Day 1 in Berlin – Tuesday

I arrived late Tuesday and wasn’t sure what to do with my first evening in the city. I wandered into a small convenience store and picked up a bottle of German wine.

Before enjoying it back at my place, I stopped at a kebab shop for a kebab burger.

It was decent and filling. Afterward, I had a craving for something sweet, so I visited a local bakery and picked up a chocolate croissant to pair with the wine.

The croissant was a little on the stale side, but still tasty. The wine was excellent.

I called it an early night to rest up for the days ahead.

Day 2 in Berlin – Wednesday

A Busy Day in Berlin

I woke up around 9 AM, feeling surprisingly rested. Breakfast at the hotel was simple but satisfying—enough to fuel up for the long day ahead. After a quick shower, I got ready and called an Uber to the company hotel, where I dropped off my luggage before heading out for a walk.

The crisp Berlin air was refreshing, and I took advantage of the morning light to snap some photos during my walk. After looping back to the hotel, I grabbed a few more shots indoors—always good to have options.

Then, I settled into work, making progress on a project video before meeting up with colleagues.

After checking into my room, I took a short break to call my kids—always the highlight of my day. Even with all the excitement of being in Berlin, nothing compares to hearing their voices.

Later in the evening, I had a quick meeting with a guest interested in AI, where we talked shop for a while. I promised to send over some useful resources, including demo videos, performance benchmarks, and details on our webinar series.

Dinner with the team was a great mix of professional conversation and casual connection. I met several new faces and enjoyed hearing different perspectives from people across the company.

The night wrapped up with a few drinks in good company before heading back to my room. Exhausted but satisfied, I crashed, ready for whatever Berlin had in store next.

Day 3 in Berlin – Thursday

A Day of Reflection, Racing, and Celebration

The day started with a classic European hotel breakfast—hard-boiled eggs, sliced meats, croissants, and coffee. Simple but satisfying. After fueling up, we hopped on the train and headed to the coworking space for the second full day of the retreat.

Morning Sessions

The morning kicked off with coffee and informal hellos—a relaxed way to ease into the day. Then came the first real session: Turning Points in Company History. It was eye-opening to see the pivotal moments that shaped the organization. A lot of things I hadn’t known before suddenly made sense.

Next, we did Personal Lifelines, an exercise where each of us mapped out the highs and lows of our lives in small groups. It was unexpectedly deep, and there was a touching moment when someone shared big personal news—everyone in the group celebrated together.

The following session focused on Company Mission, Vision & Strategy. It gave me a much clearer picture of where we are as an organization and where we’re heading. Having that kind of orientation was invaluable—it’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day, but stepping back like this made the bigger picture come into focus.

Lunch & Afternoon Work

Lunch was brought in—simple boxed salads. I went for the Asian chicken one, which was decent enough.

After lunch, we continued our deep dive into company strategy before breaking into team time with marketing. It was a productive sync, but I wished we had more than just two hours. There’s so much we could have aligned on. I also might have stirred up a little tension when I suggested implementing a project management tool—definitely got some mixed reactions.

Go-Karting Mayhem

Then came the highlight of the day: go-karting. It was an absolute blast—part Formula One, part endurance test. I was loving it until the final stretch, when pure exhaustion set in. At one point, someone bumped me while passing, and I couldn’t help but laugh—it was all in good fun and very competitive.

Evening Celebrations

After that, we headed to a street food fair for dinner. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere was buzzing. The group celebrated a big sales win, and the energy was electric—everyone was in high spirits.

Throughout the evening, I had some great, meaningful conversations with colleagues. It’s rare to have moments like that outside of work.

We wrapped up around 11 PM and made our way back to the hotel. But the night wasn’t quite over—I stayed up talking with a couple of people, learning more about their past experiences and perspectives.

Finally, at 2 AM, I crashed—completely drained but grateful for a day that felt both intense and deeply rewarding.

Day 4 in Berlin – Friday

The Last Work Day

The final workday of the retreat started with a bit of a struggle—I was definitely feeling the effects of the night before. Still, I managed to get up and meet some colleagues for breakfast before heading to Betahaus on the train.

Wrapping Up Work

The morning was filled with a few more sessions, the last push of structured work before wrapping up the retreat. By lunchtime, we split into departments for our final team meal. The marketing group went to an Asian restaurant, where I had udon with duck—absolutely delicious.

Back at Betahaus, we had a few more sessions, then the entire company gathered for a group photo. I pulled out my selfie stick and remote, prepping everything to capture the main shot.

To celebrate the end of the retreat, we enjoyed cake and champagne. I had a few glasses before heading with a group to the hotel to drop off our things.

The Final Dinner

We took the train to Café Restaurant Jolesch for our last dinner together.

The meal was fantastic—I started with soup, had traditional schnitzel as my entrée, and finished with a crème brûlée for dessert.

After dinner, we spent time outside chatting, enjoying the last moments of the retreat together. Eventually, the group split—some headed back to the hotel while the rest of us decided to keep the night going with karaoke.

Karaoke & Late-Night Adventures

Karaoke was an absolute blast. I sang a couple of favorites and teamed up with others for some energetic duets. The energy was high, and we kept the party going until about 4:30 AM.

Afterward, I grabbed a ride back to the hotel with a few people. While most called it a night, I stopped at a small restaurant for a burger and currywurst—a perfect late-night meal.

Finally, with exhaustion setting in, I headed back to the hotel and crashed hard.

Day 5 in Berlin – Saturday

Dawn of the Final Day

I woke up feeling rough—my chest hurt, my stomach hurt, and I was exhausted. The previous night had been a little too heavy on the drinks, and I was definitely paying the price. Realizing it was almost 10 and I didn’t want to miss breakfast, I got up, threw on a shirt, and headed downstairs. It was nice to say goodbye to a few people from the support team before heading back up to rest.

I slept until about 2 PM, then cleaned up, packed my bags, and caught up on a few messages and emails.

Later, I ran into a colleague who was preparing to leave, so it was good to say a proper goodbye. We even grabbed a quick selfie before parting ways.

In the evening, I went to dinner with another colleague. It was a relaxed way to close out the trip.

Now I’m in the Uber to the airport—sad that it’s over, but excited to see my kids again.

This was truly a trip for the books!