from the Polish border. As the name suggests, it is a place where people go to ‘take the waters’ for it is a small town built around a volcanic hot springs which erupt very close to the nearby lake.

About five years ago, Alan and Lynne with myself and Peter von Longlegs had nice day there – and Alan and Lynne are Paul von Pakistan’s mother and father. What an interesting coincidence. Very interesting that I should return there and so spontaneously. I thought about the earlier trip as I wandered around with Hermann and we even went for lunch in the same restaurant and yes, I ate fish as I had done so many years ago.

It really is a pleasant place to visit and takes you back to the health spa culture of the Kaiser Zeit or as we say, to the late Victorian period. You are surrounded by water, trees and very nice villas. Certainly not a place where the Arbeiterklasse came to settle. It relaxes you as soon as you get out of your car – or in our case – out of the train.

We went to the famous Kurbad where you can see people relaxing-swimming in the thermal waters, and I took a photo of the building. Then to the lake which is only two minutes walk away but not heated by the thermal spring – interesting what Nature does or doesn’t do.

We wandered around part of the lake taking in the ferries where years before we had taken one to explore the lake. The memories came flooding back for I had spent part of this summer with Alan and Lynne but when we had last been here I had no idea that Paul would be galloping around half the globe when I made my next visit!

I can recommend a day out to all visitors to Berlin. I have just read that my sister Pauline wants to visit Berlin next March so perhaps we shall make it there for a nice day out. Now for the photos. I have selected seven to give you a flavour of the place, so here goes!