Years ago I kissed a Russian lady. This might have been the beginning of my Slavic obsession. But what I am sure is Berlin has been one of the most important habitats for Russian expats for over a century. Still today, Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte, the two parts of Berlin that I know the best, are housing many Russophones. The ostPost is a bookstore-café that fulfills my Slavic need: books in many Slavic languages! Luba, the chef and her team make tasty coffee and breakfasts. Varenyky are also served. But the café has not only offered books for children and adults, it has been hosting cultural events for Russian learners of German, and of course German learners of Russian.
Sadly, ostPost is going to say goodbye at the end of September, with a special event and books on sale on 27th September. What makes ostPost stand out from all Berlin’s bookstores is: as its name states, all Eastern European countries and languages can be found among their books, from Belarusian to Slovene! So of course it doesn’t only have Slavic languages: Hungarian or Romanian (and of course German) publications are also available. Earlier this year, I tried hard to learn to be one of their one-person waiters but it did not work out. However I did learn that Luba was a perfectionist of making, and passionate of it.
