Editor’s note: Our buddy Sergio is traveling around Europe and has decided to change things up a bit when it comes to his contributions to the blog for the next couple of weeks. With that said, Sergio’s posts will not necessarily be solely about Juventus, but also about his travels abroad and what kind of football-centric things he gets into during his time in Europe.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025
Berlin, Germany. 4:25 p.m.
You know what I’m too old to pull off now? The old, three flight, double layover, intercontinental flight to get there in the morning
so you can have a “extra” day at your destination.
I’ve been getting in and out of planes for 17 hours now, not sleeping a lick, bloated, tired and I’m supposed to now pull it together for 10 hours extra to walk around the city?
Well, yes. I’m never attempting this again, but I did make the travel arrangements in this way and I’ll be damned if I don’t push it to the very limit to escape jet lag.
(Though, I guess feeling like crap during the day is Jet Lag in itself.)
Also, I want to see if I can find an old Leo Bonucci, Union Berlin kit.
Berlin has two teams, Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin. But if you walk around the city — or at least the centric, touristy part — Union Berlin seems to be the one that gets most of the spotlight. Sure, Hertha is currently in the second division of German football, but still, they were top-flight club less than a couple of seasons ago!
To be fair, Union has the cooler logo — bears slap — they play in the top league and at the very least have a significantly more robust retail presence, which is half the battle.
Yes, the Leonardo Bonucci kit! I stumble upon a fan shop at AleksanderPlatz, right in the middle of Berlin and sheepishly ask the person manning the register if they have maybe an old jersey of his short, unremarkable half a season stint with the German side in 2023 … and the look I received was of shock and bemusement. They had probably never heard that specific, weird request in a while.
Which, I guess, makes sense. It’s the equivalent of someone going up to a Juve store and asking for a vintage Benedikt Howedes joint. Why would they ever have that? Stocking rarities for the obsessed collectors is probably an unsustainable business practice for any store of this kind.
Anywho, I keep walking to a Kebab shop which is obviously a must and the guy who runs the shop is both wearing a Hertha kit and is remarkably unfriendly. Not helping your PR efforts at all, Hertha, I might end up leaving this place a full fledged ultra of Die Eisernen out of spite.
Anywho, the Durum is delicious — is there a direct correlation between the unfriendliness of the Kebab guy and the quality of the product? Evidence seems to suggest so — and a random, Turkish soda I pick up from the fridge which is even better. Kind of an herbal Dr. Pepper? Very unique, very delicious. The one thing I will sign out with from the first day in Europe is that you should always try the rarities.
I have the utmost contempt for whoever travels abroad and eats at McDonalds. Please do try the street food, the local stuff, go for the odd label that it’s in a different language you don’t understand. Worst case scenario you have a story, best case you found your new favorite drink and are googling relentlessly how to import a pallet.
If you are going to play it safe, might as well go home.
