May 21, 2006

Berlin - part 2
Little Istanbul in the heart of Europe

Berlin has lots of choices for shoppers, and on the second day of our trip on 17th April 2006, we headed to the part of Berlin with the city's largest Muslim community, many of them first- or second-generation Turkish immigrants. When we got to Hermannplatz, I forgot for a while that I was in the center of Europe.
The way people were dressed, their attitude, the general and cultural environment -- it was just like being in a Muslim or Asian town. In effect, this is a little Istanbul in the heart of Europe.
The most commonly spoken language was Turkish, which of course made my dealings easier. The names of shops, the products on sale, the shopping culture -- everything reminded me of a Turkish town.
I found the open bazaar where shopkeepers loudly compete with each other to attract customers. Of course being a Turkish speaker in a Turkish area greatly increased my chance of getting a bargain. After 2 hours I realized that I had bought more than I could carry.
Meat, vegetables, fruit and sweets -- I bought all kinds of food at this bazaar, including a soft Turkish bread, not only because it was cheaper, but because I like the quality of Turkish products.
Walking along the street, I was also intrigued by the shops' interesting names. Names like Cumhuriyetim, ‘My republic,’ or 7-kadeshler, ‘The 7 Brothers’ and so on. After hours of walking we finally entered one of the area's traditional Turkish restaurants. This also had an interesting Turkish-style name, ‘Bizim Kofteci,’ meaning 'Our kofte maker.’
The hospitality of its owner, Mr. Ahmed, was really extraordinary. After a delicious kofte, a kind of Turkish kebab, I also declared him my kofteci as well. It was a family restaurant, he was the owner and his wife was manager.
Besides shopping for food , I also was interested in buying some CDs and a Turkish musical instrument called a Kanon. It has a beautiful sound. I can’t play this instrument, but I was thinking that it would be nice to spend my free time learning how to play.
The question was whether I could find it this town?. But Mr. Ahmed was there to serve. When I directed this question to him he not only told me the address but got ready to accompany us to the exact shop where this instrument was available.
His kindness, Turkish-style, continued even in the process of shopping, since he used his personal contact with the owner of this shop in our favor.
Kazim, the 72-year-old owner, has been running this business for 30 years, and he had an impressive selection of music and musical instruments, including two Kanon. We spent quite a long time in this shop discussing the past and future of Berlin's Turkish immigrants, as well as family issues. As I left, I wished them a long life as they were such nice, warm people.
Dear readers, as you read these columns, I probably will be among another warm community in the heart of Asia [Afghanistan-or Pakistan], people whom I admire so much, as even 25 years of war have not eroded in the slightest their hospitality or colorful culture.
Please keep visiting this page, and I will keep sharing my experiences and feelings with you. Accompany me on my journeys to those wonderful parts of the world. See you, then, in Asia.