Berlin's Wall Archives

Final G7 Gdansk Thoughts & Some AI Magic

by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 28, 2026 | Berlin's Wall

All,

Just as a side note on our recent visit to Gdansk for the G7 Ukraine Business Advisory Council meetings…

It was a very positive event, and some of the changing realities on the Ukraine-Russia battlefront created more optimism than in previous years that the war may finally be moving toward an end. Fingers crossed.

These conferences really aren’t my thing (as those of you who know me probably already know 😉). Derek is much better at them than I am. But they do give us the opportunity to meet and interact with leaders from business and government around the world, and they allow LP to play a small part in the fight for the freedom and independence that this war is ultimately about. I’m proud and honored that we have this opportunity to contribute.

As I mentioned earlier, the trip also gave us a chance to spend time with our LP office in Gdansk and to catch up with Petro and Oksana Fedoruk—two of our favorite people—who represent LP in various parts of the world whenever needed. We truly couldn’t ask for better representatives or better friends to spend time with.

After the conference wrapped up on Friday, the four of us headed over to nearby Sopot for the afternoon. Now, if you’re like me, you probably don’t think of northern Poland as a beach destination…but Sopot absolutely is. Beautiful hotel. Beautiful weather. Beautiful sandy beach. We relaxed, had a drink, enjoyed the afternoon, and took a few pictures.

Then, just for shits and giggles, Oksana decided to have a little fun with AI.

Check out the photos below.

I bet this is not what most people picture when thinking of Poland 🙂

There are actually several “Grand Hotels” like this one along the North Sea shore between Gdansk and Gdynia

Petro & Oksana with Derek and I enjoying a relaxing afternoon.

We took this picture. Then Oksana decided to have some AI fun 😉

She turned it into this picture

Then dressed us up, and put us back into the conference hall in this picture

Then added a couple of “friends” at the conference

Then had Tom Hanks and Rodney Dangerfield join us

And then we all celebrated! And these were all done in minutes while sitting at a table under an umbrella by the beach having dinner. CRAZY!!

I’m definitely not a tech guy. I was an early adopter of computers and the internet, but I have zero technical skills—you can ask Andrew, Keith, Emile, or Tony! 😂 I’m still trying to figure out how those two tin cans connected by a waxed string actually work.

That said, I have become a huge fan of ChatGPT. I use it every day, and I think artificial intelligence is going to change the world in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

What amazed me was watching Oksana create these images. She did it in just a few minutes, and it looked almost effortless.

If this is where the technology is today, imagine where it will be in another year…or five.

All I can say is…

Buckle up. 😉

Onward! -JB

Farewell, Gdansk.

A fairy tale city. I hope to come back again one day.

G7 Ukraine BAC Meeting – Gdansk, Poland

by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 26, 2026 | Berlin's Wall

All,

It’s been a very busy week, and I’m just grabbing a few minutes to try and summarize everything (apologies if I miss something 🙂).

The week began with the G7 Leaders’ Summit, where world leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. That was followed by the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which brings together governments, financial institutions, and business leaders focused on Ukraine’s defense, recovery, and long-term reconstruction.

For the third consecutive year, LP has been one of just three U.S. companies representing American business at the conference, alongside Northrop Grumman and Palantir. Representatives from major global companies such as Siemens, Philips, and Vestas, as well as many of Ukraine’s leading businesses, also participated. It is a big deal, and Derek and I are honored to be part of it.

One of the highlights for us was signing an agreement with UkraineInvest, the investment promotion agency of the Ukrainian government. Through this partnership, UkraineInvest will open its first overseas office, located within the LP/Berlin Bridges office that Derek has established in downtown Manhattan. This will give the Ukrainian government closer access to U.S. businesses looking to explore opportunities in Ukraine.

The New York location is especially meaningful. Many of these discussions naturally happen in Washington, D.C., and Ukraine already has an important government presence there. But, as I mentioned during the signing ceremony, the United States has always been the Land of Opportunity, and New York City remains the financial capital of the country. As Ukraine increasingly becomes a land of opportunity itself, we’re hopeful this office will help facilitate conversations, partnerships, and investments that support both Ukraine’s defense today and its reconstruction tomorrow. 🤞

I also had the chance to visit with Slawek and our Gdańsk team and enjoy a quick dinner together. It’s always great spending time with our teams. I love their energy and spirit, and they’re continuing to grow. It’s amazing to think we’ve been in Poland for more than 25 years now. I still remember first meeting Paweł in Rzeszów, and I’m grateful he’s still such an important part of our efforts in Poland and across Europe.

We also attended a dinner hosted by our good friends at the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), where we were treated to a beautiful performance by Ukrainian Army veterans. During the evening, we were fortunate to win a painting created by one of the veterans during the charity auction. It was later signed by Oksana Markarova, the former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, and will hang proudly in our Kyiv office.

Finally, Derek and I were able to spend time this week with Petro and Oksana Fedorov, two of our favorite people, who continue to be deeply involved in supporting Ukraine and a number of other LP initiatives around the world. We truly have wonderful people at LP, and moments like these make me incredibly proud.

Heading back to the U.S. tomorrow. It was a good trip, and hopefully we continue to make a difference.

LP—Always punching above our weight. 💪

Onward! -JB

Signing the agreement with UkraineInvest to house their first US office in LP’s NYC office. This will make it much easier for American companies to connect and meet with the representatives of the Ukrainian government to explore potential business opportunities.

Oleksiy Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine. And a very good guy 👍

This is the painting we won at the auction here. Former Ambassador to the US. Painted by a Ukrainian soldier. Former Ambassador to the US, Oxana Markarova signed it. It will hang proudly in our Kyiv office.

These veterans performed several beautiful musical pieces for the US-Ukraine Business Council members.

Though (as always) a crazy busy schedule, I got to visit our Gdansk office and have a nice dinner with the team there. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip 😊

Gdansk.
This is where the beginning of the end of the old Soviet Union started with protests by the shipbuilders here led by Lech Walesa. At the start of the G7 session, Polish Prime Minister opened the conference with a video of that rebellion. And he made the very cogent point that “While the fight for our freedom and independence began right here in Gdansk, today it is the proud and heroic people of Ukraine who continue it”. True words!!!

Gdansk, Poland. Looks like a fairy tale city.

It’s always a real pleasure to be in Petro and Oxana’s company 🙂

Proudly sporting the LP colors in Poland 🙂

<br />

Last Stop – Tokyo!

by Ryan Markiewicz | May 27, 2026 | Berlin's Wall

All,

Got to spend the last two days here in Tokyo. Believe it or not, Tokyo is the largest city in the world, with a metropolitan population of approximately 37 million people.

But, as you would probably expect if you have been reading any of my blogs from Japan, it is an incredibly clean, friendly, and well-organized city. No horns honking. No chaos on the sidewalks or streets. Beautiful to look at and seemingly run with incredible efficiency.

This has been a great trip. Hong Kong, Taipei, and half a dozen Japanese cities. All of them interesting and well worth seeing. (And Viking does a GREAT job on these cruises. Always enjoyable.)

I would say, though, that the highlight of our trip was the day we got to spend with Take Hosomi and his wonderful girlfriend, Asuka.

They had planned to take us to see some Tokyo temples and shrines (Buddhist temples/Shinto shrines : ), but I suggested we just “hang out.” We had already seen lots of temples and shrines and really just wanted to experience the non-touristy parts of Tokyo. (And, honestly, I think Take was a bit relieved as well 😉)

So that is what we did. We wandered around, ate at some street vendors, and while Asuka and Hallie did some shopping, Take and I spent time just talking about work, life, and things in general.

I LOVE that the relationships I have always had with our country leaders and colleagues around the world have felt more like friendships than business relationships.

As Take said during our conversation, when you are lucky enough to work with people you genuinely like, it does not feel too much like work.

A thoroughly enjoyable day and, honestly, the highlight of our trip.

We look forward to repaying their hospitality someday when Take and Asuka are able to visit us in Erie or Long Island.

Thank you both.

Tokyo – the biggest city in the world

Tokyo Tower

….and at night

Which one is the real Geisha?

Guess which one is the real ninja?

I think I may have been unclear of the concept

Take

Asuka

PS – We finally DID get to see Mt. Fuji from our bus on the way to a national park. So, it is NOT AI and really DOES exist 🙂

Mt. Fuji

by Ryan Markiewicz | May 26, 2026 | Berlin's Wall

Mt. Fuji is the highest and most revered mountain in Japan. Today was our day to visit it, but since the weather was totally cloudy we did get to go on it, but never got to see it hahahahaha. So here are some pics we screenshot from websites and the local museum.

It was cool to drive there as Japan continues to amaze at how green everything is. If you think about it, it’s just a series of islands that are simply mountains jutting out of the Pacific Ocean. Japan is 70% mountainous, and everything is green—varying shades of green—really beautiful.

Enjoy the pictures. And the knowledge that you have seen as much of Mt Fuji as we did yesterday hahahahahahaa

Onward! -JB

Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest and most iconic peak

It remains deeply sacred and a major cultural and recreational destination

The crater atop Mt. Fuji. The volcano has been dormant since the last blast in 1707

It is one of Japan’s three holy mountains (along with Mt. Tate and Mt. Haku)

Seems weird that we went halfway up but never saw it

The peak is visible from Tokyo on clear days. On the ground, the volcano is surrounded by the famous Fuji Five Lakes region

Tea plantation. They say the pure mountain water flowing down into the valleys from Mt. Fuji makes for wonderful tea (and rice for sake)

This is what wasabi is made of. 90% of the wasabi (Japanese horseradish) in Japan comes from near Mt. Fuji

Divine Wind – Interesting Story

by Ryan Markiewicz | May 21, 2026 | Berlin's Wall

The “divine wind” story is one of the most famous legends in Japanese history — and it’s where the word kamikaze comes from.

In the late 1200s, the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan tried twice to invade Japan after conquering huge parts of Asia, including China and Korea.

First invasion — 1274

The Mongols sent a massive fleet across the sea toward Japan. They landed in Kyushu and fought effectively, using coordinated tactics and explosives unfamiliar to the Japanese samurai.

But then a powerful storm hit the Mongol fleet. Many ships were damaged or sunk, and the invaders withdrew.

Second invasion — 1281

Kublai Khan came back with an even bigger force — one of the largest invasion fleets in medieval history, possibly over 100,000 men.

The Japanese had prepared this time, building coastal defenses around places like Hakata Bay in Fukuoka.

The Mongol fleet lingered offshore for weeks. Then a huge typhoon struck.

The storm devastated the fleet:

ships smashed together
many sank
thousands drowned
survivors were killed or captured ashore

The Japanese believed the storm had been sent by the gods to protect Japan. They called it:

Kamikaze (神風)

Meaning:

kami = divine/spirit/god
kaze = wind

So literally: “divine wind.”

Centuries later, during World War II, Japan revived the term “kamikaze” for suicide pilots. The idea was symbolic: just as the divine wind once saved Japan from invasion, these pilots were expected to sacrifice themselves to protect the nation.

Modern historians think the Mongol fleets were especially vulnerable because many ships were hastily built river/coastal vessels not ideal for open-ocean typhoons. But the storms themselves were very real.

-JB

Our voyage from Hong Kong to Tokyo

Container port

Container ship arriving in Osaka

Unlike the Mongol invaders, we came in peace

Samurai

A model Japanese warship

Osaka and Kyoto

by leah | May 21, 2026 | Berlin's Wall

All,

Arrived in Osaka. Again, a band was there to greet us. I think that is so cool.

Osaka is Japan’s third-largest city, but once again, it feels calm, quiet, clean, and easy to get around.

One side note: in a lot of countries (including many U.S. cities), finding a public restroom can be a pain in the butt (so to speak). And when you do find one, they are often filthy, crowded, or you actually have to pay to use them.

Everywhere we have been in Japan, there are public restrooms everywhere (many with Toto toilets—the famous Japanese brand). They are spotless, there are plenty of stalls so there is rarely a wait, and they are free. Honestly, I have not seen a better public setup anywhere.

And another thing you notice here is the absence of visible homelessness. I know homelessness is a complicated issue, and every society is different, but being here does make you realize it does not necessarily have to be as widespread and visible as it often seems in the United States. There must be better answers than what many of our cities have accepted as normal.

We drove up to Kyoto to visit an ancient temple associated with Japan’s old rulers. Beautiful place. As always in Japan, the gardens surrounding it were just as impressive as the buildings themselves.

There is a famous pine tree there—actually a single tree—that is over 600 years old and has been carefully shaped to resemble an old sailing ship. Pretty amazing.

One interesting thing I learned is that Kyoto is also home to Nintendo, which somehow feels fitting in a city that blends tradition and imagination so naturally. Nintendo actually began there in 1889 as a handmade playing-card company more than 130 years ago before evolving into one of the world’s great video game companies. Hard to imagine that the same city of ancient temples and Zen gardens also gave birth to Mario and Zelda. Plus, a good reminder of the Thought for Today the other day: “Map it out, but don’t write it in stone.” (Or as I like to say: “See opportunity/take opportunity.” 😉

Also, I have mentioned how friendly and welcoming the Japanese people are. Today, several young schoolchildren stopped me and asked questions from notebooks they were carrying:

“What is your name?”Where are you from?”What sports do you like?”

(All in English, of course. Japanese students begin learning English in elementary school.)

After our “interview,” they thanked me and gave me a lovely handmade origami crane, which is a symbol of peace in Japan. I will keep this memento in a place of honor.

Onward! -JB