The fascinating thing about Berlin and other big cities is that you can have plenty of intercultural experiences within a one country. Looking from this point of view, globalisation can be seen as a positive, mind-opening phenomenon. When there is so much choice available, one cannot but help herself a couple of sushi or a sizzling falafel every now and then. A part from German, I hear a lot of French, Italian, English and Turkish been spoken all around me. It’s not rare to spot Finnish when walking in a busy crowd. Germany has also a big Turkish minority and that shows on the streets of Berlin.
Kira, Caterina and I spent our Sunday evening at the Turkish sauna, Hamam. The spa was only for women and was meant to be a luxury relaxation experience for those people who had little money to spare on a day in a spa - splashing around with water playing nymphs. The main room of the spa had marble floors, with a large marble stone in the middle to lie on. There were porcelain water basins around the room you would fill with warm and cold water and afterwards use golden bowls to pour the water on top of you. The soft heat of the room surrounded us and the rooms were lightly scented.
There was also a Finnish sauna which was heated properly but had little space for all women who wanted to lie on their backs quietly. In Finland people often have an amicable conversation in the sauna but there the sauna and the spa in general were for individual or at least for quiet experience. Caterina was even told to be quieter after she got a little bit too excited about a story she was telling.
We washed ourselves with soap from head to toe and even put some coconut oil, which I had brought, into our hair. No wonder that the Hamams have a spiritual atmosphere since in Turkey they used to be an annex for the mosques.
.jpg)
Ei kommentteja:
Lähetä kommentti