When you ride a bike you feel free. With the wind. Ecologically ‘on-message’. Pollution free. You are holier than all those thous in their toxic, polluting, climate-changing cars, vans, buses and aeroplanes. But when you’re in a car, those same bikes are a pest. They are insects to be trodden on. They are IN THE FUCKING WAY.

Well in Berlin they escalate the ‘bike issue’ to a new level. Like most European cities it is very bikey. It’s pretty flat and cycle lanes abound making it as safe as it can ever be. The emigrant daughter uses a bike as her chosen mode of transportation. But when its raining, or freezing (Berlin knows how to do both) or when you don’t have your bike with you, there is a plan B. In fact there is B, C, D, E and F. Possibly G and H. Because Berlin is so cool that it caters to people’s needs.

So you see everywhere, rental bikes. Like Boris bikes. Wolfgang Bikes. Whatever. And they come in ‘normal’ or ‘lectric versions. With Uber bikes and many others providing short-term bikes with battery power. Electric scooters. Shit-loads of them. Actual motor scooters with engines, which rent with a helmet. (Or a Helmut). And all available for the duration of your journey. Pick it up in one German sounding place name, drop it off in another, click ‘lock’ on your phone and you’re off. Unburdened. Credit card charged a paltry amount and when you want to return to Aufweiderseinplatzstrasse later on, you just jump on something else. They’re on every street corner.

And it works with cars too. We ‘took’ a car for our parliament tour. The daughter clicked her ‘drive now’ app, which showed 3 cars within a 5 minute walk from her flat. Do we want a convertible mini (its raining), a BMW i3 or a Mercedes B class? Who cares? We too the mini, drove to the Reichstag, parked it outside (pretty much) and pressed ‘lock’. That cost 4.5 Euros (they don’t use pounds in Berlin, strangely). Tube fairs for the three of us would have cost about 8. Not sure how much it would have cost to get Mel on a bike. At least 3 new handbags and some shoes. Probably.

And we used others. Because its so easy and so cheap. But why it works is because of the fantastically almost non-existent parking regulations there. Because obviously you have to leave the car somewhere legal. And over there its virtually anywhere. Can you imagine renting a car and going to Leicester Square? Mansion House? Westminster?? Journey time 22 minutes, parking time 3 hours 24, ending up in a safe space outside your house. The only available one in London.

And that feels like a freedom. A big freedom. Which is part of the Berlin story. A big part. They let you do what you want to do. I like that. A lot.

Happy Tuesday

A xxxx