überlin

Author: James and Zoe

  • A big announcement

    by

    James and Zoe
    Category:

    We have BIG news here at überlin. But before we tell you what it is, we’d like to explain how it all came about.

    überlin started as a short blog post written on a one-way flight from London to Berlin, back in November 2010. We had sold our belongings, packed up our laptops and popped our two cats into their travel crates. When we stepped onto the tarmac of Tegel airport on that rainy winter’s day, we were equal parts thrilled and terrified. We had nothing, we knew no one, and we had no idea what was going to happen next.

    It soon dawned on us that moving to Berlin was the best decision we had ever made. Unshackled from her desk, former digital designer Zoë bought her first camera and started developing the beautiful photographic style that graces our blog’s pages. I got paid to write, sat in my pants at our kitchen table. In our spare time, we explored the city we loved and shared our experiences with a small but enthusiastic readership: our friends and family back home.

    We were pleasantly surprised by how popular überlin became, and how quickly it happened. The close-knit expat community in Berlin took us under their wings, and into their hearts. They read, commented on and shared our content, pointing it out to their German friends and anyone they knew who was planning to move to, or visit, Berlin. Before we knew it, we were running one of the city’s biggest English-language blogs.

    überlin has given us the chance to thank the community that still supports us, by extending all the help we can to expats and Berliners alike. We pay it forward by highlighting the awesome things that are happening in the Hauptstadt, and the talented people behind them. Now a customer support guy, I take my work home with me, spending my evenings answering questions and offering advice about moving to Berlin, getting an apartment and a job here, and how and where to learn German.

    But while überlin has been more successful than we could ever have imagined, we’ve always longed for more. We’ve been looking for a chance to bring this community to life, to make our virtual network a bricks-and-mortar reality. And now we’ve found that opportunity…

    Which brings me to our big announcement: as well as a blog, überlin is now a coworking space and photographic studio!

    We’re busy fitting out a split-level space in the heart of our beloved Graefekiez in Kreuzberg. The bottom floor of this carefully renovated former factory is already a fully-equipped professional studio, where Zoë shoots for clients like Etsy. Now we’re hard at work upstairs installing custom-built storage and wireless speakers – as well as the all-important desks that we’re going to rent out.

    Our hope is to provide freelancers and creative professionals with everything they need to establish themselves in Berlin. As well as a beautiful workspace, überlin members will get access to our network of experts, exposure to the opportunities that come our way, a bunch of perks and the privilege of spending all day in the company of Berlin’s cutest office dog, our Frenchie Olive. Anyone who uses the space or studio will also benefit from the support of a powerful platform to promote them and their work – this blog!

    Don’t worry, überlin the blog isn’t going anywhere. We’re currently in the process of a huge redesign, and we’re going to continue to explore the places and people that make this city great, make funnies about expat life here, and provide valuable information for anyone thinking of coming to Berlin, whether for a short-break or a full-blown life-changing experience.

    Stay tuned for updates and for an invite to our upcoming preview party, when you can come have a drink with us and check out our beautiful space! Until then, we’d like to thank you all for reading the blog, and providing us with years of support and friendship. You are the reason we do this, and without you we might not even be in Berlin, let alone embarking on this exciting new adventure. Danke sehr!

    Liebe Grüße,

    James and Zoë

    20140506-115242-u

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  • Chicago in Winter

    by

    James and Zoe
    Category:

    You may have noticed that überlin has been a bit quiet of late. Sorry about that! The thing is, I spent most of January in Chicago being trained for a new job :). It was bastard freezing (-35C with wind chill!), so I spent most of the time cabbing from my hotel to the heated office to warm restaurants, eating as much as I could to insulate myself against the cold – at least that’s what I told myself. But when Zoë joined me for the last week of my trip, we managed to do some exploring. Our favourite views of city were from the shoreline of the colossal Lake Michigan (300 miles long, 100 miles across), around the campus of Loyola University and along Lake Shore Drive in Downtown. It’s been nice getting back to the relative warmth (!) of Berlin, but we’re excited to share with you these beautiful images of Chicago in winter. Enjoy.

    Blowing in the wind

    Reflection

    Frozen Chicago lake

    Frozen treek trunk in Chicago

    Flying bird in Chicago

    Tree veins against blue sky

    Frozen footpath in Chicago

    Chicago Tree Veins

    Chicago skyscrapers and frozen lake

    Chicago skyscrapers

    12 Responses to “Chicago in Winter”

    1. adrianisdead says:
      February 18, 2014 at 11:13 am

      epic shots

      Reply

    2. Federico says:
      February 18, 2014 at 10:48 am

      Spectacular shots! The second one could be the cover of your record….if you’ll ever release one.

      Reply

    3. Nancy says:
      February 17, 2014 at 12:41 pm

      These are utterly fantastic!

      At first, I thought there were waves in the third picture and then I noticed it was snow. A bit creepy…

      Reply

      • James Glazebrook says:
        February 17, 2014 at 1:13 pm

        Actually, they were frozen waves where the lake met the beach. We were walking all over them before we realised there was no actual land underneath!

        Reply

    4. Kate (@shoegirlinDE) says:
      February 17, 2014 at 9:26 am

      Really beautiful shots! I’ve only been to Chicago in the summer… and I think I’ll keep it that way. Yikes. Glad you made it back with all your fingers intact.

      Reply

    5. clin says:
      February 16, 2014 at 9:35 pm

      Wunderschöne Bilder! Gerne mehr davon!

      Reply

    6. Paul says:
      February 16, 2014 at 8:36 pm

      Great photos, the tree is awesome! I almost felt the freeze.

      Reply

    leave a comment

    Tags: , ,

  • What I Know About Berliners: 25 Observations

    by

    James and Zoe
    Category:

    Last weekend a *certain* Berlin newspaper interviewed us about our first book, What I Know About Germans, and asked us to come up with a similar list specific to Berliners. It should come out soon, in German, but for those of you who don’t speak Deutsch – or Berlinerisch – here’s our new 25-point list, illustrated by the super-talented Maria João Arnaud: What I Know About Berliners! 

    1. Berliners are not Germans.
    They’re a special breed all of their own. Berliners have about as much in common with, say, Bavarians as Londoners do with people from the north of England, or New Yorkers do with the southerners in their own country.

    2. For example: Berliners just aren’t as obsessed with punctuality as other Germans. 
    Sometimes, they’re even late :O

    3. Berliners don’t even speak German.
    Berlinerisch goes so much further than saying “Icke” and replacing “g” with “j” – it’s pretty much a whole language of its own. We vividly remember the final class in a German course after we’d not mastered, but *dealt with*, everything (we thought) the language could throw at us, and our teacher played a CD of Berlinerisch. Minds were blown; tears were shed; hopes were dashed.
    berliners-1&3
    4. One concept that Berliners don’t have their own word for is manners.
    It’s not that they’re particularly rude, it’s just that holding the door open for others, and thanking people that do so, just aren’t things here. Back in London we would step over our fallen grandmother to make sure we got on the Tube, but we’d at least say a polite “sorry” as we did so.

    5. Berliners are punk as fuck.
    And not just the die-hard crusties stomping through Friedrichshain, or their offspring loitering on Görli Park. That middle-aged checkout lady with bright red hair and a few too many earrings? Your postman, who pairs his Deutsche Post uniform with cut-off shorts and beat-up Dr Martens? Punk. As. Fuck.

    6. Berliners don’t care what you look like.
    You could be an überhipster with a sky-high beanie and painted-on meggings, or wandering the streets in your pyjamas, and Berliners will treat you with the same indifference that they do everyone else.

    7. Berliners don’t wear suits, and don’t trust anyone that does.
    In this city, there are only two types of workers that wear business dress: landlords and politicians. And no one wants to be mistaken for either group.

    8. Berliners may not always act like it, but they care.
    If they have a problem with the Government, its policies, or its treatment of certain sections of society, they’ll take to the streets and shout about it. No matter the state of parliamentary democracy, in Berlin grassroots activism is alive and kicking.

    9. Berliners – the vegan Germans.
    berliners-21    10. Berliners won’t be told what to do…

    11. …or what to smoke…
    The real problem with the new mayor of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg’s plan to decriminalise marijuana in her district? The only people to benefit will be tourists too scared to approach the dealers in Görli Park; Berliners are going to keep smoking whatever they like, regardless of what the law says.

    12. …or where to smoke it.
    The fact that smaller bars successfully kicked back against the 2007 smoking ban is a slight but significant signal that Berliners will NOT be told what to do. Each cigarette smoked indoors is a tiny torch of freedom, and every handmade “Raucherbar” sign might as well say “don’t fuck with me”.

    13. In Berlin, there’s a fine line between independence and insanity.
    In a city that has always attracted the fringe figures of western society and tested German norms to their limits, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between the “life artists” and the crazies. Every time you see a shellshocked-looking person trudging through the streets mumbling to themselves, check their supermarket trolley for “found art” or look for someone with a video camera capturing the whole “happening”.

    14. Berliners know how to party…
    Berlin’s awesome clubs are full of friendly people who have their drug intake well under control, and plan to keep going well into Monday morning. The only troublemakers who managed to get past the ruthless door staff are invariably Ausländern. As a waiter told us on our first visit to the city, Berliners “make good party”…

    15. …but they make for the worst concert crowds we’ve ever encountered.
    Berliners reserve their enthusiasm for the last few hours of weekend-long techno parties and hardcore punk gigs in squats. Their reaction to every other performance of every other genre of music is to stand stock still and, if they really like what they hear, occasionally unfold their arms to slowly clap.

    16. Berliners can’t see street art.
    Years of over-exposure to grafitti have led them to develop a kind of snow blindness to tags, stickers, murals etc. And with good reason: if Berliners took the time to really look at all of the street art daubed across their city, they would never make it where they were going, and in the most severe cases, their eyes would pop out of their heads.

    17. Berliners talk about the weather a lot.
    This is great news for us Brits, who treat complaining about the weather as a national sport, and can insert ourselves into any conversation with a few well-chosen references to “Scheißwetter” and “Schnee”.

    18. Complaining aside, Berliners make surviving harsh winters look easy.
    They pull on some sturdy boots, wrap themselves in layers of Jack Wolfskin, and head out to the U-Bahn, which invariably runs (pretty much) on time. Coming from a country where a few snowflakes on the train tracks brings the nation’s infrastructure to a halt, winter in Berlin is refreshingly “business as usual”.

    19. For Berliners, it’s never too early for ice cream…
    As soon as temperatures rise above O°C again, winter-weary Berliners are like “fuck it, let’s get Eis”.
    berliners-1820. …or for Glühwein.

    Even when the Weichnachtmarkts won’t open for months, you can pick up a cup of the hot stuff from early October onwards in your local Späti. Time to swap out your morning beer for something more festive!

    21. Berliners don’t eat Currywurst.
    It’s just a culinary joke they play on gullible tourists.

    22. Berliners never set foot in the “centre” of Berlin.
    The closest they get to Alexanderplatz is changing U-Bahns underneath it, they know better than to venture within a square mile of the tourist trap/construction zone around Unter den Linden, and wear the fact that they’ve never seen Brandenburg Gate like a badge of honour. For Berliners, their Kiez is the real heart of Berlin.

    23. Berliners don’t want a new airport.
    They’re secretly hoping that if construction drags on any longer, the city’s just going to give up and stick with TXL.

    24. Berliners don’t hate tourists, they hate douchebags.
    If you come here and treat Berlin like your personal playground, blaring your way through Sunday morning leaving a trail of broken beer bottles in your wake, then locals will (justifiably) hate you. Even if you’re just staying in a holiday apartment that is intended for residential use, they’ll probably still hate you – but that’s your douchebag landlord’s fault. In Berlin, you get what you give – and if you disrespect the city, it will disrespect you right back.
    berliners-24
    25. Deep down, Berliners are teddy bears.

    They might seem cold to outsiders, but take the time to talk to Berliners, in their own language – if not Berlinerisch, German will do – and you’ll find them to be funny, warm and welcoming people. Underneath that chilly exterior, there’s a teddy Bärliner just waiting to embrace you!

    Tell us, Berliners, do you agree? If we’ve got anything wrong, or forgotten anything, tell us in the comments below!

    36 Responses to “What I Know About Berliners: 25 Observations”

    1. Rory says:
      December 23, 2014 at 6:14 pm

      Possibly the most misguided guide to Berliners I have ever read.

      Reply

    2. Peter says:
      September 1, 2014 at 5:20 am

      I will not spend one cent in that city. Arrived from London early morning and went to take a nap. Woke up and wanted to see the city. Went to the train station and asked one guy in English how to buy a train ticket. Could not understand him. Asked another guy and he said sure just to walk away from me talking to his friend. Finally decided to buy a ticket on my own. Sat on a train for 3 stops and controller asked me for ticket and said this is the wrong ticket. I explained that this is my first few hours in Berlin and I tried. No buts and 40€ fine. I have decided not to see anything and not spend any money. Sat in Starbucks and only paid for food. Checked out 2 days earlier. On the way to the airport got a cab. Gave the guy 1€ tip. No thank you no have a good day. I will avoid this city like a plaque. Very rude people and I rather listen to motorhead than listen to their language

      Reply

    3. Franky says:
      January 22, 2014 at 9:50 pm

      great article…the only word I haven’t seen is D Ö N E R …that is sooo Berlin! Döner ohne Scharf:-)

      Reply

    4. Fußballbuddha says:
      January 13, 2014 at 9:04 am

      Sehr guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut! :)

      Reply

    5. Nina says:
      January 7, 2014 at 5:04 pm

      I ❤️ vegan Currywurst

      Reply

    6. berliner says:
      December 25, 2013 at 11:11 pm

      Berliners love to speak english, even amongst themselves celebrating the international of berlin and they love to be sitting in a cafe with their macbook at the window side, pretending to work on the next big thing in the likes of facebook

      Reply

    7. Luna says:
      December 20, 2013 at 1:50 pm

      26. we hate to get anylized by you guys!!

      Reply

    8. Daniel says:
      December 19, 2013 at 12:16 pm

      Very nicely done, but you got one thing COMPLETELY wrong, we do eat currywurst. And we constantly debate where you can get the best one!

      Reply

      • Manuel says:
        December 19, 2013 at 1:59 pm

        thats true. So Daniel where is the best one? ;-)

        Reply

      • Julian says:
        April 11, 2014 at 4:16 pm

        i agree, we do.

        I am never full after though, and end up having a Döner, too.

        Curry 36? Ernst-Reuter-Platz UBahnhof? Eberswalder? Cant decide, but then again, its not that difficult pouring ketchup over a sausage…

        Reply

    9. Our favorite travel and lifestyle bloggers in Berlin (in English) | Busbud Blog says:
      December 18, 2013 at 5:13 pm

      […] to go eat and drink things to see and do, music, street style. Oh, and they wrote this cool list of things to know about Berliners, pretty funny stereotypes! Read more […]

      Reply

    10. Thomas says:
      December 16, 2013 at 12:48 pm

      Very funny read. Actually, most of the observations are right, but sure not the currywurst stuff. Many of us actually eat it a lot, so it’s not only a tourist thing!
      Never heard about the ringbahn stroy “icangetnosleep” mentioned…simply not true.
      I’m a berliner through and through. Born and raised in (west) Berlin;o)

      Reply

      • Hans says:
        December 17, 2013 at 6:59 am

        currywurst! we were raised with it. we just hate konnopke and curry 36 because we would never ever travel for a “curry” but always go to the local imbiss. even if its crap.

        Reply

      • Luca says:
        January 5, 2014 at 4:11 pm

        Ringbahn story is true, we want to draw a big fat line between the inner city and the ‘boring’ suburbs. it’s kinda stupid but we do i anyways (i’m born and raised in this city, inside of the ring btw:D) its another example of the ‘berlin-arrogance’ , we are arrogant towards other germans and even a little bit and just as a joke towards other berliners who are not from the city centre . one day a lightening is going to strike us for this arrogance i guess ;)

        Reply

    11. Stefan says:
      December 16, 2013 at 11:57 am

      Berliners love their Currywurst. Not the one with a sign that says: Original Berliner Currywurst or any Currywurstbude with a number in its name – like Curry36, Curry 170, Curry24 – but the one that serves its Currywurst with self-made sauce or self-made bread rolls or fine ideas like roasted onions.

      Tourists will never find the best Currywurstbuden, if they keep paying 2,50 € or more and don’t care about the quality or maybe don’t even know what a Currywurst must taste like.

      Currywurst is around 1,50 € and tastes like heaven!

      Reply

    12. Aujewandata Aus janzweitwech says:
      December 15, 2013 at 10:37 pm

      Berliners can’t understand why other people love berlin so much, they don’t care.

      They dislike zujezojene (people that moved to berlin).

      Berliners pride themselves being waschecht (died in the wool, born and bred) Berliners.

      Berliners often wonder whether there are actual Berliners left in friedrichahain, mite and prenzlberg.

      Berliners secretly wish that “imitate Berliners” would go back to jdw (jottwehdeh, janz writ draussn, really far away).

      Reply

    13. Brian says:
      December 15, 2013 at 4:16 pm

      Berliners eat currywurst, I see it everyday.

      Reply

    14. Nick says:
      December 15, 2013 at 10:38 am

      Congratulations on the kind of self-deprecating Berlin worship you only find in really boring 30-somethings or fresh arrivals. The fact that you don’t know the simple plural or “Ausländer” was really the icing on the cake.

      Reply

    15. Axel.S says:
      December 14, 2013 at 5:28 pm

      probably hard on the edge since we do eat currywurst, but not everywhere. but beside that…. true, soooo true!

      Reply

    16. About Berliners / Überlin | Maria João Arnaud says:
      December 13, 2013 at 4:19 pm

      […] i had the opportunity to contribute to the blog Überlin, with some illustrations for the article ‘What i know about Berliners: 25 Observations’. Some very well caught observations about Berliners and funny to read, as usual. This blog is a […]

      Reply

    17. nico says:
      December 13, 2013 at 12:29 pm

      well, #18 is only true if you have started accepting that S-Bahn trains being in trouble is no longer a winter issue but is likely to happen at all seasons.
      apart from that, being a born Berliner who never left the city for long, I feel flattered and well-described in most aspects :-D

      Reply

    18. Ost says:
      December 13, 2013 at 11:03 am

      Regarding the 4th observation, this is exactly what we call
      Berliner Benimmse :) Alta, du hast wohl keine Benimmse, wa!? ;)

      Reply

    19. Rita says:
      December 13, 2013 at 4:52 am

      Very funny indeed! :)
      And very nice illustrations too! :)

      Reply

    20. Ana Maria says:
      December 12, 2013 at 7:18 pm

      Congratulations Maria João for the work and for the ilustrations.
      Yes she is a very special ilustrator.

      Reply

    21. Maria João Ramos says:
      December 12, 2013 at 6:13 pm

      Congratulations for the all work, but congratulations in special to the ilustrator Maria João Arnaud ! Yes, she is a very talented ilustrator !

      Reply

    22. icangetnosleep says:
      December 12, 2013 at 2:38 pm

      i love it! i have the same observations after spending in Berlin couple of months and visiting very often too.

      i would add:
      – this weird custom of going to the clubs at 3/4 am. As I talked to people from other German cities,there usually they start to party at 11pm,and just in Berlin you start to party so late and finish so late. But it’s the drugs thing, I guess.

      – New Years party? at home with friends- first dinner,than drinking and WG party (the best when you crash on your neighbour’s party) or a club (but this one only around 6 am, when “all those fuckin tourists who came here just for this one party and make clubs too crowded and also raise the entrance fees”)

      – “it’s 4 u-bahn stations from here? oh,come on, let’s walk there!”

      – “Weichnachtsmarkt ?! oh come on it’s so touristic. let’s just drink beer in this bar um die Ecke”

      – “it’s just 15 min by u-bahn away from here, trust me for Berlin it’s very close”

      – outside ringbahn? it’s not Berlin any more. they just hate the ringbahn

      Reply

      • Mike says:
        December 13, 2013 at 10:24 pm

        One of the few articles that I made it through in these attention-deficitary times. Even made me smile because of its ‘accuracy’. But I also love your add-ons above.

        And my (self-)observation is that the Berliner spirit seems to be contagious. I wouldn’t want to change this city for any other, ever. Do other Wahl-Berliner* feel the same?

        *by choice

        Reply

    23. Mandy Raasch says:
      December 12, 2013 at 11:53 am

      Thanks for this post – a perfect description of the typical Berliner! And very funny to read!! :-)

      Reply

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  • Berlin Portrait: Sophia Schwan

    by

    James and Zoe
    Category:

    We think that the best way to discover Berlin is through the eyes of the people who live here. For our Berlin Portrait series, we’re asking artists, musicians and other creative types to introduce us their corner of the city. Here Sophia Schwan, a stylist-slash-blogger originally from southwest Germany, introduces us to the “mayhem” of Friedrichshain.

    Introduce yourself!

    I‘m Sophia Schwan, 25, finally settled in Berlin after leading a slightly nomadic life. I now work as a full time stylist, having quit a job in PR in August. On the side I also do some freelance writing and blogging.

    How long have you been here?

    For once I can say “not long enough”. I moved here in the summer of 2010.

    And what brought you here?

    The city. I spent two months alone in Berlin taking a course at the ESMOD fashion school when I was 16, and fell head over heels in love. I was living with students six or seven years older than me and knew absolutely no one. I spent the whole summer exploring every nook and cranny and just knew that one day I had to end up here. That day didn‘t come though until I finished my studies in Aberdeen.

    Does Berlin feel like home?

    Completely. I have never really had that feeling before. My parents moved around with us a lot throughout Germany and the US and the four years in Aberdeen on my Erasmus exchange always felt like something temporary. I have the most amazing circle of friends here and couldn‘t possibly feel more at home than I do now. It‘s the most wonderful feeling in the world.

    For the expats who’ve never made it outside the Ringbahn, how is Berlin different to the rest of Germany?

    Lol! I‘m originally from Wiesbaden and the age average of the population there is probably 40. It‘s an extremely beautiful city, very boring – but I love it nonetheless. It‘s my Heimat so how could I not?! To answer your question though, Berlin is the most cosmopolitan and international city in Germany by far. There is no other place where even the biggest weirdo can make himself at home, where you can be who you want to be and no one gives a crap – whether you‘re walking barefoot down Warschauer Straße or cycling with a dog sitting on your shoulder and a boom box blasting out Elton John. I have in fact witnessed that.

    How is the fashion scene here different to the rest of the Europe? And which Berlin designers should we be keeping an eye out for?

    Berlin is home to so many good designers that more people really need to know about and support. I try to represent as much homegrown talent as possible in my work: Vladimir Karaleev, Issever Bahri, Franziska Michael, Rebecca Sammler, Achtland, JuliaandBen… they are all so talented. I could go on and on. I‘d say overall Berlin‘s streetstyle is muted and extremely laid-back but with interesting details. It’s like a mix of sloppy Scandinavian-meets-London. Berlin‘s fashion scene is still developing compared to cities like Paris and London but that‘s what makes it so special. People still have time for each other here. Everything is more slow-paced and not as glitzy and annoying.

    Tell us about your neighbourhood, and what you like about it.

    I‘ve only been living in Friedrichshain since March. Before that I lived in Prenzlauer Berg amongst a sea of children and before that across the Bundesnachrichtendienst in Mitte where there is nothing except a giant slab of concrete literally staring at you. I loved living in Prenzlauer Berg too but I prefer Friedrichshain. It‘s a bit dirty and gritty but it’s got its own bohemian and graffiti-sprayed beauty, that I couldn‘t go without any more.

    Friedrichshain is mayhem and I‘ve randomly met so many crazy characters here. One Friday night I ended up sitting on a bench in my pyjamas until three in the morning with my dog and my flatmate’s dog, drinking beers with three old-school, very neddy Berliners, one of them telling me about his experience in prison, and a random couple that stopped to talk. I was only planning to walk the dogs quickly! Everyone was raging on about gentrification and old vs. new Berliners. Things got pretty heated and at 3am in the morning we all ended up hugging each other and then went off clubbing together. Not me in my pyjamas of course, I went to bed. It was bizarre.

    And what are your five favourite things in your neighbourhood?

    The clash of people, the dog-friendliness, the bohemian atmosphere, the Oberbaumbrücke and the fact that when I step outside my door I‘m in the middle of a party at all times.

    And your three favourite Berlin places?

    I am a huge lover of vintage and Gaudeli’s Vintage on Seumestraße is my absolute favourite vintage store in Berlin. The owner sources all her pieces from Italy and the quality and designs are impeccable and really timeless.

    For some really delicious and moderately priced Japanese and Korean food I always visit Rice In on Grünbergerstraße. My favourite dish is Zirashi Don with its fragrant rice, raw fish and avocado. Yummy!

    Urban Spree is an amazing place to get inspired by art and lounge around in the summer with a beer in your hand. They always have interesting exhibitions or film nights on so make sure you give it a visit!

    See more photos from the shoot over on Zoë Noble Photography.

    3 Responses to “Berlin Portrait: Sophia Schwan”

    1. nath says:
      December 17, 2013 at 10:41 am

      I love the series. Not only for the story, but the pictures you take are amazing. It’s like your lense beautifies everything it captures. One has to have a very beautiful soul to be able to do that!
      (Forgive me this Russian soppiness)

      Reply

    2. Vanessa says:
      December 1, 2013 at 7:15 pm

      Thanks for introducing us to this gorgeous lady! Can’t wait to check out her blog :)

      Reply

    3. Portrait: Sophia Schwan | Zoe Noble Photography – Blog says:
      December 1, 2013 at 3:31 pm

      […] These photos are part of a series on my other blog, überlin, called Berlin Portraits. You can read Sophia’s full interview here! […]

      Reply

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  • 25 Tourist Tricks to Rediscovering Berlin

    by

    James and Zoe
    Category:

    Fucking tourists. Look at them – standing there in the bike lane, with a beer in each hand and a gormless grin on their face, oblivious to the bitter Berliners bearing down on them, piston legs powered by resentment and… is that… envy? They may be morons, but they seem so happy, like little children caught up in the wonderment of what is, for them, the biggest urban playground Europe has to offer.

    Well, why should they have all the fun? After three years in the city, we figured we deserve a break from reality as much as any easyjetsetter. So we packed our tour guides into our “fanny packs” and set out to the city’s most obvious attractions, in order to pick up 25 tourist tricks to rediscovering Berlin.

    1) Beer for breakfast. 

    Beer for breakfast

    2) Bratwurst for lunch.

    3) Döner for dinner.

    Döner for dinner

    4) Speak only three words of German: “SPRECHEN. SIE. ENGLISCH?”

    5) Rent the biggest bike imaginable…

    Rent the biggest bike ever

    6) …preferably, one powered by beer.

    And make someone else pedal

    7) Or go solo and rent a Segway! 

    After all, no one wants to be seen with you on that thing.

    8) Take the U-Bahn. 

    One hour and three transfers later, you’ll have successfully made it across Unter den Linden. 

    9) Get busted by BVG inspectors.

    See how far you get with the line, “but I’m just a tourist…”

    10) Get your photo taken with fake American soldiers…

    Get your photo taken with fake American soldiers.

    11) ..or THE PREDATOR?!!!

    Or the Predator!!??

    12) Spend all day in the Sony Center. 

    There’s restaurants, a cinema AND DUNKIN’ DONUTS – why would you ever leave?
    Spend all day in the Sony Center

    13) Try to pay with a card. 

    14) After resorting to withdrawing cash, treat your Euros like Monopoly money.

    15) Start by tipping generously. 

    Dead giveaway.

    16) Drink a “beer” that looks like looks nuclear waste.  

    17) Glühwein: Christmas in a cup.  

    Drink Gluhwein

    18) Queue.

    For Burgermeister. For Berghain. For the bloody Reichstag.

    19) Get knocked back from Berghain. Never understand why. 

    20) Be disappointed by the Berlin Wall. 

    IMG_4368-650px

    21) Marvel at street art as if it was the Sistine Chapel.

    Like no one ever drew on a wall where you come from… 

    Marvel at street art as if it was the Sistine Chapel.

    22) Act like a tit and treat the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe like a jungle gym. 

    Treat the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe like a jungle gym

    23) Follow the crowd. It’s going to Mauerpark.

    24) Take this selfie.

    Take this selfie

    25) And finally… PHOTOAUTOMAT!

    photautomat