I don’t know about other runners, but after a particularly hard or long run, my body responds best when I keep on moving instead of dropping immediately on the couch for the rest of the day. Even though I usually want to do nothing more than eat and sleep, staying active after the run helps keep my muscles from getting too stiff or sore.
So I was very happy after the Berlin half marathon a couple weeks ago to take a short walk over to the RAW-Gelände with a friend and check out the Berlin Village Market at Neue Heimat, a weekly street food market in Friedrichshain. It’s been around since August of last year, so it’s nothing new to Berliners. But the last time I was at RAW, the two main buildings used for Neue Heimat were either abandoned or occupied by a mega-video game center (glad that’s gone). A former industrial complex, RAW is one of my favorite repurposed public spaces in all of Berlin. When I lived in Friedrichshain, Cassiopeia was my favorite outdoor beer garden/rock climbing facility/outdoor cinema for enjoying the summer weather.
Anyway, after paying 2 Euros entrance (which had just recently doubled from the previous 1 Euro entrance fee), we were allowed in to the Village Market.* I immediately zeroed in on the best BLT sandwich in all of Germany and I never let go. I mean, how could you not love bourbon and maple syrup caramelized bacon, cheddar, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and homemade sriracha mayonnaise? SO GOOD you guys. Thanks to the folks at The Future Breakfast for selling this treat. It was the perfect post-race recovery food. (The Süßkartoffel-Kürbis Stampf from another stand was pretty tasty too!)
The weather that day wasn’t great, so we found ourselves some seats amongst the crowded tables and benches indoors. I was quite tempted to grab a wine or a cocktail to enjoy along with the live jazz band playing, but I smartly stuck to my bottle of water to keep myself hydrated.
All in all, a great post-race afternoon before I had to catch the train back to Bremen.
Have you been to the Berlin Village Market or Neue Heimat before? Any favorite food vendors there? Or are you loyal to one of the other street food events in Berlin?
* Although not expensive, I didn’t love the entrance fee. Among other things, it seems like a clear effort to exclude certain members of the community. Which it seemed to do very effectively, by the way, eliminating any real F’hain authenticity (in my opinion.)
Great post! Makes me really want to visit and try that BLT. It sounds simply divine. Like you I find it best to keep moving after a longer run. Now that I am back to running I am excited to get some training in and hopefully complete a half this fall.
Glad to hear that you’re back up and running! Hope you’ll have lots of chances to keep moving after your long runs, and I will keep my fingers crossed for the possibility of a half marathon in the fall. I’m definitely considering one too. :)
That BLT looks divine! You got my attention at avocado and sriracha mayonnaise. Great idea to take a little walk after your run. Even years later, I’m still glad I chose to walk back to the hotel after my marathon. The group I walked with had a much faster recovery time than those who took the bus. That and the post-race dip in the ocean were ultimate healers. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, exactly! I’ve yet to run a race where diving into a major body of water is possible, but Hawaii would definitely be the place to do it. :)
Everything looks so delicious! I’m getting really excited to try those things on my next moving to Berlin! Thanks for sharing it here!