If I closed my eyes and listened to the market sounds around me, I easily could have been transported to one of my weekly pazars in Istanbul.
Instead, we were in the midst of the bustling Friday market day at the T�rkischer Markt in Berlin, Germany. In November, we spent a long weekend exploring this former divided city for the first time. Visiting this Turkish market was one of the highlights for me as I still get bouts of homesickness for my beloved Istanbul.
Here at the market, I found Turkish simit and pide, green and black olives galore, beyaz peynir and other varieties of cheese, pickled veggies, prepared Turkish mezes, fish mongers, meat sellers, pomegranates, mandalina and a plethora of fresh produce.
The market even had a small section that looked exactly like the backstreets of Emin�n� with its bolts of fabric, thread, yarn, boxes of buttons and �ay glasses and teapots. I saw head-scarved ladies haggling over their purchases just like they do in Istanbul.
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| Even though I know many, many Turks live in Germany, I was still surprised to see so much of "Istanbul" here in Berlin. |
Just hearing Turkish being spoken made me giddy! And anytime I spoke to one of the sellers in Turkish, I got surprised reactions that this blonde-haired yabanci could speak Turkish AND that I was not German. To make the conversation easier, I told the sellers we still lived in Istanbul and were on holiday.
Buy why indeed was I buying Turkish olives and cheese if I was on holiday?
As I�ve mentioned before, I love visiting markets wherever we travel. While planning this trip, I heard about the T�rkischer Markt and couldn�t resist booking a hotel about 2 km away so we would be close. My husband indulged my plea to visit this market when he would rather have been exploring historical sites.
However, husbands everywhere should know that: happy wife = happy life. And I was happy!
If I had more luggage allowance, I would have smuggled back more Turkish delights.
But I was content with my few purchases and reveled in each and every bite of my crispy cheese and spinach g�zleme.
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| A slightly different version of Turkish g�zleme, but still tasty. |
How to get to there:
The T�rkischer Markt is open year-round from 11:30 a.m.-6.30 p.m. on Tuesdays & Fridays. It runs along the south side of the Landwehrkanal from Kottbusser Damm. One of the entrances is located at the intersection of Kottbusser Damm and Maybachufer.
Address:
Maybachufer
12047 Berlin (Neuk�lln)
Transit: U8 Sch�nleinstra�e
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| At another end of the market, local hipsters gathered to listen to live music. |