zero-stedelijk-museum

Zero-stedelijk-museum
First off, the Zero: Let Us Explore The Stars exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. While the waiting line for the Matisse exhibition was at least two hours long, I only came across a handful of people in the Zero exhibition. Which is strange, because it’s one of the most beautiful exhibitions I’ve seen so far this year. Admittedly, I am a huge fan of modern and contemporary art after 1940, so it’s no surprise that seeing works by my favourite artists such as Hans Haacke, Jan Schoonhoven and Piero Manzoni gets me super excited. I might even go back for a second visit.

Next up is the incredibly lovely movie Begin Again with Keira Knightly and Mark Ruffalo. Honestly, I really didn’t know what to watch and just selected a random movie. But I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a feel good movie about a musician and a producer who are both going through personal issues and who decide to create an album together. It comes with an awesome soundtrack and great performances by Knightly and Ruffalo. Oh, and did I already mention that Keira’s outfits are A-MA-ZING!

And finally my summer jam: Jamie xx – I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) ft. Young Thug & Popcaan. A friend introduced me to the song while we were on our way to the beach a few weeks ago. I haven’t stopped listening to it since. Unfortunately he wasn’t included in the line-up for the Lowlands festival where I will be working this weekend. But I get to see Kendrick Lamar, so it’s all good.

Have a nice weekend!

Pictures by Gert Jan van Rooij

shopping-rotterdam-daarboven

Although I love the city I live in, it’s nice to visit another city in your own country every once in a while. Now I know a lot of people tend to go shopping or sightseeing in Amsterdam which is one of my all-time favorite cities too of course. But ever since I started working in Rotterdam a couple of years ago, I discovered it’s a pretty exciting city to spend your day in, with a lot of things to see and/or do. So I created a map with my favorite spots divided into 4 categories: shopping, food/drinks, art/architecture and others and added a description of three of the places you will most likely run into me (which, in most cases, is probably not a good thing). Let me know if you feel like there’s anything missing!

SKINS COSMETICS
Van Oldenbarneveltstraat 137 I website
In case you ever wondered where to buy those pretty Diptyque candles that you’re seeing all over Instagram and blogs, Skins is the place you’re looking for. A cosmetics store that exclusively sells niche brands such as Aesop, Diptyque and Byredo. But most importantly my favorite perfume, Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules.

KOEKELA
Nieuwe Binnenweg 79a I website
Hands down the best bakery in Rotterdam when it comes to pies, muffins, bars and cookies. Or maybe I should just describe this place as Heaven. I don’t think I ever met someone from Rotterdam that wasn’t familiar with this bakery. I highly recommend the caramel shortbread, lemon meringue pie and well, pretty much everything else too.

MUSEUM BOIJMANS VAN BEUNINGEN
Museumpark 18 I website
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands. It houses a unique collection of art from the Middle Ages until today. Here you will find works by Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Dali and Margritte. This autumn the museum is showing an exhibition about the future of fashion with contemporary fashion designers including Viktor&Rolf, Christophe Coppens and Hussein Chalayan.