Berlin

Visiting Lucien in Berlin!

Days at a Glance

Date	Day at a Glance
Thursday 06Feb25	Train with Maisy, Ethiopian restaurant
Friday 07Feb25	The Brutalist in old Berlin theater
Saturday 08Feb25	Long walk in Berlin, Tempelhofer park, and meeting Lucien's friends
Sunday 09Feb25	Train home

High-Low-Hero-Chow/Ciao*

	Ben	Maggie	Lucien
High	Meeting Lucien's friends!	Hanging with Lucien's friends!	Sleepover vibes
Low	spewing beer mist over all of Lucien's friends from a surprising cigarette smoke inhalation	Forgetting my credit card when going grocery shopping	"um I forgot"
Hero	Adrien Brody	Lucien for being such a lovely host	Maisy at the dog park (brilliant)
Chow/Ciao	1.50 Turkish Pizzas	Lucien's morning spread!	Ethiopian

*A game I learned from Ben, who uses it with friends as a fun way to reflect on an experience

Journal

Ben and I had been meaning to visit Lucien in Berlin since we moved to the Netherlands, and Lucien suggested we wait until he got his own place. The timing finally came together in February, and we were both excited to return to Berlin. We had visited Berlin in January 2020, also with Lucien, and we did all the major touristy things. This time, now that Lucien has lived in Berlin for a while, and given we were both feeling a bit tired from the Bologna trip the weekend before (what privileged problems!) we both agreed we wanted a slower paced weekend. We wanted to experience Berlin as Lucien would, a local, trusting him as our tour guide.

Thursday 06Feb25

We worked remotely on our train to Berlin, which took ~6 hours and had 3 transfers. When Maisy wasn't feeling antsy, she was able to enjoy the passing scenery of Germany. Lucien met us at the Berlin station to guide us through the subway system to his apartment. It was great to see him.

Lucien had recently moved to his own apartment, and it was lovely! He and his father built up much of the apartment, including installing kitchen cabinets and new flooring, and Lucien really nailed it. The place felt cozy.

Lucien suggested Ethiopian for dinner. We shared a large injera, and I had some honey wine. It was delicious, and nice to pick at a large shared plate while we caught up with our old friend. For after dinner drinks, Lucien took us to the bar "Slumberland," known for having sand on the floor for the #vibe. We all agreed not to stay out too late, as we were all working remotely the next day.

Friday 07Feb25

Lucien gave us the perfect start to our day with the NYT crossword, instant coffee, and homemade spanakopita. I pretended to work for a bit, before our first lunch of some dumplings Lucien cooked up. This fueled me well for a short run along the nearby park. Ben ran too, so we were both ready for our second lunch: Lucien prepared a spread of boiled sausage, Bavarian mustard, and kruitsalat. How does German food stay all one color but taste so good?

Working hard or hardly working?

After a few more hours of being green on Teams, we headed out to a Turkish restaurant. We all got Turkish pizzas, and shared a halloumi sandwich and kofte plate. Everything was delicious - so good that the boys had to get another round of Turkish pizzas before we headed to the movie. Before coming to Berlin, we requested to see the Brutalist, an Oscar-nominated film that is not widely released, but had showings in Berlin. Lucien picked an old historic theater in Berlin, where the screen had big red curtains and old-timey chairs.

This movie was 3.5 hours. Epic, and about holocaust survivors, it felt spookily poignant to be watching in Berlin. After the movie we had lots to discuss, and it fueled our conversation all the way home. Even once we were in our pajamas and tucked in, we were still jazzed enough that we stayed up late, talking slumber party style from our own beds. It was lovely.

Saturday 08Feb25

Another perfect morning of NYT crossword, instant coffee, and this time a lovely assortment of cheeses, jams, and leberwurst with toast. Lucien knows how to spoil us.

The rat in front of the Rathaus

Our heading for the day: the Temphelhofer feld, an old airport they've converted to a public park. We decided to take the long walk there, so we could see the neighborhoods slowly change, and appreciate the less touristy areas of Berlin. The airfield park was massive, filled with wind surfers, runners, and a special dog park area that Maisy appreciated.

Hungry from our long walk, we got lunch at the farmers market just outside of the air strip. Our Greek food was delicious, and paired nicely with the sugary square juice boxes Lucien got for us.

We bussed back and put our feet up while we chatted over some tea and cookies.

Our evening entertainment was meeting Lucien's friends, with plans to go to a Hertha BSC football game. Lucien does not usually mix friend groups, so this was a big deal. Lucien picked out a restaurant that my dad would have loved, it was supper club vibes with the dark wood and decoration. Dinner was buffet-style, where you paid per plate size, and were allowed to fill it up once, with as much as you wanted. We met 3 of Lucien's expat friends, enjoying beer while we got to know them and learn more about their lives in Berlin. It was fun to see another side of Lucien.

Throughout dinner it became clear that nobody desperately wanted to go the Hertha BSC football game, so instead we headed to a small local bar showing the game, just a short walk away. With only ~4 locals, and a thick smell of smoke, our raucous group filled up the place quickly. It was fun to watch Lucien mingle with the locals, including bumming a smoke for him and his friend. Ben disapproved of me taking one puff.

Finally, after plenty of merriment, we headed our separate ways, and said goodbye to his friends at the metro stop. Nights like these are special. It's rare to have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the life fabric of one of your closest friends from childhood. It was so lovely to see that Lucien had found his place and community in Berlin.

Sunday 09Feb25

We enjoyed our last morning routine (NYT crossword, instant coffee, cheese spread with toasts), before packing up and saying goodbye to Lucien. It was another 6 hour train ride home: this time Maisy felt antsier, communicating that she was sick of this shit. We made it home, only delayed 30 minutes, impressive for the Deutsche Bahn!

Summary

It was a really refreshing and invigorating weekend in Berlin. I loved spending time with Lucien and better understanding the life he's made for himself in Berlin. It's a huge city, and it was special to see a few gems that Lucien handpicked for us. We're so grateful to him for hosting, he gave up his bed for us and slept on an inflatable cushion. He was an amazing host, and patient with having his small apartment suddenly filled with 2 extra people and a dog.

For the Record

	Details
Arrival	Berlin Hauptbahnhof, 16:30
Departure	Berlin Hauptbahnhof, 12:30
Maisy	With us!