Back to Berlin

The first time we came to Berlin was December 2008 so roughly 6 years ago. The amount of construction and change that has taken place since then has been mind boggling.  Urbanization is taking place around the globe but because Berlin has essentially rebuilt itself since 1989 the change here is even more significant.

Construction will be taking place here for decades to come.  This might look like an art installation but these purple/pink pipes are for construction sites to pump out the water before building.  Berlin is essentially built on a swamp so water must be pumped out quickly in order for the site not to be damaged from the get go.

It is seriously hot here and walking around town is a sweaty experience but none the less I did.  I met with an entrepreneur from Poland in a company I am investing in call CSTM.  The launch will be taking place in October in Europe first, US next.   I am really excited about what they have built and the opportunities moving forward.

Fred and I had dinner with an investor and his wife who both of us have invested with which was really great.  We went to Katz Orange.   The restaurant is located in a beautiful open area set inside a bunch of other buildings.  Very typical of Europe where there is a large courtyard in between a bunch of buildings to create light and air.   The restaurants food is sourced locally and continues to change based on the season.

Our first course was mostly salads.  Fred had the marinated trout along side a  a purple potato salad with spiced rhubarb and mustard seed.  The purple potato salad was amazing.

I had the green bean salad.  A variety of different green beans mixed with greens, pecorino cheese, dried barberry and sesame crisps.  Nice light summer salad. For dinner there are either entrees or slow cuisine entrees for two that have been roasted for over 12 hours at a very low temperature.  The slow cooked is more than likely one of their specialties.  They have three options.  Fred and I split the pork that comes with a spicy bbq sauce on the side and a garlic yogurt sauce which we did not touch.  The pork just falls apart when you slice it.  A tad heavy for the summer months but still good. We had two sides to go with that.  Simply roasted sweet potatoes. Carrot ginger puree. Dessert was just a mix of cheese for all of us to share.  It seems like the slate plates are the rage here too. Beautiful setting and a nice stroll back to the hotel.