We were met at the Kreuzberg Museum by a young Turkish girl named Zara. We visited the Kreuzberg Museum to learn more about the multi-immigrant area of this part of Berlin which is mainly populated by Turkish immigrants. In fact, it is known as "little Istanbul" even though several other countries are represented in this multi-cultural population. Turkish parents decide whether their children, who are born in Germany, will be Turkish or German citizens.
As we walked toward an older mosque, we passed a contemporary mosque which was inconspicuous and looked more like a retail establishment rather than a mosque until one viewed skyward and saw the symbols of the Islamic religion. When we reached the older mosque, we were shown the ritual steps in the proper procedure of removing our shoes before entering the prayer area in our stocking feet. Socks minus the shoes were required of all who entered the worship area. Zara explained the Muslim rituals and pointed out that the arrows on the individual areas of the rug pointed to Mecca for daily prayers. She also explained that since the exterior of the building looked like any other older brick building in the Kreuzberg area, without a minaret, a model of a minaret sat in the corner of the worship area to call worshippers to prayer. Zara answered many questions that the teachers posed before we all headed out to a Turkish shop which had a wide assortment of fresh nuts and seeds for snacking. We were treated to a handful of seeds and nuts as we headed out to area SO36 of Kreuzberg. Zara explained that drugs were sold legally in the underground area of this section of Kreuzberg. When questioned regarding an increase in crime, she responded that everything took place underground and stayed underground so that it did not affect those above ground.
After leavingt Kreuzberg, we said our good-byes to Zara and then we headed off to the Turkish market (photo on left) where we had lunch-on-the-run. I tried to find the legendary Central Anatolian (Turkish) pastries amongst the fresh vegetables, scarves, purses, jewelry, and many other commodities, but I was unsuccessful. Because of the time constraints, I settled for some spinach and cheese ravioli, only to find out after the first bite that the ravioli had to be cooked. It's amazing what one will do to ensure that she or he will have the energy to walk to the next visit ... I broke open each ravioli, ate the spinach and cheese centers and disposed of the raw pasta. I met up with the others in plenty of time at the home of the director of the Goethe Institut Visitor Program. The hospitality of our hosts was evident once you stepped inside their living room. An assortment of homemade pastries, coffee, tea, plain and lemon flavored water greeted us. This visit allowed us to view apartment life of a family of four. The boys, both in elementary school, were quiet and shy. From the equipment in their bedroom, one could surmise that they were both soccer players and sports fans. The rooms in the apartment had high ceilings and were of an adequate size, except for the guest bath and the kitchen, which were both small in terms of those found in the U.S.; however, the kitchen window (photo above, right) held a delightful view of the small, enchanting garden area. Finally, our hosts took us to the roof of their apartment building (we walked up seven floors) to get another panoramic view of Berlin. Berlin is such an enormous city! It is several square meters larger than New York City.
After a leisurely visit with Ulrike, her husband, and two children, we walked to the Ampelmann Restaurant. As we waited for our entrees, we were served baskets of bread, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. We poured olive oil on our individual bread plates, added a small amount of vinegar, sprinkled that with a little bit of salt, and dipped our bread slices. I ordered wiener schnitzel and an Austrian red wine. Everything was perfect!
Our day concluded with an evening concert at the largest church in the city of Berlin, the Berliner Dom, which is located on Spree Island. The church was originally built as a Catholic church run by the Dominican order, but it became a Lutheran church in 1539. The current church was completed in 1893 after the old cathedral was demolished. The dome portrays the beatitudes and contains over 500,000 tiles of 2,000 different shades of color (photo on the left). A walkway located in the dome can be reached by walking 240 steps or by taking the elevator. The entire city of Berlin can be viewed from 114 meters up from the street level. The cathedral's interior and exterior chronicle Reformation church history. Atop the pillars in the main church are the four great reformers: Luther, Melanchton, Zwingli, and Calvin. The church's organ was the largest in Germany when it was initially built in 1903 by Wilhelm Sauer of Frankfurt. Today, it is the largest organ of that period in its original condition. The cathedral is an amazing venue for classical music. The Berlin Orchestra filled the cathedral sanctuary with the sounds of Shubert, Puccini, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky. I was swept away to another time and place as I closed my eyes and allowed the music to permeate my inner soul.
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