Everything You Need for an Urban Adventure, From a Nudist Picnic to Surfing the Rockaways
Picnic in the nude in Berlin, hike a mountain in Taipei—or recreate the feeling in your own backyard.
Spring has blessedly arrived, and much like our ursine brethren, we’ve emerged out of our winter hibernation to boldly stroll into the sunshine. If you’re not sure what to do now that the sun sets after seven, take inspiration from the accoutrements you’ll need for three very specific outdoor urban adventures—picnicking (clothing optional) in Berlin, hiking some of Taipei’s tallest peaks, and surfing at Rockaway Beach—to get your brain and body moving. You may even get some ideas about how to bring that sense of adventure to your own backyard.
Get Naked in Berlin
Berlin may be known for its rollicking nightlife, but for the next time you find yourself in the German capital, we suggest another traditional activity—flinging off your clothes and embracing the lifestyle of Freikörperkultur, or free body culture, aka nudism, and commonly shortened to FKK.
At many of Berlin’s lakes and parks, it is rare to not see someone nude enjoying the sun and avoiding any tan lines whatsoever. "Germans love to be naked," says Gabriele Mercatali, project manager for an electronic music platform and longtime local. "Even the parks in Berlin have nudist areas. It’s like if you went to Central Park in New York, and you saw a huge nudist area."
There’s a long and fascinating history of German nudism, which dates to the late 1800s and which became firmly entrenched in the culture of East Germany. While some bemoan that FKK is dying out these days, people are still clamoring for their right to be unclothed. Earlier this year, after a woman complained that she was forced to cover up at one of the city’s swimming pools, Berlin authorities announced that everyone could go topless in them.
For people new to FKK, Mercatali recommends a trip to Teufelssee, a small glacial lake surrounded by forest that’s a short trip from central Berlin via car, bike, or public transit. While it can get crowded, he notes, its proximity to the city center, as well as its natural beauty and welcoming, mixed crowd, makes a trip there worth it. "It’s cute because it’s very queer, and [there are] also a lot of families," Mercatali says. Plus, he adds, "If you walk 15 minutes, there is a whole naked area inside the woods just for sunbathing." (Be mindful of the wild boars snuffling around for a snack.) And if you’re wanting a quick dip after a night out, Teufelssee is "where everybody goes after the club."
While you won’t need a bathing suit on a trip to any of Berlin’s many lakes, be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, a hat with a wide brim, a good book, and any other sundries you might need for a day out re-creating Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe.
Create your own little slice of clothing-optional paradise
Weekday Bench and Table by Hannes & Fritz
1966 Collection Porcelain Serving Cart by Richard Schultz for Knoll®
Ruth Reversible Indoor/Outdoor Rug
Timbertech Advanced PVC Vintage Collection
Hike Some Gorgeous Mountains in Taipei
Where can you hike a mountain in the morning, soak in a hot spring in the afternoon, and then hit up a night market in the evening for some of the best food you’ve ever tasted?
Why, Taipei, naturally. Taiwan’s capital, surrounded as it is by hills and mountains, is an overlooked paradise for hikers and lovers of the outdoors. "Over 60 percent of the island is forested, so we have tons of hiking trails and high-altitude mountains, and Taipei has a lot of small hiking trails in and around the city," says Clarissa Wei, a Taiwanese-American journalist living in Taipei and the author of the soon-to-be published cookbook Made in Taiwan. "It’s just a lovely place to meander and get lost." As Ami Barnes, who helms the popular hiking blog Taiwan Trails and Tales with her wife, puts it, "The hiking scene here deserves more recognition than it gets."
In fact, there are so many hiking trails within easy reach of both Taipei and New Taipei City via public transportation that it’s hard to recommend just a handful. If you have access to a car, you have even more options.
Do you want iconic views of Taipei 101, the city’s most famous skyscraper, without even leaving the city? Wei recommends you visit the Xiangshan, or "Elephant Mountain," Trail. "Elephant Mountain is one that every first-timer to Taipei should check out," she says, though its popularity may mean that you’ll be joined by crowds of people eager for the same view. (Same goes for the Jinmianshan Trail, which boasts equally stunning views.)
For more adventurous hikers, Barnes suggests the Huangdidian Trail, which includes a ridge walk (and a bat cave), and the Wuliaojian Hike, another ridge walk. "Each time I do either of these, I’m overwhelmed by just how fun they are," Barnes says. For both, in addition to the usual gear, you may want to bring gloves, since there are sections with ropes, as well as a rain jacket.
And both Wei and Barnes say hikers should spend some time in Yangmingshan National Park, a nature preserve on the northern edge of Taipei with a variety of trails. "I’m a big fan of Qixing Mountain in the park, because it’s a bit off the beaten path but also offers a unique vantage point of the city, and you can see dramatic fumaroles," Wei says. Barnes visits the park for a more relaxing experience. "I’ll head to the irrigation canal trails in the southeastern corner of Yangmingshan National Park—for example, Dengfeng Canal Trail or Pingding Canal Trail," she says. "These two are great for seeing cicadas and all sorts of wildlife in the summer."
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