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Our New Passion for Outdoor Activities

We love traveling, we love exploring, we love outdoor activities. But we barely have (or: had) the time for them! So, here's an upside to the COVID-19 restrictions of not seeing anyone, of not going to bars, restaurants, and clubs, of not traveling: we have more time for each other and more time for outdoor activities! (We do not want to downplay the pain, loss, and death this pandemic is causing—we just got lucky enough to enjoy some extra time.)

These last few weeks, we have been hiking and exploring the nearby woods. It's incredible how beautiful they are in spring! Lush, green, the sun shining through the green treetops, rustling from last fall's brown leaves with every step. And most of the time, the woods are surprisingly quiet, with only a few people taking walks or hiking. The only thing missing these days, particularly for Ilse: ending the trip with a cool beer (or two) and maybe a snack at a beer garden. She wants her reward!

Also, after years without even seeing a bicycle (slight exaggeration), Else got Ilse back on a bike and we enjoy it so much! Well, most of the time. During our last bike ride, Ilse's shifter broke right at the beginning and she had to conquer each mountain (read: bump) without changing gears. Since she didn't use a bike for ages, until now, it wasn't so much fun driving uphill. Then, towards the end, but still a few kilometers from home, her bicycle chain did weird things, but we managed to get it working again, more or less, and got home safely. But still: no proper reward for Ilse!

Yet, the most fun we've probably had outdoors until now: canoeing or, rather, canoe camping. Both of us love boats, ships, and everything like it. So, for Ilse's last birthday, Else planned a trip to Berlin (to see dinosaurs!—but this is a different story) and to the Rheinsberg Lake Region not far from Berlin, a perfect destination for canoe camping with its many lakes and canals, everywhere surrounded by the region's beautiful nature. For three days, we paddled the lakes and canals and got caught in the rain every other minute (well, it sometimes felt like it ...). After we spent a frightening night at an empty parking lot cum campground, we were rewarded with a magical night in a cozy sleeping barrel the next day. And despite the rain and the first night: we vowed to come back in the future. And with all the international travel restrictions this year, we might go on another canoe camping trip sooner than we thought!

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Location: Cologne, Germany

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