Category Archives: LIFESTYLE

I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians

I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians

This years BILDRAUSCH FILMFEST is about to start today and Cristian got the chance to preview the romanian movie: I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians and here is what he has to say about it.

I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians

After Aferim, the Romanian director Radu Jude brings in front of the large audience another dark episode of his country´s history. In the same type of relaxed tempo that he used in Aferim, he unveils scene after scene the horrors of wars.
Radu Jude is appointing his ambassador of truth in the person of the present day theater director Mariana Marin played by Ioana Iacob. Mariana chooses to direct a play that is essentially a historical reconstruction of the Odessa massacre and to present her work in an open square in the center of Bucharest, probably the most important public space in Romanian recent history.
Mariana is trying to make a shocking argument know your history and accept it as it is, but she learns fast that this is not coming easy, the plot step by step is unveiling a surreal world with its surreal problems, that picks every day comfort of ignorance over the harsh truth of humanity.
Radu Jude builds the narrative of people falling into oblivion, neglecting their past and building their future on ignorance and lies.
Even though the movie, I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians, can be seen as addressing itself directly to the Romanian people that in many ways decides to ignore certain pages of their history, finding themselves in a constant process of self-victimization, it addresses to all of us a hard lesson that you need to know and accept your past as it was because that it is the only recipe to build a better future.
“Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari”

I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians

Cristian was born in Brasov in 1982 and has spent his life in Brasov and Bucharest and moved to Basel, Switzerland in 2011. He hopes that this review was helpful and that you will get a chance to watch the movie on either Thursday or Sunday in Basel. Please visit the BILDRAUSCH FILMFEST website to find out more about the other movies they will show.
BILDRAUSCH
FILMFEST BASEL
19.6. – 23.6.2019
Thursday 20.06.2019 at 9.15 pm at Stadtkino Basel (in attendance of Ioana Iacob)
Sunday 23.06.2019 at 11.30 am at kult.kino atelier Basel

I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians

About Bildrausch Filmfest
Ever since its first edition in 2011, Bildrausch has been dedicated to the innovative film d’auteur. As a «festival of festivals», it invites new discoveries that caused a stir at the international festival circuit as a result of their idiosyncratic cinematic language and their uncompromisingly different approach to narration. Curiosity and openness are the key principles when it comes to our selection of films. We focus on cinematic quality, on the pleasure of visual expression and the art of telling stories in a new way. From different perspectives, we take a fresh look at current issues. In short: We focus on film as an art form.
At the heart of Bildrausch lies the international competition «Cutting Edge», which showcases a dozen carefully selected films. An international jury awards the best film with a prize sum of 5,000 Swiss Francs and presents its winner with the «Bildrausch Ring of Film Art».

 

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FOOD INSPIRATION

FOOD INSPIRATION

I had the pleasure to work with lovely Carla. We wanted to share some food inspiration and how to decorate a lovely spring table. Spring has finally arrived and I could not be happier about that fact. Now let’s have a look at the MENU and the beautiful floral decorations.
FOOD INSPIRATION
We have decided on a simple but very delicious spring MENU including a starter, main course and dessert. All the dishes are vegetarian and made out of fresh ingredients.
FOOD INSPIRATION
FOOD INSPIRATION #1 TOAST WITH TOPPINGS
Simple toast with colorful toppings. Something super easy to prepare and arrange.

FOOD INSPIRATION

Sour cream with scrambled eggs and sesame and pumpkin seeds. Cover the toast with sour cream and prepare a scrambled egg and season with salt and pepper. Top off with the seeds.

FOOD INSPIRATION

For this one you need an avocado, egg and some pistachio. Boil water and lightly season with salt and add a splash of white vinegar. Then use a spoon and make a whirl in the pan and then crack the egg in. Use the spoon to spin some of the egg white around the yolk and reduce the heat and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
FOOD INSPIRATIONCover the toast with avocado, place the poached egg and sprinkle some pistachio on top. Once you are about to serve the toast, cut open the poached egg.  FOOD INSPIRATION
Hummus, olive oil and sambal oelek a super easy one to prepare in 2 minutes in case you buy the hummus. In case you have some time I would recommend to make the hummus from scratch. All you need is chickpeas, sesame oil, salt, pepper and a blender. Spread the hummus over the toast, carve a line and fill with sambal oelek and olive oil.

FOOD INSPIRATION

For that toast you only need three things: a beefsteak tomato, an avocado and some basil. Spread some avocado on the toast and chop the tomato into thin slices and place it in the middle of the toast, lastly cut some basil and sprinkle on top.

FOOD INSPIRATION

And now, last but not least but for sure the simplest toast of all of them is the avocado toast. Spread some avocado on a toast and sprinkle some chia seeds on top.
FOOD INSPIRATION
There are many ways to display the starter and we wanna share two ways with you. One is to individually place each toast on a separate plate or to place four different toasts on one plate.

FOOD INSPIRATION

And these were our starters, super easy and delicious. And now I hope you are curious to see what we have prepared for the main dish.

FOOD INSPIRATION

FOOD INSPIRATION #2 PASTA WITH VEGETABLES
An al dente pasta topped with some colorful vegetables. All you need for this main course is any kind of pasta, onions, garlic, olive oil, yellow/red/orange bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil and chia seeds. Now lets see how to make the colorful vegetable sauce.

FOOD INSPIRATION

Take a frying pan and heat some oil and add the chopped garlic and onions. Slice the bell peppers and cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters and add to the onions and garlic. Fry for some minutes and chop some basil and that’s it.
There are two ways to serve the pasta. You can either place the pasta and sauce side by side in the plate. Or you can place the sauce on top of the pasta. Dont forget to top off with basil and sprinkle some chia seeds.

FOOD INSPIRATION

Now that you have had our delicious starters and a colorful pasta you should be ready for our last part of the menu: the dessert. And if you have not noticed already have a look at the beautiful flower arangements by Carla. She has a special talent for decorating and I have already uploaded another blogpost where I have worked with her, have a look here. 
In case you are interested to work with here, please visit here site www.festum-artis.ch

FOOD INSPIRATION

FOOD INSPIRATION

Carla did such a wonderful job with the table decoration. She found all these colorful flowers and placed them on a light blue drapped table cloth. Matching candles and vintage plates and glasses round up the decoration. A special twist is given by the orange velvet band that ties together the silverware.

FOOD INSPIRATION

FOOD INSPIRATION

FOOD INSPIRATION

FOOD INSPIRATION #3 PAVLOVA
I got the recipe for our PAVLOVA via this site and absolutely love the easy 7 steps. Instead of berries and passionfruit we are using apricots, pistachio and blueberries.

FOOD INSPIRATION

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200C. Line baking tray with baking paper. Draw 22cm diameter circle and lightly dust the marked circle with flour. Make sure mixing bowl and beater are completely grease-free.
Step 2
Beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Add 6 tsp of the prepared sugar and beat till sugar dissolves. Add vinegar and half of remaining sugar, and continue beating till mixture becomes really stiff and glossy.
Step 3
Mix cornflour with remaining sugar, and gently fold this into mixture.
FOOD INSPIRATION
Step 4
Using a clean spoon, gently pile mixture onto circle on baking paper, and use a clean butter knife to “pull up” sides and make peaks on top.
Step 5
Pop tray into middle rack of oven. Reduce heat to 125C and bake for 90 minutes. Turn off oven.
Step 6
Prop oven door open with wooden spoon and allow pavlova to cool completely. This usually takes 3 hours. Once cool, carefully remove baking paper, and transfer to serving platter.
Step 7
Just before serving, spread whipped cream on pavlova, arrange the blueberries and apricots on the cream and drizzle with pistachio.

FOOD INSPIRATION

Awww, I had so much fun putting together this blog post. It was a huge pleasure to work with Carla and hope that you all like the menu and decoration. Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
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hypnosis and what it did to me

HYPNOSIS AND WHAT IT DID TO ME

hypnosis and what it did to me
The term “hypnosis” comes from the ancient Greek word ὕπνος hypnos, “sleep”, and the suffix -ωσις -osis, or from ὑπνόω hypnoō, “put to sleep” (stem of aorist hypnōs-) and the suffix -is. Hypnosis is a state of human consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion. The term may also refer to an art, skill, or act of inducing hypnosis.
Theories explaining what occurs during hypnosis fall into two groups. Altered state theories see hypnosis as an altered state of mind or trance, marked by a level of awareness different from the ordinary conscious state. In contrast, nonstate theories see hypnosis as a form of imaginative role enactment. During hypnosis, a person is said to have heightened focus and concentration. The person can concentrate intensely on a specific thought or memory, while blocking out sources of distraction. Hypnotised subjects are said to show an increased response to suggestions.
Hypnosis is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction involving a series of preliminary instructions and suggestion. The use of hypnotism for therapeutic purposes is referred to as “hypnotherapy”, while its use as a form of entertainment for an audience is known as “stage hypnosis”. Stage hypnosis is often performed by mentalists practicing the art form of mentalism.
That’s what I have found via wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis

hypnosis and what it did to me

I guess we all have heard about hypnosis and have seen it in films or like described in the last paragraph on stage to entertain audience. A lot of people see it as something dark or something that is being used to manipulate people and that is why I want to share my very personal experience with hypnosis with all of you.
There are many reasons to get involved with hypnosis, be it to loose weight, get rid of stage freight or other phobias or the general need to relax ones body and mind. In my case I was very interested in the last mentioned one. A deep form of relaxation is exactly what I needed and got from my hypnosis experience.
I went in and had very little expectations about what is going to happen and only had the sketchy visuals from the movies or cartoons where people stare on to black and white rotating patterns that make them dizzy and fall asleep. So I had no idea what to expect and I think that was a very good thing.
So when I had my appointment I first had a very nice chat with Nadia and we were talking about my over all well being, what is present in my life and what I want from my hypnosis session. As I have already told you my goal was to relax my body and mind deeply. We were ready to start and that meant that I had to lay down on her bed and was covered with blankets. In the state of hypnosis the body cools down and therefor it is very important to keep yourself warm and comfortable.
hypnosis and what it did to me
She started to play relaxing music and took me on a visual journey that left all my thoughts and worries behind and that let me focus on only what she was saying.  That was a life changing experience and somehow it felt more like a form of meditation. Nadia’s soothing voice has brought me to a deep state of relaxation. It was unbelievable that I was on one side very aware of what was happening, meaning I was still listening to her voice and what she was saying but on the other hand I was far far away almost floating on clouds and being close to dreaming and dozing off.
The wonderful thing for me was that I lost the feeling of time, I had no idea for how long I was laying there, if it were 20 minutes or one and a half hours. This felt so good. The same way you are being led into hypnosis you are also brought out of it, very conscious. It feels good to still lay down with open eyes for a couple of minutes after being released from the state of hypnosis.
I have felt so light and wonderful after my hypnosis session. What a wonderful experience with such a huge benefit for my body and mind. I really want to go back to that place where Nadia took me, that place where I was as light as a feather, very relaxed and calm. When ever I have a stressful day I try to take myself back to that place. Something that is not very easy to do and does not always work.
Now that I have dropped the word meditation I also want to share with you the definition I have found via wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation
Meditation is a practice where an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or for the mind to simply acknowledge its content without becoming identified with that content, or as an end in itself.
The term meditation refers to a broad variety of practices that includes techniques designed to promote relaxation, build internal energy or life force (qi, ki, prana, etc.) and develop compassion, love, patience, generosity, and forgiveness. A particularly ambitious form of meditation aims at effortlessly sustained single-pointed concentration meant to enable its practitioner to enjoy an indestructible sense of well-being while engaging in any life activity.
The word meditation carries different meanings in different contexts. Meditation has been practiced since antiquity as a component of numerous religious traditions and beliefs. Meditation often involves an internal effort to self-regulate the mind in some way. Meditation is often used to clear the mind and ease many health concerns, such as high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. It may be done sitting, or in an active way—for instance, Buddhist monks involve awareness in their day-to-day activities as a form of mind-training. Prayer beads or other ritual objects are commonly used during meditation in order to keep track of or remind the practitioner about some aspect of that training.
Meditation may involve generating an emotional state for the purpose of analyzing that state—such as anger, hatred, etc.—or cultivating a particular mental response to various phenomena, such as compassion. The term “meditation” can refer to the state itself, as well as to practices or techniques employed to cultivate the state.
Meditation may also involve repeating a mantra and closing the eyes. The mantra is chosen based on its suitability to the individual meditator. Meditation has a calming effect and directs awareness inward until pure awareness is achieved, described as “being awake inside without being aware of anything except awareness itself.” In brief, there are dozens of specific styles of meditation practice, and many different types of activity commonly referred to as meditative practices.

hypnosis and what it did to me

On that topic I want to share Nadia’s newest thing: the new moon meditation evenings for women.  At TRANSFORMATON COACHING at Rebgasse 28 in 4058 Basel.
You can read more about what Nadia is doing on her web pages:
www.transformation-coaching.com
https://www.hypnose-praxis-basel.com
In case you have any questions or you feel the need to experience hypnosis for yourself give her a call: +41 79 507 02 92 or drop her a line via info@transformation-coaching.com
Here are the dates for the new moon meditation evenings for women:
  • 26.4.2017
  • 25.5.2017
  • 24.6.2017
  • 23.7.2017
  • 21.8.2017
  • 20.9.2017
  • 19.10.2017
  • 18.11.2017
  • 18.12.2017
contribution towards expenses are a minimum of 10 CHF.
I hope my blog post was helpful and informative. I will attend the new moon meditation for women evenings and it would be nice to see some of you there too. I wish you all a very calm and relaxed spring day. X
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turn didgital photos into something haptic

turn digital photos into something haptic

Have you ever felt the need to turn your digital photos into something haptic?
Or are you about to host a party and are in need of some cool flyers? I recently was thinking about making a photo album with all my photos from the blog. In the past I made some books with my outfits of the year and that was a big success. There are so many online tools to create the album of your dreams.
turn digital photos into something haptic >>

turn didgital photos into something haptic

I got asked to check out color photo service by CEWE and had a look at it. Indeed it is a great way to make photo albums, postcards and special invitations. The tool is very simple. You download the software and choose the folder with the photos that you want to use. I made a simple test to create a postcard with my collar necklaces. As I have my own collar necklace collection I figured it would not hurt to make some cool postcards to feature them a bit more. It is so easy to turn something digital into something haptic.

turn didgital photos into something haptic

I know so many people that made photo albums and all of them are super happy with the result. As I have mentioned before I wanted to make a book about my blog. But making a book about all my blogposts would be quiet a challenge and would end up in a 1000 page album that nobody wants to see. So the key part of making an album is selecting the right photos. What should it be about. Should I only show my travel photos or do I want to focus on winter outfits from the last couple of years. Or should it be all about makeup trends and news? There are many ways.
turn digital photos into something haptic >>
turn didgital photos into something haptic
I figured I will start with postcards and take it from there. The software is set up very easy. On the left you have the folders with your photos and on the top you can choose the fonts and layout options. In the middle there is your preview. First you choose a layout. There are many templates to choose from but you can also create your own. I went for the second option and designed my own layout. Have a look, do you like what I made? I am super happy with the results and can not wait for my order to arrive.
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where to eat in bucharest and brasov

WHERE TO EAT IN BUCHAREST AND BRASOV

Holidays in Romania, we did it again. This time we started with Bucharest, where we have spent the New Years Eve, and then travelled to Brasov to see C’s family. We visited and saw so many nice things to share with you.

where to eat in bucharest and brasov

Like last year, we ate very very well in Romania. I am a Vegetarian and C is a Pescetarian. The dishes you can see below are all without meat. 🙂 Now lets have a look at what we liked.
A3, Bucharest
https://www.facebook.com/A3bar
A3 is the former A1, a great place to start your day, have a snack or meet your friends for an afterwork drink. I am in love with their bucket fries, literally a bucket full of fries. Another dish that I have ordered several times in the last week was the Baby Spinach Salad with Apple. Mmmmhhmmm, absolutely delicious.
where to eat in Bucharest and Brasov
SHIFT PUB, Bucharest
http://shiftpub.ro
A cozy, beautiful bistro on a quiet street in the heart of the city. Thats what they say about themselves on their website. And I can only agree with that. Indeed a very cozy place. So far I have only been in Romania in Winter so I never had the chance to eat outside in the beautiful garden. But fingers crossed to hopefully visit Bucharest in Summer too.
where to eat in bucharest and brasov where to eat in bucharest and brasov
where to eat in bucharest and brasov
PRATO, Brasov 
http://www.prato.ro
An elegant, rather posh place to eat with delicious starters and pasta dishes. Of course I can only speak for myself 🙂 but thats what I liked to eat there. The Avocado Tartar starter is definetely something to try. Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo but I can show you the Pasta and sides dishes we had.
where to eat in bucharest and brasov where to eat in bucharest and brasov where to eat in bucharest and brasov
DEI FRATI, Brasov
https://www.facebook.com/Deifrati
This place has opened quiet recently and is a real game changer for Brasov. Hands down, these were one of the best house made pasta I have ever had. The interior design of the rather small but cozy place is very simple, with a touch of shabby chic. The restaurant is a family run business and one can really feel that when eating there. There is an open kitchen which I personally love. Watching the chef prepare your food is a really nice thing.

where to eat in bucharest and brasov where to eat in bucharest and brasov where to eat in bucharest and brasov where to eat in bucharest and brasov

BISTRO DE L’ARTE, Brasov
https://www.facebook.com/bistro.delarte
Like last year it was cold and snowing so we had some warming teas, hot chocolates and snacks at the Bistro de l’Arte. A rather dark  and old interior which brings you back to the last centuries and lets you relax and enjoy your stay. I loved the sweet pea soup. Something I can honestly recommend to try.
where to eat in bucharest and brasov
so, that was it from my first blogpost about Romania and also my first post for 2017. I hope it was helpful and inspiring. Let me know which places are your favorites. X
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7 DAYS IN BARCELONA

7 DAYS in BARCELONA

There a lot of things to do and see in Barcelona when it comes to art, music, architecture, culture in general.  C and I, had few things in mind, few activities that were recommended to us or we read about. We were there for a week, so we tried to combine the delightful days at the beach, the lazy walks around the city during day and night time, the delicious dinners and drinks with museum visits, or architectural pilgrimages.
But before we start sharing some of these beautiful treats, I first need to mention that C is an architect and for him Barcelona is a real urban spectacle, he enjoyed a lot many of Barcelona´s streets, buildings, parks, plazas. According to his taste Barcelona is his favourite city when it comes to urban spaces, he considers Barcelona as the Mecca of urban life and urban design (that´s his opinion so let´s respect it 🙂 ). So I guess for those of you that are really interested in architecture and urban space, take some time to walk around the city, get it´s vibe, start understanding the structure, the scales, the corners, the details, the music of the city and it´s smell.
So long story short, here is our list of things to see in 7 DAYS IN BARCELONA.

1st –  The Diposit de Aigües Building 7 DAYS IN BARCELONA7 DAYS IN BARCELONA

The library is part of the Universitat Pompeu Fabras campus, the building is a former structure that was holding a water tank, it was designed in 1874 by Josep Fontsere and the static calculation were done by a young student of architecture, Antoni Gaudi i Cornet.
From the 1874 to nowadays the building had a very interesting history, sheltering a municipal asylum, fire service store, garage of the Municipal Police force, justice department archive. It became a property of the university in 1992. The architects that did the renovation and transformed the space in to a library are Lluis Clotet and Ignacio Paricio.7 DAYS IN BARCELONAhttps://www.upf.edu/campus/en/historia/aigues.html
C was amazed by the imposing structure, and the feeling of walking through a temple rather than a library, a temple of knowledge. This feeling reminded him of other retaining water designated structures that he found in India the water wells, which impressed him a lot radiating the same type of feeling of wandering through a sacred space.

2nd – Fundacion Mapfre – 7 DAYS IN BARCELONA7 DAYS IN BARCELONA

The Fundacion Mapfre exhibition hall is located in Casa Garriga Nogués, which is a truly beautiful space and a great example of Catalan modernism. The house was built by the architect Enric Sagnier in the early beginning of the 20 th century for a family of bankers.
The exhibition hall was open to the public in September 2015 and so far it featured shows like the triumph of color, a beautiful expedition trough the impressionist paintings and the avant garde, from Van Gogh to Matisse, the photography of Hiroshi Sugimoto or the photography of Bruce Davidson.

7 DAYS IN BARCELONA

C heard about the Hiroshi Sugimoto show and he was really eager to see it, unfortunately the show already left for Madrid, but instead we manage to see the show of the American photographer Bruce Davidson. We weren’t familiar with his work, but at the end of the tour we were really impressed. There is a chronological order that you need to follow, that opens pages of American and European history. It is a beautiful documentary about human life, a must see.
https://revistalafundacion.com/septiembre2015/en/culture/
https://www.fundacionmapfre.org/fundacion/en/culture-history/our-exhibition-hall/

 

3rd – Elogio al aqua – Eduardo Chillida 7 DAYS IN BARCELONA7 DAYS IN BARCELONA

This piece is in Parc de la Creueta del Coll, which is situated in the very hilly side of Barcelona, reminding us of the streets of San Francisco. Far away from the tourist invasion (reachable with the metro) and nested in a residential area. The sculpture is big and impressive, reminding you of an ancient marine animal, that instead of finding itself in the water is levitating over in some kind of contemplation state. The very funny detail about this sculpture is that it is inside of a public children swimming pool. The sculpture is the work of Eduardo Chillida, a Basque artist coming from San Sebastian, formerly trained as an architect. C appreciates his work a lot.

4th  Fundacio Juan Miro 7 DAYS IN BARCELONA
7 DAYS IN BARCELONA

Last but not least, Fundacio Juan Miro was a very nice surprise. Situated in Parc Montjuic, surrounded by beautiful nature and other touristic attractions, the museum is a quiet and rich artistic oasis. The building designed by the Spanish architect Josep Lluis Sert is hosting a good amount of Juan Miro´s work, plus contemporary art works from different artists that are collaborating with the foundation.
It is really an interesting mix of architecture, modern and contemporary art, that deserves a good two hours (at least). So if you are in love with art or just curious, write it down on your TO DO list and don´t miss it.

7 DAYS IN BARCELONA

I hope you liked our tips for 7 DAYS IN BARCELONA. I can not wait to go there again. Please keep us posted about your favorite places to visit in Barcelona. X
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NO COTTON PADS AND LESS PLASTIC

no cotton pads and less plastic

LET’S SAVE THE PLANET, yes! I really started to live a more conscious life and want to share my tips with all of you. I hope you are also aware that our planet earth has a very hard time with us humans destroying it every day. Let’s be more aware and conscious. Whenever I say something in that regard I often get the question: But, what can I do? Well, there is a lot that everyone of us can do. In that blogpost I wanna raise awareness of producing less trash and using less plastic containers.
NO COTTON PADS AND LESS PLASTIC
1 JEMAKO makeUp remover around 39 CHF
2 LUSH Jason and the Argan Oil around 12 CHF
3 LUSH Buffy Body Conditioner around 13 CHF
4 ESSENCE quick&easy sponge nail polish remover
5 SOAP BARS Provence
NO COTTON PADS AND LESS PLASTIC
#1
I am not using any cotton pads instead I 
use the JEMAKO makeUp remover that I can wash and reuse or use old schoo wash clothes. I also use the JEMAKO cleaning pads for the house. They are perfect for stainless steel or cleaning the windows. In fact they have something for every purpose. Have a look at their website: www.jemako-shop.com
#2
I use the ESSENCE sponge nail polish remover to remove nailpolish. It works great. There are so many advantages. Firstly you dont need any cotton pads, secondly your trash is not going to stink because you are not producing any trash at all. An other advantage is that it works super fast.
#3
Instead of plastic shower bottles I use solid soap bars. We have spent some days in Cassis, France over Easter andI bought so many awesome soaps. Read my blogpost here >> 
These soaps last very long and are awesome for travelling as they dont leak. I have found some great alternatives at ALNATURA. If you buy many at once you can store them in your closet or drawers to make your clothes smell nice.
#4
I use solid shampoos and conditioner in order to reduce plastic. And I absolutely love the solid LUSH shampoos. My favorite one is JASON AND THE ARGAN OIL. I m still searching for a great solid conditioner. I didnt like the ones from LUSH and really gave them many tries. So in case you can recommend a great solid conditioner please let all of us know by sharing it in the comments below.
#5
Make your own scrubs. I use coffee, sea salt and fresh vanilla. It makes a great scrub with many benefits for your skin. By recycling coffee and only using vanilla and sea salt/ regular salt makes it a very affordable scrub. I love to put my scrub in a mason jar and store it in my shower. I use it twice a week and my skin feels awesome! A separate blogpost on how to make your DIY scrubs will follow soon.
That was it. A very easy way to reduce trash and help our planet. At the moment you can read so much about zero waste and plastic free shops. I absolutely support this lifestyle and try to improve every day. I hope you found my tips helpful and am curious to hear from you. Have a lovely day. X
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BARCELONA FOOD TIPS

MY BARCELONA FOOD TIPS

I was in Barcelona for a week. I went with C, the weather was perfect and both of us have already been to Barcelona. now I have some really delicious food tips to share with you. so without further ado, lets start MY BARCELONA FOOD TIPS.
BARCELONA FOOD TIPS
MY BARCELONA FOOD TIP #1
BRUNCH & CAKE // FB
C/Enrique Granados
08007 Barcelona
we had a lovely brunch at brunch & cake. when we arrived, it was really busy. we had to leave our name and wait. after 15 minutes we got a beautiful outdoor table and were ready to order. in case you are planning to eat there I would make a reservation.
BARCELONA FOOD TIPS

we really loved the food presentation. all of our meals were served in different plates. well, in M’s case it was a shovel. 🙂 it was the first time we saw food being served in a shovel and we all thought its an awesome idea. so, what did we eat? we ordered: egg benedict, quinoa burger and avocado toast. mmhhmm, everything was super tasty.
BARCELONA FOOD TIPS
MY BARCELONA FOOD TIP #2
SMS DELICES // FB
C/Asturias 33
08012 Barcelona
this is a spanish restaurant serving tapas but in a very elegant and modern way. I had the best BRAVAS (potatoes with a spicy sauce) and C loved his PULPO (octopus) on the sticks. its a tiny space but very cozy and relaxed with a good atmosphere. we felt almost like at home.
BARCELONA FOOD TIPS
these are the BRAVAS that I was mentioning before. mmmhhmm, look at this creamy spicy sauce that covers the potatoes. and below that photo you can see the PULPO on the stick. we would absolutely recommend to eat at SMS DELICIES and try the BRAVAS and PULPO.
BARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPS
MY BARCELONA FOOD TIP #3
EL NACIONAL // FB
Passeig de Gracia 24
08007 Barcelona
ooh wow. we did not expect such a beautiful space when we walked towards EL NACIONAL. its hidden between the houses at Passeig de Gracia. a place to relax for a moment and enjoy a traditional spanish meal or a refreshing drink. EL NACIONAL used to be a garage and was transformed to this very cozy hall with different restaurants and bars. I really hope that you so far enjoy my BARCELONA FOOD TIPS and I would love to hear from you. which are your favorite places to eat in Barcelona?
BARCELONA FOOD TIPS
thats how the entrance looks like. lots of wood and green with a very nice wooden cobble stone floor. wow. look at this! I really have to go back and eat and drink something in all the different places inside the EL NACIONAL. I was so impressed with the decor so be prepared for lots of photos.
BARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPS
we chose to eat at the LA PARADETA, which was a very great choice. the GAZPACHO soup was one of the best I have ever had. unfortunately I totally forgot to take a picture. maybe because I was taking so many photos of the beautiful location. each restaurant or bar had their own style but everything fot very well together. the nicest thing of each place were the lamps.

BARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPS

the lavatories were really nice as well. a nice mix of materials and a lovely reuse of old pipes and faucets. there were big photos of how this place use to look like. the transformation of the garage to EL NACIONAL.

BARCELONA FOOD TIPS  BARCELONA FOOD TIPS  BARCELONA FOOD TIPS

 

BARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPS
MY BARCELONA FOOD TIP #4
BOTAFUMEIRO // FB
C/Gran de Gracia 81
08012 Barcelona
‘When the raw material is the best on the market, the only thing a chef need do is respect the product, using the right amount of heat and seasoning to arouse all its flavour and aroma.’


Moncho Neira, Botafumeiro’s owner and chef
BARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPS
BOTAFUMEIRO is a very elegant and very well known restaurant in the heart of Carrer Gran de Gracia. a lot of famous people have dined there and lots of photos are shown at the entrance. (Clinton, Bush, several football players and actors) the place is famous for its fish and sea food dishes. from the entrance the place looks like a normal restaurant. but by walking further I realized how big BOTAFUMEIRO was. there were so many different rooms and platforms. with the white dressed waiters I somehow had the impression of being on a cruise ship. It is a funny and lovely combination of The Grand Budapest Hotel and the The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, two awesome Wes Anderson movies.

BARCELONA FOOD TIPS

BARCELONA FOOD TIPS
MY BARCELONA FOOD TIP #5
CAFE CAMELIA // FB
Calle Verdi 79
08012 Barcelona
thats the place where we have spent our last night in Barcelona and both had an amazing dinner. the funny thing was, that we were looking for a place to eat and were walking down Calle Verdi reading the menus and checking the restaurants. so when I read their menu, I could not belive my eyes. I LIKED EVERYTHING ON THE MENU. thats a very rare thing to happen. and when C came to check the menu too, he finally found out why. CAFE CAMELIA is a vegetarian restaurant. well, now everything made more sense. lol 🙂
BARCELONA FOOD TIPS
we ordered a QUINOA BURGER and COUS COUS VEGETABLE STEW and started with a fresh vegetables/fruit juice. awww, the food was delicious and the waiters were so kind and nice. I will def go back to this place. lets see how fast I can be back in Barcelona 🙂
BARCELONA FOOD TIPSBARCELONA FOOD TIPS
so, that was it for MY BARCELONA FOOD TIPS. I hope you found them helpful. I took all the photos with my new HUAWEI p9 phone. I am very curious to hear about your favorite restaurants in Barcelona. please leave a comment below. X
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velafrica burkina faso

VELAFRICA – mobility with perspectives

Velafrica connects work and integration in Switzerland with development in Africa.
Since 1993 the Non-Profit Organisation has collected old, worn-out bicycles, refurbishing them with social institutions and exporting them to its partners in Africa.
velafrica burkina faso
SWITZERLAND
  • Collection
    there are 479 permanent and free collection points for bicycles across the country. Every year, an additional 50 collection events are organized.
  • Recycling
    thanks to functional recycling of our bikes, 350 tonnes of old metal is saved from the shredder each year.
  • Integration
    360 unemployed and physically challenged people refurbish the donated bicycles and prepare them for transport to Africa.
AFRICA
  • Export
    in 2015, Velafrica sent 38 shipping containers with 17‘455 donated and reworked bicycles from Switzerland to Africa.
  • Mobility
    since 1993 over 140‘000 donated Swiss bikes have found a new owner. On average, four people benefit from the use of a bicycle.
  • Vocational Training & Jobs
    by 2015, 106 youth completed an apprenticeship in bicycle mechanics. Bicycle workshops create jobs in repair and sales.
more info in this PDF here >> PDF
 velafrica workshops
Velafrica has the support of 30 partners across Switzerland. Between Liestal and Brig, Bulle and Chur, a dense network of social enterprises work towards integrational work. in 2015, Velafrica started an export workshop in Liebefeld, Berne as an integrational project for refugees and migrants.
They work with 13 regional partners in Gambia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Eritrea. This partnership is done with non-profit and selected small businesses. We foster a relationship based on economic collaboration to promote social entrepreneurship.

velafrica

 “bycicle reduces poverty”
The bicycle is an affordable alternative that spares people from walking. In cellars across Switzerland there are many bicycles that remain unused. In the developing regions of Africa however, cheap forms of transport are scarce. The recycled bicycles from Switzerland improve local access to education, health care and economic opportunities. After research done by Velafrica in Burkina Faso and Tanzania, mobility was found to be the most important factor in overcoming poverty.

I am so happy that I walked into Angela during the ECO festival in Basel and it makes me even happier to share this awesome project with all of you.

Velafrica
Waldeggstrasse 27
3097 Liebefeld
T +41 (0)31 979 70 50
info@velafrica.ch
velafrica.ch
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lieblingsmenschen

LIEBLINGSMENSCHEN

Thank you dearest Martina for sending me a copy of your amazing book called: LIEBLINGSMENSCHEN. I was a big fan of these friendship books and unfortunately I have no idea where I have my old one. I love the idea of having all my friends in one book. Something haptic, besides facebook, where you can see what kind of plans your friends had, what they are doing now and how they looked as a teen. So I hope by now you somehow have a clue what I am talking about. LIEBLINGSMENSCHEN is a friendship book for adults.

lieblingsmenschen

“friendships make the world better and life more beautiful.”
I can totally agree with that. friendships are very important. Looking at this blank book makes me think about my old friendship book. What did I want to become when I grow up? LOL, I wanted to become a marine biologist. and I am sure that I was not the only one with that dream in mind. But things came very differently, as always, and I ended up studying Post-Industrial Design at the Institute HyperWerk in Basel and am the blogger of isawsomethingnice.ch. 🙂  And now there is a new question to answer: what do I want to do when I am retired? Such a good question, thanks for asking, Martina.

lieblingsmenschen

So every friend gets to fill a double page. It starts with: ME, MYSELF & I. In this part it is about your names/nicknames when you were born, what you wanted to be, what you are and what you want to do when you are retired. Followed by BACK IN THE DAYS. There you can tell a bit about your childhood, your favorite song on repeat and where you have so far travelled to. The next page starts with RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. Here you can write about current things like, whats in your fridge at the very moment or you can share what makes you happy. Last but not least the part about YOU & ME. When and how did we meet? Things that I admire about you and you get the possibility to share something from the past. Do you remember…

lieblingsmenschen

Aaawwww, I am so happy to have one of these books! I can not wait to start giving it to my friends to fill out. it is a wonderful present idea, thank you again Martina. <3
Until July 5th you can get your copy for 29.90 CHF instead of 34.90 CHF. So it starts with a friendship price and by the way July 5th is also Martinas birthday, yay! Thats all so neat!
click here >> http://www.vonschenker.com/shop/

 

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how to make a solid tray

HOW TO MAKE A SOLID TRAY

how to make a solid tray

  • 1 VIKTIGT tray (found via IKEA)
  • 2 ROPE
  • 3 TAPE
  • 4 DRILLING MACHINE
  • 5 SCISSORS
  • 5 SAND PAPER (optional)
another simple DIY that I have made with another cool piece that I have found at IKEA. I love to use things a bit differently, and thats why we use a cutting/chopping board for a tray today.
I am sure that some of you, including me, love to hang out on the couch and drink tea or whatever. my problem is always where to put my cup of tea so that it is close to me but on a solid spot. thats how I got the idea to make something solid, the perfect solid tray.

how to make a solid tray

step one
start by drilling four holes, two on each side. I used a hole puncher to measure the distance between the holes. also make sure to not drill too close to the edge or the wood may break, and not too far into the center, as you want the holes to be on the cut side of the tray. another thing I did was to keep the plastic on the board to avoid scratches.

how to make a solid trayhow to make a solid tray

step two
use a piece of sand paper to smoothen the driled holes.

how to make a solid tray

step three
measure enough rope so you can put your hands around the handles and have enough to tie a knot. loop the rope thru the holes and tie knots at the ends.

how to make a solid tray how to make a solid trayhow to make a solid tray

thats it, very simple and easy, right? I had so much fun creating this DIY and I hope you all like the way it turned out. in case you did something similar or feel inspired to make your own tray please leave a comment below, I love hearing from you. X

how to make a solid tray

and now lets have a look how you can use our newly made DIY in action. my intention was to use it for drinking tea on the couch and be sure that the tea wont spill but now I saw how cute it can look as a simple presentation board. so as you can see the options to use are endless.

how to make a solid tray

how to make a solid tray

how to make a solid tray

that was it from today. I am looking forward to your comments and am sure that there will soon be another DIY feat. IKEA on the blog. stay tuned. X

 

 

 

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pimping the pots - DIY

PIMPING THE POTS – DIY

finally spring is here and this is the time to start decorating your balcony. like last year I also grow tomatoes this year and somehow I was not so satisfied with the regular plant pots that I have found. thats when I had the DIY idea to make my own pots, or lets say the idea for pimping the pots.pimping the pots - DIY

lets see what we are going to need for this PIMPING THE POTS DIY:
  • pots KALASA (I found them via IKEA, small 14.95 CHF / large 19.95)
  • rope (I found it at JUMBO)
  • scissors
  • clear tape
its very very simple and easy to find all of these things. and in case you dont like the white pots you can spray paint them before starting the pimping DIY. I love white and therefore I leave them the way they are.
step one:

pimping the pots - DIY

take your pot and ropes and place them on a table or floor. then I wrapped the rope twice around the pot and made sure to have enough rope left to tie the knot.

pimping the pots - DIY

step two:

pimping the pots - DIY
cut the rope with your scissors and seal the ends like in the photo above. this will prevent the rope from opening and will make the knot look a lot neater.
step three:
pimping the pots - DIY
tie a sailor knot like in the photo above. start with a normal knot and then do the opposite to the ends. this will create such a lovely result on your simple white pots, voila, thats it!

pimping the pots - DIY

I absolutely love the result of this pimping the pots DIY. I continued these steps and made four pots for the balcony. that was a very easy DO IT YOURSELF and I am curious to know if you like it, so please comment below and in case you are doing this too please share your photos with me via my social media channels. I always love to hear from you. X
final result:

pimping the pots - DIY pimping the pots - DIY pimping the pots - DIY


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YANKE CANDLE

RIVIERA ESCAPE CANDLES

YANKEE CANDLES

what a funny title! RIVIERA ESCAPE is one of the new YANKEE CANDLE scents they came out with and also the name of the current candles collection:
RIVIERA ESCAPE
SUMMER PEACH
OLIVE & THYME
SEA SALT & SAGE
so let me quickly describe the scents as best as I can, you may know that this is not my best skill, but anyways, lets see which candle scent is my favorite.
I absolutely love the scent of the RIVIERA ESCAPE candle, it is extremly fresh and clean. somehow this reminds me a bit of the clean cotton and midsummer night candles from previous collections. the SUMMER PEACH candle is amazingly fruity, a bit too fruity for me, but nevertheless it does not smell artificial and I can smell real peaches! OLIVE & THYME would be my go to summer evening balcony sitting time candle. mmhhm, I love it and I would say that its a very nice balance in between thyme and olives. last but not least I want to describe SEA SALT & SAGE, this scent I got not in the candle version but as a WAX MELT. you can either use an old oil lamp or find other suitable melt warmers. its very easy, all you need is a wax melt, a wax melt warmer and a normal rechaud candle.you put the wax melt in the wax melt warmer, lid the candle and wait for the wax to melt and your room to smell nice.

YANKE CANDLES

my favorite candle is the RIVIERA ESCAPE. I am sure that I am going to burn this next and am already looking forward to. shortly behind my favorite I would place the OLIVE & THYME candle. as I already said, this scent is more of an outdoor one and I will find a lovely place for it on my balcony. my third most favorite is the SEA SALT & SAGE wax melt and my least favorite is SUMMER PEACH.
these are the newest candles of the Riviera Escape collection and so far I have not burned any of these lovely candles as I still have two from the last collection. I am sure you will see my candles in future blogposts, as I love to use candles to decorate my blogger photos. stay tuned for more! X
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Choux Restaurant Amsterdam

MY AMSTERDAM TIPS

I was invited by C&A to see the AW16/17 collection in Amsterdam and now I wanna share all my visited places with you, hence the title: MY AMSTERDAM TIPS. the photo below was taken by lovely Giséle from TEXTILREVUE, thank you for taking this photo, it was very nice to meet you! and now lets start with the delicious food and drinks I had.

Amsterdam Tips

CAFE & RESTAURANTS

BEURS VAN BERLAGE CAFE
Amsterdam Tips
mmhhmm, such a tasty vegetarian sandwich that I had at the Beurs Van Berlage café. a very nice place to either sit in the sun on the terrace in front or to warm up inside. I went there twice and had the chance to do both due to amsterdams april weather. the café is very close to the central station and here is some info that I found about its history:
At the end of the 19th century, Amsterdam was doing well. Trade was flourishing and a growing number of people decided to move to the city. In 1896, the Amsterdam administration therefore decided to allow the construction of the new stock exchange to go ahead after all. The honour of developing this new building went to architect and urban designer Hendrik Petrus Berlage. Berlage designed a completely new building, its bell tower carrying the ‘Beursbengel’ (exchange bell) being the most prominent element. Berlage, being a staunch socialist, believed the stock exchange trade had a short lease of life. Yet he found a smart and creative solution for this dilemma: inspired by the Italian Palazzo Pubblicos, he decided to design the new stock exchange building in such a way that it could serve as a grand communal home, a public palace, after socialism had triumphed. He therefore built a sort of symbolic city hall, a ‘public palace’ that could temporarily serve as a stock exchange. Beurs van Berlage has a rich history of being the third stock exchange building of Amsterdam and being the host of the marriage of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima”
CHOUXAmsterdam Tips Amsterdam Tips Amsterdam Tips
a very cosy and nice place to have lunch or dinner. and let me tell you, the food is nothing what you have ever had before. special combinations and gorgeous decorations. the restaurant is located behind the central station and is open monday to saturday. my favorite part of the lunch was the dessert. mmmhhmm, the mix of frozen, soft, tart and sweet made my day!
CAFÉ RESTAURANT AMSTERDAMAmsterdam TipsAmsterdam Tips
this place is a bit further outside of the centre but is absolutely worth to take a cab or bus and visit this place. a huge hall with a ceiling height of at least ten metres. here is some info about its history:


”1897: a new century was beckoning, an industrial revolution was rageing, factories were shooting up everywhere. in amsterdam the first brick was layed for the pumping station. ever since 1851, the dune-water company had provided the people of amsterdam with fresh drinking water from the dunes at vogelenzang. through 23 kilometers of cast iron piping, it was pumped into the city where it could be bought outside the willemspoort at one cent per bucket. forseeing an imminent increase in water- consumption (in which case the capacity of Vogelenzang would prove insufficient), manager J. van Hasselt had plans drawn up for a new pumping station in amsterdam. In 1897, construction was started, and as early as 1900, the pumping station haarlemmerweg went into operation. behind the main building there were four underground reservoirs, each holding about 10,000 cubic metres of dune water. this water could be forced into the city through huge pipes in the cellar and the old watertower by four pumps in the engine room (now the restaurant). the spectacular engine room was renowned and people from everywhere came to see it. In 1941, a technical magazine spoke of “a well filled, symmetrical engine room that made a grand impression on the visitor and could be considered to be a jewel for the city of amsterdam.” the pumping station was kept operational until 1996. in the eighties, when it became trendy to convert vacated and restored ninteenth century industrial buildings into museums, theaters, restaurants, studios, offices and appartments, westerpark city council decided that a restored pumping station was to become the heart of a new car-free eco-area built in the former watercompany grounds. and so, on december 20th, 1996, café-restaurant amsterdam, situated in the old engine room, opened its doors to the public.”
W HOTEL loungeAmsterdam TipsAmsterdam Tips
this is the signature drink of the W Hotel lounge and as I dont drink alcohol I ordered the virgin version. it was as delicious as it looks! a rather posh lounge with very comfortable seating areas, an open fire place and a gorgeous view over amsterdam, thats what the W Hotel lounge has to offer and I am very glad that Mano took us there.

COFFEE & DESIGN

COFEE ROASTERS LOT SIXTY ONE Amsterdam Tips
Adam and Paul are behind this very nice coffee place where you can also find Urban Outfitters goods. I found some interesting facts about them which proves that they really know what they are doing: great coffee!
“ADAM CRAIG is australian born and raised. while he remains a true-blue aussie at heart, the lure of new york’s cutting-edge specialty coffee scene soon grew too much for him, and before long he found himself heading over to see what all the fuss was about. it didn’t take long for rumors to become a reality when he saw the throbbing pulse of specialty coffee driving innovation and experimentation far beyond his wildest imagination in some of new york’s hippest coffee bars. not one to sit on the sidelines and watch, Adam soon set off on an entrepreneurial spree when he opened a string of his own inimitable coffee bars- ‘Variety Coffee’ in brooklyn in 2007, followed a year later by ‘Coffee Bar’ in brooklyn and eventually ‘Culture Espresso’ in the heart of manhatten with Paul Jenner in 2008. it wasn’t long before local hero The New York Times listed all three coffee bars in their ‘top ten all-time great coffee spots’ in manhattan and brooklyn. ultimately however, even the big apple proved too small to contain the dreams of this coffee serial entrepreneur, and in 2010 he sold up and set off over the horizon, this time with his sights on europe. in 2013 Adam and Paul opened Lot Sixty One which endeavours to be the netherland’s finest coffee bar and roastery.”
“PAUL JENNER is about as australian as they come. born and raised with a surfboard under his arm, he grew up carving his name into some of mother nature’s finest waves that rolled daily into his home town of sydney. but getting up to meet those early swells ain’t easy, and before long Paul was pulling espresso shots and earning his stripes in the horeca industry where he’s since been rocking it with the best of them for almost two decades. after founding and operating his own espresso bar back home, legend has it that a massive rip tide one day dragged Paul too far out from shore and brought him to america’s famed west coast surf belt, where he set up his next espresso bar in LA. always on the prowl for his next adventure, Paul soon headed on over to new york after hearing rumors that it offered respectable surf. well, while the verdict’s still out on that one, new york is where Paul opened Culture Espresso with Adam Craig in 2008. together at last, this dynamic duo perfected the art of running top coffee bars before relocating in 2012 to share the love with amsterdam, where Lot Sixty One receives the full double shot of aussie flair which has become the secret ingredient to making this place tick the way it does.
 today, Paul continues his search for the perfect wave – so if you see him wandering barefoot around oud west at 6am sporting a 10-foot longboard under his arm, you’ll know why.”
KOKO COFFEE & DESIGN
Amsterdam Tips
we had a great start into the day with hot tea at KOKO & Design. unfortunately I forgot to take a photo and thats why I had to hop to google maps and screenshot the location so you can at least see the house. KOKO offers a lovely mix of fashion and design accessories but let me tell you what I found via their website:
“the fashion at KOKO is selected by the two owners karlijn and caroline. with a strong vision and opinion about materials and quality they choose their designers. at KOKO you can create your own personal wardrobe. a combination of everyday basics combined with unique pieces.
the coffee at KOKO is roasted with love and care by the roasters of the antwerp caffènation. this microroastery and coffeebar is a statement in belgium and abroad. the roasters are always looking for the best quality specialty coffee of biological harvest. the love and passion for specialty coffee is at real place at KOKO coffee & design.”

FASHION

PRJCT AMS ™Amsterdam Tips
PRJCT AMS is a multi-brand store for men, based in the heart of amsterdam’s city centre.
they carry an on-going mix of casual chic & quality garments in the mid- and high-end segment with a strong focus on the perfect basic. they offer an in-store made-to-measure sartorial suit service! quality is key and they salute innovative brands and upcoming designers alongside their private label and household names. brands: PRJCT AMS LABEL, 
SSD | SUSUDIO
, VIVE L’HOMME,
 FRANZEL,
 PIOLA,
 DROME,
 PALOWOOD, 
THU and
 WON HUNDRED.
O’ QUIREY by JAN PALMENAmsterdam Tips Amsterdam Tips
when I was walking by this shop it was unfortunately closed but I got to sneak a peek thru the window and saw lots of really nice men shoes. and then I googled O’Quirey and found out about Jan Palmen:

“as a passionate sportsman and certified instructor, Jan Palmen entered the retail business as a store manager in at a sports apparel store in groningen, the netherlands. during this time his love of shoes became his passion.

his passion led Jan to establish his own athletic shoe and apparel store named COACH. under his leadership, COACH expanded its business to 69 retail outlets located throughout the netherlands and germany. in 2000, Jan Palmen sold COACH and devoted his energy to the development of a premium retail concept focused on shoes and apparel.
 FOSBURY opened its flagship store in 2001 at assen and was elected “most beautiful store of the netherlands” that same year. FOSBURY meets the needs of its customers for distinctive quality and style through its premium products for men and women. from its own design studio Jan Palmen develops exclusive shoe and apparel designs for his customers. 

it is at this studio that the O’Quirey line of shoes, boots and apparel was born. O’Quirey shoes, boots and apparel are being sold throughout europe and china.”

so that was it from my tips for amsterdam, I had an amazing time and want to thank all of you who made my stay so nice and welcoming. I hope you found these tips helpful and let me know which are your favorite places in amsterdam. X

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