photos: Marlen Mueller & Thomas Adler
Who needs a little time out from everyday life to do… well, how about nothing? Having some time to breath, slow down and letting your thoughts wander? No Whatsapp, no Facebook, no deadlines, no worrying.
We all deserve a little Time-Out every now and then and now that it’s summer here in Berlin there’s no better way to do this than grabbing a blanket with your favorite person (and/or pet) and heading out into the wilderness with your tent and some home-made sandwiches. It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie or a pro, whether you stay a full week somewhere in the South of France or take a day hike to a park in Berlin. The important thing here is to unplug from the daily stress.
Take inspiration from Berlin-based photographers Marlen Mueller and Thomas Adler who document their camping ventures on their blog Urban Tenting. Read more about it after the jump.
On their blog Urban Tenting Marlen and Thomas beautifully introduce us to different camping spots across mainly the Eastern part of Germany and give us a glimpse into their authentic style of camping with their adorable dog named ‘Cat’. From a trip to the Baltic Sea to the Thuringian Forest and Switzerland as well as close destinations like Drachenberg, they pack up their tents and unplug. Here are some of the destinations close to Berlin:
Drachenberg
As you can see on this picture Drachenberg doesn’t have high vegetation on the peak which provides you with a beautiful view over Berlin. You can easily reach Drachenberg with the S-bahn: take S5 West and get off at Heerstrasse. I imagine this will be particularly beautiful for sunrise as you’re looking Eastwards over Berlin.
Grunewald
Drachenberg is part of Grunewald, and the forest itself stretches over 22 square kilometers. If you’ve soaked in enough of the view of Berlin, come down to the forest and enjoy the fresh forest air.
Schlachtensee
This trip is all about being by the lake. One of Berlin’s cleanest swimming lakes, Schlachtensee can also be reached by public transport. Take the S1 Westwards and get off at Schlachtensee for a day of swimming and lazing on a rowing boat.
So even without spending hours of trekking outside of the city there are plenty of options to unplug from busy city life and recharge your batteries.
If you’re ready and eager for your first camping outing we recommend to head over to the Hallesches Haus, a general store in Kreuzberg bringing back the simple and cosy communal feeling of a general store in New England. Based in an old post office building the goods have been carefully selected and you’ll find your minimum necessary supplies to fit right into the camping style. Light and unbreakable enamel mugs, a little kitchen towel (stroke blanket for your food), maybe a thermos bottle and an outdoor knife to cut up some cheese or fruit – and you should be set for your first day out.
