Little Spreewald
Photos from the park in Schöneiche.
The main attraction of the park is a collection of ceramic tiles that can be found literally everywhere. When you enter through the main entrance, the first thing that catches your eye is a gate shaped like two large alpacas decorated with ceramic mosaics.
On the playground stands a large wooden post—the stump of an old tree—with painted square tiles slotted into carved niches, created more than twenty years ago by local school children.
Nearby, on the shore of a pond, there is a large dinosaur sculpture with an incredibly long tail that closely encircles the body of water. The dinosaur's stone wall is also decorated with tiles depicting animals. You can immediately tell that they were also created by children.
Turtles live in the pond, sunning themselves on a tiny island in the center on a sunny day. Of course, tiles with images of turtles can be found in the gallery along the tail.
Beetles and other insects are another popular motif on the tiles.
Walking around the stone dinosaur
Having seen enough of the tiles, we head deeper into the park along the wooden boardwalks over the calm water.
The deceptive impression of being in the middle of nowhere breaks off at the next turn—the park suddenly ends at a chain-link fence, behind which stands a residential house. We pass by and dive back into the thick green foliage.
Passing by a garden laid out within the park territory, we see beehives and hear the hum of a swarm of bees, but the sound doesn't come from the hives—it comes from somewhere above. Walking further, we discover a swarm above the tree canopy; a young queen has left the hive. It will be difficult for the beekeeper to reach her—the tree is tall and surrounded by water.
The water in the park is fed by groundwater, remnants of the Ice Age, which come to the surface in the form of natural springs. The water flows out of the park via the little Zernitz River, gurgling over rapids and stones.
At the exit of the park, my photo-walk comes to an end. I am sure that if you wander around the village, you will find many more interesting motifs for photography. We had a fifteen-minute adventure planned, and following that plan, we headed back to Berlin.