In an Ideal World: Dudu's Berlin Visit

My dear friend, parenting strategy co-conspirator, and just one of my favorite people on earth - Dustin Tipton-Johnson - turns 40 tomorrow. On his 30th birthday, I held down the the fort in our PDX apartment, ie the apartment he made space for me to move into when this heavyhearted girl made the move to PDX to be closer to my mama, while he made his first trip to Europe to propose to one of my other favorite people of all time. Fast forward 10 years, and here we are, flip-flopped on different continents.

If Dudu was able to visit this summer, as planned, these would be the adventures we would have:

Adventure to the "Bumpy Bumps" at Gleisdreiek 

One of Paul's favorite beers in Berlin is BRLO. On our U-bahn ride to church we noticed the BRLO brewery on the Gleisdreiek stop. Gleisdreiek park was a former railyard, now turned park. This outdoor brewery has delicious food and beer right next to the bumpie bumps ie foam rolling hills that are great for biking or scooting. 

                            

Throwback to a year ago when Tanta Bettina visited and Carmen wasn't mobile.

Outdoor patio

The building is a bunch of old train cars wielded together. 

Gleisdreiek also has a Banksy exhibit going until August 1. 

The Mandatory Walking Tour

The free walking tours of Berlin that start at the Brandenburg gate are a must. For this tour, the little T-Js would stay with the little Biggs and we would all meet-up after at the Ritter Sport Chocolate shop to custom make chocolate bars and otherwise buy more chocolate than we need. To detox we would talk through the Tiergarten to Cafe am Neuen See. 

Adventure to the most epic park ever: Buschkrug

The only time I've been to this park, Paul wasn't with me, which means I have no photos of my own. The photos on the internet just don't do it justice - it's eight different parks all in one. It is a beast to get out to Neukölln neighborhood but this park is worth it.

Rainy Day / Plan B Adventure: Hamburger Bahnhof

We've been waiting for just the right exhibit to go visit this museum - and here it is. A color explosion! 

Double Date at Katz Orange

No visit to Berlin would be complete without leaving the kids with our awesome babysitters for a little adult conversation. Paul and I had our last date before Covid took over the world at this lovely restaurant about a mile / 1.6 Km from our house. The food was as delicious as the setting was beautiful.

There would also be all the classic food adventures - sausage, döner, baked goods, coffee, and food carts. Clearly. There would also be more parks. We have a lot of laughing, and some crying, to catch-up on. Happy Birthday Dudu!