Swimming in Berlin.

Summer has come to Berlin so the last two weeks has been swimming weather, at least on an off. I've been super warm biking around in Berlin with a over 25 degrees heat, so it has been the right time to go swimming.
Berlin has no sea and the Spree isn't really good to swim in but instead there are lakes. So far I've been to four different ones. Krumme Lanke, Wannsee, Schlachtensee and Plötzensee. The three first are all in Zehlendorf, west Berlin reachable with S-bahn and U-bahn. Plötzensee is in Wedding with a couple of minutes walk from the U-bahn.

Nanna and Rose goes running a couple days a week somewhere around Mitte/Wedding and invited me to come to a after run swim in Plötzensee with them. I didn't run but I biked there so I was warm when I came there. Plötzensee has a beach that you can pay a couple of euros to get into. There is also the other side of the lake, with no beach but still swimming possiblei. This side of the lake was where we where. It's nice there but it's not beachy. Best for a quick dip. I didn't really like it to hang out, even if it's possible to sit in the grass close to the lake.

I work a day and the sun was shinning outside so as soon as I got off work I called Jake and asked if he wanted to go to a lake with me. He did so we biked to Krumme Lanke. It's about 15-20km to Krumme Lanke from Tempelhof and with Jake's new bike road map we found it pretty well. It took us about an hour to get there.
Zehlendorf/Dahlem is a part of Berlin I've never been in before and it doesn't look like the Berlin I'm used to at all. There are huge houses with many floors, nice parks and all that doesn't feel like Berlin to me. It felt like we left town by being there. It was a wonderful bike ride. We took the small streets there and saw so much of Berlin that we wouldn't else. When we got to the lake it was great to jump in the water and swim away the sweat. Krumme Lanke is a mixed beach (well, there isn't really much to call beach but you know what I mean) so some are nude and some are in bathing suits. The water is nice but it didn't feel like a beach because you lay on the grass close to the lake. I'm used to sand beaches, or at least rocks like it is in Sweden.

Last Sunday was the warmest day so far in Berlin with over 35 degrees. That's weather you just want to be in water in. I woke late, meet up with Fabien and went to Strandbad Wannsee together where we where meeting up with Jake. It took us forever to get there (do to lake of orientation), and when we came there we couldn't care less about the 2 euros we had to pay to come in. It was full of people unlike the other lakes I've been to, on the long sandy beach. We quickly changed to bathing gear and ran into the water being way to sweaty on our way there. There even a slide in the lake that we went on. It was wonderful! We meet up with Jake and spent the rest of the day there, until the beach closed at 20. This felt more then weird for me. I can't see any beach close anytime in Sweden and that they give you a 30 minute warning in the loudspeakers feels so German. It's time to gradually get dressed. The Strandbad is closing soon.
 It was an awesome day and I liked this beach the most so far. If you want to go there I recommend taking the S-bahn to Nikolassee and walk from there. It's closer then the S-bahn station Wannsee. Bring own food and drinks is also a tip since they of course overprice the food and drinks at the beach.

Schlachtensee I visited on Monday. Max invited me to come there with some of his friends I and biked there. I got lost some times, even if I decided to take the big streets, so it took me about an hour and a half to get there. The S-bahn station Schlachtensee is just by the lake, so it's really easy to get there with public transport. Biking an hour and a half is the best thing to do when your coming to the lake. The water can't be to cold because you are so warm. I met up with Max and we walked to the others. Schlachtensee doesn't have a beach either. There is spots right by the water to sit by rocks and dark sand or something, I don't know what to call it. Even though this wasn't a sand beach I really liked it. It's big so it's easy to find a place for one self if you don't want to share a place by the lake. I feel like I can't write anything about the water, really not in the lakes before either, since I've been so warm every time I got to the lakes, but I think I would remember is it was crappy water.
The weather was a bit unstable so it was both rain and sun, which made me not stay that long. I didn't want to be rained on, at least not much, when I was biking home. I like it though.

I'm a big fan of water and lakes and I could return to any of these lakes again. Now I will find them better it would even be easier. Wannesee I like the most but it feels like a whole day thing going there while the others are more easy to get to and quick dip is possible. Specially Plötzensee, since I hang out much in that part of town.
I hear things about Müggelsee and Flughafensee, and I hope the summer will be long enough so that I have time to go to both. More Sees or bathing places are welcome.