San Francisco, flying to Sonoma and drinking Korbel champagne

by sheep on June 25, 2017 with No Comments

San Francisco, feeling like a bird in the sky, heading to Sonoma!

Try to find a pilot who can fly you to Sonoma, buy a bottle of the delicious Korbel champagne and fly back over the golden gate to SanFran again, while enjoying this golden drink!

Which city: San Francisco, United States of America.

Where to go: Go to San Jose and find a pilot who can fly you to Sonoma.

What to drink and eat: Buy a bottle of Korbel campagne at Sonoma and take some snacks with you.

What to do: Enjoy the view over San Francisco and the beautiful landscape of Sonoma.

What to love: To feel like a bird while flying over the Golden Gate and to have the best champagne of Sonoma on the return flight.

New York, Columbia University, Boat Bassin Cafe and an arty dandelion in Midtown Manhattan

by sheep on June 5, 2017 with No Comments

New York: feel like a student at the stairs of Columbia University, relax near the Hudson and enjoy an arty fountain in Midtown Manhattan.

It is interesting to discover Columbia University in the city of New York. A famous university where you can wander around.

Which city: New York City, United States of America.

Where to go: To the Columbia University in Upper Manhattan. It is the highest ranked university in New York.

What to drink and eat: Visit Boat Bassin Cafe. It is located on the scenic Hudson River and have a nice walk from the Columbia University to the Cafe at West 79th Street.

What to do: Chat with the students on the stairs at the main entrance of the University building or walk into the building and feel like a professor by taking place at the catheter or take a glimpse at the interior of the old building.

What to love: The ambiance of the University with all the hustle and bustle or enjoy the view over the Hudson River while having lunch at the Boat Bassin Cafe. And if you are walking from Central Parc to Midtown Manhattan, take a look at the arty dandelion! It is a huge fountain.

San Francisco, SFMOMA, Yerba Buena Gardens, Martin Luther King Memorial, Gallery Berggruen and The Mexican Museum

by sheep on May 17, 2017 with No Comments

San Francisco: art and culture everywhere around Yerba Buena Gardens!

Wander around in the area of the Yerba Buena Gardens where art is all around you.

Which city: San Francisco, United States of America.

Where to go: The SFMOMA is completely renovated and worth a visit. Gallery Berggruen is a new spot opposite the museum and visit the The Mexican Museum that will be opened soon. Be suprised by the Yerba Buena Gardens with a fantastic Martin Luther King memorial on the side.

What to drink and eat: Buy a coffee and a red velvet cupcake in a coffee shop near the Gardens and enjoy all of it on a rock inside Yerba Buena!

What to do: Visit the exhibitions in de SFMOMA or Gallery Berggruen. Take a look at the imposing Martin Luther King Memorial or just lay down in the Gardens and enjoy looking at the variety of people and students who enjoy the Gardens with you.

What to love: The contemporary art, the Mexican Museum or the peaceful ambiance in the Yerba Buena Gardens in between the hustle and bustle of San Francisco's downtown.

Kiev, Landscape Alley, St. Sophia Cathedral and a lot of Ukrainian hospitality

by sheep on May 8, 2017 with No Comments

Kiev: art at Landscape Alley, the beautiful Cathedral of St. Sophia and a special chicken

Explore the city of Kiev, wander around the streets and take a tour in the great Cathedral. And if you are hungry, try the specialty of Kiev!

Which city: Kiev, Ukraine.

Where to go: Enjoy the art of Landscape Alley and visit St. Sophia Cathedral, one of the city's best known landmark.

What to drink and eat: Have the specialty of Kiev: Chicken Kiev, and try the recipe of Jamie Oliver's Chicken Kiev at home ;-)!

What to do: Visit the electric mix of sculptures by mosaic tiles of Landscape Alley or go to the St. Sophia Cathedral and get familiar with this giant masterpiece.

What to love: Enjoy the incredible Ukrainian hospitality. It's warm and sincere!

Oslo, at the fjord, Anne pa Landet, Barcode, Shoot Gallery, Olivia and the underground railway

by sheep on April 24, 2017 with No Comments

Oslo: at the fjord, having coffee at Anne pa Landet, district Barcode and Shoot Gallery, dinner at Olivia and culture in the underground railway

Drinking coffee in a small wooden café, having exercise by running near the fjord, having culture in Shoot Gallery and the underground railway and eating in the former railway station at Olivia.

Which city: Oslo: district Homlia and the city center of Oslo, Norway.

Where to go: To enjoy the nature, go outside the centre and enjoy running near the fjord as a good start of the day.

What to drink and eat: Have coffee in an old traditional wooden house at Anne pa Landet near the fjord or have dinner at Olivia at Ostbanehallen. The building used to be the railway station.

What to do: Visit the new district Barcode and have a glimpse of culture at Shoot Gallery. Or explore the inspiring interior of the underground railway of Oslo at National Theatret.

What to love: Enjoy the incredible beautiful nature or find your way in the hip up and coming Barcode district. Explore the hidden scandinavian design of the underground railway.

Bangkok, SO Sofitel, Cristian Lacroix and Lumpini Park

by sheep on April 10, 2017 with No Comments

Bangkok: SO Sofitel designed by Christian Lacroix and a view over Lumpini Park

Visit the SO Sofitel and experience the five elements of water, earth, wood, metal and fire while having a view over Lumpini Park.

Which city: Thailand: Bangkok.

Where to go: To SO Sofitel Hotel Bangkok

What to drink and eat: Experience molecular cocktails by mixologist in the lobby bar, dine at the rooftop bar or enjoy the charming chocolab.

What to do: Watch Lumpini Park at the rooftop and enjoy the great design of this incredible beautiful hotel.

What to love: The interior of the hotel designed by Christian Lacroix, inspired from the Asian philosophical system and his stunning uniforms of the hotel staff.

Los Angeles, Malibu Farm and Palos Verdes

by sheep on March 26, 2017 with No Comments

Los Angeles: Malibu Farm and the rough nature of Palos Verdes

Having lunch at Malibu Farm on Malibu Pier one day and enjoying the beautiful scenery and rough beaches of Palos Verdes the next day.

Which city: Los Angeles: Malibu and Palos Verdes, California, United States of America.

Where to go: To Malibu Pier in Malibu and to Pelican Cove and Vincente Bluffs Reserve in Palos Verdes.

What to drink and eat: Having lunch at Malibu Farm with a glass of wine on the pier while enjoying the beautiful view over the Pacific Ocean.

What to do: Visiting the great rough coastline of Palos Verdes, having a short hike through Vincente Bluffs Reserve and staying on the beach of Pelican Cove.

What to love: Enjoying the beautiful scenery's of both Malibu and Palos Verdes: the jetset of Malibu versus the rocks of Pelican Cove. Two different worlds.

Los Angeles and Highland Park

by sheep on March 13, 2017 with No Comments

Los Angeles: pitstop on a yellow couch and exploring a tiny stationary shop

Being so many times in Los Angeles but always the desire to explore some new spots. This time we decided to go to Highland Park, an upcoming district in the Northeast of Los Angeles.

Which city: Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

Where to go: To Highland Park, York Boulevard.

What to drink and eat: Drinking cappuccino and having lunch at the Highland Cafe or Cafe de Leche.

What to do: Visiting the tiny shop Shorthand on York Boulevard and finding funny postcards and stationary.

What to love: Experience a new upcoming district with a lot of art galleries, DIY spots, vintage stores and cafe's.

Toronto and the Bite Beauty Lip Lab

by sheep on March 2, 2017 with No Comments

Toronto: having a coffee pitstop and making our own lipstick!

Being in Toronto we want to do something odd. Why not making your own lipstick in a Lip Lab?! It was such a nice experience . The service was great and Desiré's lipstick was very pink ;-)!

Which city: Toronto, Ontario Canada

Where to go: To the Aroma Espresso Bar and the Bite Beauty Lip Lab on Queen St W

What to drink and eat: Drinking cappuccino at Aroma Espresso Bar and having a delicious mini red velvet cupcake and some biscotti.

What to do: Making your own lipstick at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab.

What to love: Experience the art of making your very own personalized lipstick within half a hour.

Panama and the San Blas Islands

by sheep on February 18, 2017 with 2 Comments

Panama and the San Blas Islands

If you want paradise on earth, go to the San Blas Islands when you are visiting Panama City for a couple of days.

We drove three hours through the mountains, got sick of all the curves in the road and soaking wet when we took the small boat from the mainland to the Island of Hotel Porvenir...but nevertheless it was all worth it!

This was an amazing trip to a world where the sea is greener than green and the islands are beautiful treasures in the Caribean sea. Hotel Porvenir was a great family hotel where we spent the night. We bought our own lobsters on another island and at the end of the day we met them on our platterns, including a lot of garlic ;-). We'd never had such an amazingly fresh tasty lobster as we had at Hotel Porvenir. The family runs the island. There are a few cottages, a small airstrip and a lot of palmtrees and that’s it. Don’t expect a lot of luxury because it's all quite simple but what else do you need in paradise?

So if you are in Panama, visit one of the hundreds of beautiful islands of San Blas. Make sure you get dropped on one of the completely empty ones, so you can spend a whole day on a desolate bounty island with your own drinks and food and the people you wanted to be surrounded with. There are also islands packed with people including a bar if you want to party. But we preferred an uninhabited island somewhere in that beautiful green Caribean sea! Desiré wanted to be on a ‘Donald Duck Island’…an island with just one palmtree. We found one but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to stay on that particular island. Next time we have to call Donald Duck in advance to get permission to visit such a simple ‘one-tree-only-island' ;-)!

When we were back in Panama City we went to rooftop bar Tantalo. We had a nice cocktail with a great view over Panama City. Instead of simplicity we had luxury this time…both worlds were great to deal with ;-)!

Toronto and Mount St. Louis Moonstone

by sheep on February 4, 2017 with No Comments

Winter sport activities in the mountains of Ontario.

January in Toronto…what should we explore this time? First we wanted to go riding with huskies but we had to drive for more than three hours and we didn’t want to. We decided to go skiing at Mount St. Louis instead. We rented a car for a day at Trifty and went to wintersport resort Mount St. Louis. Unfortunately the weather was not very good. A gray sky instead of blue and no sun at all. But we didn’t care because skiing is great, no matter what!

Mount St. Louis Moonstone is a southern Ontario ski resort located north of Barrie. The resort is just over one and a half hour driving time from Toronto and is located just off Highway 400, which makes it a prime destination for Toronto-area skiers. A perfect goal for us this time. Mount St. Louis contains 36 slopes, 9 chairlifts and 3 carpets. The resort is known for being family friendly and prides itself on accommodating the beginner skier to the most advanced skier. It is one of the largest family owned ski resorts in Ontario. It was founded 51 years ago by Austrian Alpine skier Josl Huter.

Tickets for the ski slopes start at 59 dollars. But you can also buy a more expensive ticket that allows you to ski from 9.00 am till 9.00 pm on all slopes. So you can conquer the slopes not only during daylight but even when the darkness falls in. You can buy a package deal as well, so the ski pass and the rent for skies, ski shoes and poles are included for a fixed price. We took our own ski shoes and helmets with us so we rented skies and poles only.

Our lunch break contained hot dogs with red wine ;-)…a nice combination. We continued skiing till dark after this interesting lunch. It was such a lovely day. The people were very friendly and we had lots of chats with the locals. Our skiing skills are still in progress and the slopes are lovely to learn, practise and have fun together. The slopes are well maintained and worth a visit! Don’t forget you helmet because nowadays everyone is wearing one. Even if you feel like Calimero ;-).

Cape Town versus New York

by sheep on January 26, 2017 with No Comments

Summer in Cape Town and snowy weather in New York City!

Big contrast between sunny Cape Town versus snowy big Apple. Take a sip or a culture shot from both worlds!

Desiré

Cape Town is a wonderful place to be especially during summer. The surrounding winelands offer a breath-taking scenery.
I really love going to beautiful wine estates and have tastings. For me It's the perfect opportunity to learn and discover what you like and don’t like and it's a great way to try new wines without having to spent money on a bottle that you might be disappointed with.

First I went to the Morgenster Wine and Olive Estate in Somerset West where you can experience an olive oil tasting. Like wines, olive oils have complex notes ranging from buttery, grassy to peppery and everything in between. Instead of doing the olive oil tasting I had a wonderful lunch at 95 at Morgenster and tried some oils that were offered during the lunch. Because of this great lunch I ended up buying an expensive white truffle oil that I really don't need, but really want to try!

During my time at the Morgenster there was a huge forest fire due to the dry, hot and windy weather. An extensive cloud of brown smoke could be seen creeping towards the suburbs of Summerset West. The sun appeared red due to the smoke and dust. It gave me a sad feeling after spending such a beautiful afternoon there.

Life goes on and so does wine tasting!!. The next morning ( yes, morning!) I explored the decadently sweet and savoury art of wine and chocolate pairing (for which the wine estate is famous for) at Waterford Estate outside Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands close to Cape Town. Three unique wines and three special chocolates were displayed on a platter and it was very tasteful! At the Blaauwklippen vineyards I enjoyed "Ons Sprankle" it is a perfect bubbly all-round wine perfect for hot summer months.
The Guardian Peak Winery has a fantastic restaurant where I enjoyed dijon mustard & brown sugar glazed Eisbein, mashed potatoes & chardonnay braised cabbage. The dessert was dark chocolate fondant with hazelnut ice cream. Mmmmmm!

I ended my trip at Paranga Restaurant at Camps Bay. It has a great vibe and fabulous view over Camps Bay beach. Soft white sand and aqua marine seas, Camps Bay Beach is the place to be during the summer months......Goodbye Cape Town for now!

Margré

This time New York City changed into a white city. It started snowing in the morning and it kept snowing the whole day. At the subway around the corner of my hotel on 34th street I took the R-line to Prince street in Chelsea. I decided to visit the New Museum because I wanted to see the exhibition of Pipilotti Rist. Elisabeth Charlotte Pipilotti Rist, is a visual artist who works with video, film, and moving images that are often displayed as projections. A must see for an art-lover like me!

The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a beautiful museum in New York City at 235 Bowery on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The seven-story 58,700-square-foot facility, designed by the Tokyo-based firm Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA and the New York-based firm Gensler, has greatly expanded the Museum’s exhibitions and space. In April 2008, the museum's new building was named one of the architectural New Seven Wonders of the World by Conde Nast Travelers.

When you take a look at the outside of New York's New Museum you will notice a pair of skeletal towers extending from the roof and a 30-foot sailboat precariously suspended from the facade. Both are part of artist Chris Burden's project "Extreme Measures". The two skeletal towers certainly reference the Twin Towers, and the boat on the facade is intended to evoke a rescue ship in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

I had to stand in line in the snow and cold to get a ticket but it was worth it. It was such a unique visual and sensory experience. And it was a very real and expressive type of contemporary art. I look forward to future visits when the exhibits change.

After my culture shot I walked around Prince street and ended up in Dean & Deluca on the corner of Broadway and Prince street. Dean and Deluca is a chain of upscale grocery stores carrying specialty foods, including prepared dishes, plus home and kitchen items. I bought some fresh made sushi and sea weed salad and returned to my hotel by subway again because I had to leave a couple of hours later for the airport to fly home to Amsterdam.

It was a very short stay in the Big Apple but it was a great 'tête a tête’ as always! New York never disappoints me. This vibrant city gives me so much energy and inspiration. And the white snowy accent gave it an extra touch of magic this time.

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