Waiting quietly at its dock, Amor will soon be ready for another cruise on Berlin's lakes, river and many canals. In the days before air-conditioning began to appear in so many places, cool breezes over the water provided a welcome relief from summer heat. Daytimes brought sightseeing cruises. Night brought the Abendfahrt which might include dancing or simply a look at the lights across the water. Whichever one chose, a scheduled linienfahrt or the Tee-danz afternoon trip, passengers could count on having a little time which seemed far removed from the daily grind.
Some cruises, including hourly scheduled regular-route Stern+Kreis boats, traveled the Havel on routes which took them within sight of the Berlin Wall's watery boundary. Buoys marked the boundary line, which was enforced by shoreline watchtowers and patrol boats. The U.S. Army Identification book said that the newer GDR (East German) boats were influenced by the design of the World War II U.S. Navy 'PT-boats' - whether that was correct or not, they did carry twin machine guns and twin searchlights. The U.S. Army had a Chris Craft cruiser at the same time, which was unarmed.
At night, the GDR patrol boats cruised shark-like, low and slow in the water. When on the hunt, their engines revved up, and they rose from the water to rush to their target. As we watched them from sleepy shores in the Grunewald, the contrast with boats like Amor was extreme.
Read more about the Havel patrols.
Continue on the tour. Weitermachen!