Swan Market Rotterdam

Last week we went to the Swan Market in Rotterdam for the first time. We had heard a lot of good things about it, so we've been wanting to go there for a while, but for some reason we never got around to it. Which is quite a shame, because it's it really is one of the coolest markets we've ever been to! 

Antwerp and Queen of Waffles

A while ago my boyfriend and I got the idea to make a city trip when we had a day off and we decided to visit Antwerp, Belgium. It doesn't take a very long time to get there by train in our case, so we had all day long to explore the city. We strolled along the big market, looked through windows panes with fountains of chocolate behind it and visited the Rubenshuis (the house where famous Belgian painter Rubens once lived). Antwerp is a very cozy city, especially during winter days. The buildings look like doll houses with their cozy rectangular shaped windows and elegant facades. Everywhere you go the streets are decorated with twinkling lights and there are many old historic cafes where you can drink special beers and warm up. At these moments I always imagine I am back in time a hundred years and visualize the citizens that lived there back then.

De Koningin van Pieterburen

A while ago I went to Groningen, Pieterburen to volunteer at the Seal Research and Rehabilitation Centre Lenie 't Hart. In this centre, stranded seals that are ill or separated from their mother are rehabilitated until they are strong enough to be released back into the wild. I went there for a full month and stayed at a campus together with 20 other volunteers from all over the world. The volunteerproject was very nice and interesting, I met some great people and getting the chance to get this close to seals and being able to handle them is something I will never forget.

However, during my stay there, I often got bored, because the area is very quiet in contrast to the busy city life that I'm used to. I killed my free-time mainly by cycling along the pastures and farms through the strong sea wind. Luckily, my awesome friends Lisa and Margo came all the way from the other side of the country to visit me! Because it was a long trip for them, I had to look for a place where they could stay at night. There were several Bed & Breakfasts close to my campus, but there was one place that attracted me the most: The Koningin van Pieterburen (translation: The Queen of Pieterburen).
  

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the nearest place for us to go to when we want to have a big shopping day. It has the most trendy clothing stores in the region, great restaurants, large warehouses and media stores. Rotterdam is also recognizable by its art and culture, to which much attention is paid. The most notable part about Rotterdam however, is its architecture.

Meeting at DE Café

Last weekend, we met at the Douwe Egberts Café in Rotterdam to discuss some new ideas for our shop. The atmosphere in this café is very cozy and homely. At the same time the interior has a modern look and has place for people who want to chat with friends, but also for people who want to study with their laptop or read some magazines. This place is really inviting to have an informal meeting on creative projects like ours!

Lush

One of the best ways to recover from a long day of work, is a nice, warm bath. And when I take a bath, I prefer the whole shebang: scrubs, facial masks, body butters, everything! Most of the cosmetics I use for my extensive bathing, are from Lush.