October 13, 2020
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...

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! 

June 10, 2018
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from an unfamiliar number. It was Ali, back in Berlin after over a year in Turkey. I met him back at his old work where he’s been doing some shifts. (The customers miss him, he says!)
After he’d finished his work...

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from an unfamiliar number. It was Ali, back in Berlin after over a year in Turkey. I met him back at his old work where he’s been doing some shifts. (The customers miss him, he says!) 
After he’d finished his work for the day he changed out of his more practical slacks and shirt and into yet another suit I’d never seen - a light summer number with satin lapels. He was obviously the best dressed in the cafe where we then had lunch!

April 23, 2017
Ali is back in Berlin. He called me the other week to meet up with him for a tea. I only had my 35mm film camera on hand, but I suppose analog suits him well… And just when we thought we’d seen all his suits, here he is in a shiny silver one!

Ali is back in Berlin. He called me the other week to meet up with him for a tea. I only had my 35mm film camera on hand, but I suppose analog suits him well… And just when we thought we’d seen all his suits, here he is in a shiny silver one!

1:43pm  |   URL: https://tmblr.co/ZaCbQu2KwZx8U
  
Filed under: what ali wore 
November 23, 2016
It seems there’s been a bit of a renewed interest in the blog the last few days, and with that people are of course wondering about Ali. He’s back in Turkey at the moment with his family. He called me a month or so ago, and seemed in good spirits....

It seems there’s been a bit of a renewed interest in the blog the last few days, and with that people are of course wondering about Ali. He’s back in Turkey at the moment with his family. He called me a month or so ago, and seemed in good spirits. For those asking about the book, unfortunately it never came to fruition, but I hope one day it will! (any publishers out there?!) In the meantime it’s nice to see so many people from around the world still enjoying the photos and the story. 
Zoe

6:15pm  |   URL: https://tmblr.co/ZaCbQu2F195jv
  
Filed under: what ali wore 
September 19, 2015
Look who I ran into last night! Ali has been filling in at his old job for his former boss who has been sick. I was on my way to work to photograph a concert we had on, and so just happened to have my camera on me when I almost rode past him at the...

Look who I ran into last night! Ali has been filling in at his old job for his former boss who has been sick. I was on my way to work to photograph a concert we had on, and so just happened to have my camera on me when I almost rode past him at the bus stop. I must say, Ali seemed quite content having just done a days work back at the shop. 

June 23, 2015
Well, it’s been a long time indeed between photos. Ali and I have been meeting up for coffee every now and then over the past few months, but this was the first time the opportunity arose to take his photo.
He was in Turkey for a while, and I get the...

Well, it’s been a long time indeed between photos. Ali and I have been meeting up for coffee every now and then over the past few months, but this was the first time the opportunity arose to take his photo.
He was in Turkey for a while, and I get the feeling coming back to Berlin has been quite hard for him this time. He really misses his home, and I believe he’ll probably move back to Turkey on a more permanent basis soon. Of course I’ll miss him, but he’s already told me he’ll book me a flight to come visit! 

February 3, 2015
Folks, I need your help!
For a while now, I’ve been wanting to make a book of my photos of Ali. So I’ve put together a mock up, with the intention of sending it to publishers. Honestly though, I don’t quite know where to start. Can anyone give me the...

Folks, I need your help! 

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to make a book of my photos of Ali. So I’ve put together a mock up, with the intention of sending it to publishers. Honestly though, I don’t quite know where to start. Can anyone give me the details of someone I might contact? You can email me at mail@zoespawton.com

I went to Ali’s for lunch last week, and gave him one of the mock up copies. He seemed quite pleased with it, but of course I’d love to be able to present him with a proper book one day! Many thanks in advance for any assistance you can give. 

(And here is a quick flick through preview: http://instagram.com/p/ypCicVQLGG/?modal=true )

January 2, 2015
I’ve been asked quite a few times by the press to be interviewed with Ali. However with the language barrier, and the fact that up until recently he was working six days a week, it was always just a bit too tricky to organise. However, when NPR got...

I’ve been asked quite a few times by the press to be interviewed with Ali. However with the language barrier, and the fact that up until recently he was working six days a week, it was always just a bit too tricky to organise. However, when NPR got in contact, I made an exception! We met with Esme from NPR News a few weeks before Christmas. You can listen to the interview here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/01/02/370381686/age-85-and-still-stylish-on-the-streets-of-berlin


This photo was taken last week at Kottbusser Tor, as Ali and I were on our way to grab a bite to eat together.

November 22, 2014
I met up with Ali for a quick cup of tea this afternoon around the corner from his house. It was his idea to shoot the photo in the spot where we used to out the front of my old work. (And yes, that is a Mickey Mouse tie!)

I met up with Ali for a quick cup of tea this afternoon around the corner from his house. It was his idea to shoot the photo in the spot where we used to out the front of my old work. (And yes, that is a Mickey Mouse tie!)

November 17, 2014

It’s been far too long since I’ve seen Ali! He has been ill, my work schedule has been a bit erratic, and then he lost his mobile phone. He’s feeling better now though, and yesterday he dropped in to work just as I was finishing my shift. We took the opportunity to wander up to the Warschauer Straße bridge and get a photo with the Berlin Fernsehturm (TV tower) in the background. It’s one of my favourite things about Berlin, as you can see it from pretty much anywhere in the city.

It’s likely I’ll have more opportunities to catch up with Ali now. He told me yesterday he will have more free time as he has stopped working…he is 85 after all!