Ostalgia
June 26th 2009 Why wasn’t I surprised that the first conversation I had upon landing in Berlin was in Turkish, with my cabdriver, Mustafa? Somehow it was a fitting welcome for me, a former Ottomanist, even if the ostensible reason I am here is to explore the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.
Indulging in a bit of “ostalgia” (that strange nostalgia for the quirks of East Germany), I am staying for a few days
... read more