Category: See & Do

  • Pfaueninsel

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    Pfaueninsel Island Peacocks Walking

    Pfaueninsel on Wannsee is an idyllic retreat from the hustle and bustle (and broken bottles) of Ringbahn-bound Berlin. At the end of the S7, a short bus ride and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ferry trip transport visitors to a lush little island covered in flowers and stalked by brightly-feathered patrols of peacocks. This designated UNESCO World Heritage Site was originally created as a testament to Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm II’s favoured mistress, and it seems the romance of the place is infectious – even my parents were caught holding hands as they strolled under a leafy canopy! As ever, Slow Travel Berlin have painstakingly record the history of Pfaueninsel, which means we can leave you with our impressions of the place – i.e. the pretty pictures!

    Pfaueninsel Island Peacock Walking

    Pfaueninsel Island Peacock Feather Closeup

    Pfaueninsel Island Peacock

    Pfaueninsel Island Couple Walking

    Pfaueninsel Island Flowers Closeup

    Pfaueninsel Island Wansee Boat

    Pfaueninsel Island Schloss Closeup

    Pfaueninsel Island Schloss

    Photos by Zoë Noble Photography

  • Olympus OM-D: Photography Playground 2014

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    Olympus Photography Playground Visitor

    The Olympus OM-D: Photography Playground is back! Compared to last year’s edition (see our review here), the new Playground is less edgy and more family-friendly, which is either good or bad news, depending on whether you have or hate kids. The exceptions are three exhibitions in stark monochrome that use light, sound and material to fantastic effect – whether by creating an HR Giger-esque organic/industrial sculpture, or a sonic strobe-scape with as much impact as Amon Tobin’s 3D live show.

    My personal highlight was local artist Clemens Behr’s fragile, fractured installation, pieced together with the materials of the Opernwerkstätten site – a thoughtful work of impressive scale. We totally recommend a (free!) visit, at a time when the place is less likely to be crowded, when you can spend all the time you like immersed in disorientating, photogenic installations. Click here to get all the details.

    [Edit: if you want to borrow a free Olympus camera, don’t forget to take your passport and Anmeldebestätigung!]

    Olympus Photography Playground Hanging Webs

    Olympus Photography Playground Webs

    Olympus Photography Playground Visitor Taking Photo

    Olympus Photography Playground Lens Flare Exhibition

    Olympus Photography Playground Light Beams and People

    Olympus Photography Playground Light Beams

    Olympus Photography Playground Exhibition

    Olympus Photography Playground Zoë Noble Portrait Selfie

    One Response to “Olympus OM-D: Photography Playground 2014”

    1. Marco says:

      I heard so much about it now. I think I will eventually go there :) . Thanks for the advice!

    leave a comment

  • 25 Tourist Tricks to Rediscovering Berlin

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    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

  • Alpaca Farm, Das Schwarze Haus

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    alpaca close up

    This week I actually left the confines of my Berlin bubble to head north east to a teeny tiny town called Pinnow. The reason for the trip was a lifestyle shoot against the backdrop of a stunningly-designed Thomas Kröger building. Das Schwarze Haus is pretty much my dream home, with its black-stained wood, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and more angles than a dodecahedron. As if that wasn’t enough, I got to visit the neighbouring Alpaca farm and get within spitting distance (literally) of these insane-looking animals! Enjoy.

    das schwarze haus designed by Thomas Kröger alpaca looking at camera alpaca close up alpaca's on grass alpaca eating an apple baby alpaca in paddock alpaca's roaming on grass alpaca standing on grass in the sun

    (Photos by Zoë Noble Photography)

    7 Responses to “Alpaca Farm, Das Schwarze Haus”

    1. Nancy says:

      The look of these pictures is fantastic, Zoe! And you captured these cuties so well! Great!

    2. papaerk says:

      A want one arhhhh ..they look so good and well done on the pics wonderful.

      • Zoë Noble says:

        Thanks! I rented a really wide lens 16-35mm for this shoot as I knew I’d need really wide shots inside the house. I want this lens so much!!

    3. BERLINSKO says:

      love alpacas <3 !!! nice post

    4. Rachel says:

      Gorgeous photos Zoe! I bloody love alpacas, they look so content with life.

    leave a comment

  • Misc Berlin Botanical Garden

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    A few weeks ago we visited the Berlin Botanical Garden and Museum in Dahlem, which has been on our Berlin bucket list for ages. After some pretty hellish winter months, we were in need of a bit of nature, and we couldn’t help be impressed by the sheer scale of what is one of the world’s largest gardens, set in 126 acres with around 22,000 different species of plants. Highlights were definitely the cactus house and the “Bird of Paradise” flower (pictured), but the chance to stroll around the mammoth grounds is worth the price of admission alone. We vowed to go back in summer, or even better in autumn, when all the leaves are changing colour – so watch this space for more flowery photos!

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