Exceptionally, the 8th of May, 2020 was a public holiday here in Berlin, Germany.

On that day, I took a long bike ride outside of the city, a weekend habit that I started during the Covid-19 lockdown.

During my ride, I stumbled upon a tiny beach named Strandbad Schmöckwitz. I sat in the sun, by the water. For a good two hours, passing boats and paddle boarders and swimming dogs and the landscape distracted me.

When suddenly, this swan (interestingly der Schwan in german) broke from its group of swan friends, came over, and posed for several pictures.

Here’s the best one. There’s something in the way it looks at the camera. :)