A few days ago I received some very sad news from Turkey - Ali passed away last Wednesday morning. It's quite hard to believe this charming man - who had one of the best laughs I've known - is with us no more!
My friendship with him, ignited in the summer of 2012 was certainly one of the most delightful surprises of my life. The period when the blog started to become well known was quite surreal. It was always so enjoyable to see Ali's reaction to his new found fame, whether it was when he was recognised on the U-Bahn or when a photo of him was published in a newspaper. Equally rewarding was seeing the joy he brought into so many people's lives. I received countless messages from people all over the world, telling me Ali reminded them of their grandfather or uncle and how happy it made them to see the photos of him and to read about our friendship.
It was of course harder to keep in touch with Ali when he moved back to Turkey a few years ago. I'm thankful that earlier this year one of his granddaughters with a smartphone called me via video chat when she was visiting Ali, and we spoke a couple of times over the past months.
This photo was taken in August 2014, when Ali and I went out to Brandenburg with Kerim and Betül. That was the day he mentioned he had been a member of a circus in West Berlin in the 1970s...I have wondered in the interim if that was perhaps a slightly tall tale, or maybe the language barrier got in the way. The thing is that Ali and I could never communicate in much detail, but I think our friendship was held together by a mutual enjoyment of each other's company. And what never got lost in translation was his warmth, his generosity and his zest for life. I'll miss you Ali!