The Spree is to the Berlin much like the Seine is to Paris, even though it is far more understated than the latter and therefore can easily be taken for granted. Beginning near the Czech border, its final reach is Berlin's city center, before it flows into the Havel. Throughout the Summer, its shores truly come alive. But those of its canals can be the liveliest, especially the Landwehrkanal in Kreuzberg, where Berliner's assertiveness in laying claim to their city is most apparent.