Food fetish month is coming up!

OK, fine, it is not an official thing. But, it might as well be.
Everyone who wants food (porn) all day every day must be jumping around with sincere excitement.
Even if you are not a sucker for Instagram posts of food made by you or anyone else in the world with internet access; trust me, you should be excited. Child in a candy shop excited; On a serious sugar rush.

So here is a list of what we should all be looking forward to:

Amsterdam Coffee Festival

I know, I know...not strictly food. But who are we kidding? Coffee is amazing, so it deserves its own weekend. Also, it is an amazing introduction of the month in which the weekends do not seem to be enough for all the binge eating.

When? 
Happening om the 2nd and 3rd of May at the NDSM-werf.

Who is gonna be there? 
Participants include Headfirst coffee roasters, Coffee Company, Lot Sixty One, and Food Kitchen for an additional epicurean edge.

Chek out their website for more info and tickets, or share the event with your friends.

Food Film Festival 

When?
Starting on the 9th of May. So for 3 days you will be able to stare at food in motion.

Films, workshop, lectures, parties, you shall have it all.
Here is a link to the event, as well as their official website, where you can also get your tickets.

Taste of Amsterdam 

When?
From 15th til the 18th of May.

But why? 
You can be eating dishes prepared by the crème de la crème.
Last year this time I had exams so I was not able to attend last year's edition. I was very bummed out, so I plan on making up for it. Were you obstructed as well? I suggest you follow my lead ;)

Who is gonna be there?
Just to mention some of the participating restaurants I got excited about:

- &Samhoud Places
- Aan de Poel
- Bridges
- Jaime van Heije (young talented chef!)
- Julius Bar & Grill
- Le Garage
- Screaming Beans
- The Harbour Club (Bring on the oysters and lobsters!)
- Vis aan de Schelde (Ditto)


Use this useful link to share with your friends, and get your tickets through the official website.

Dutch Rhubarb Week 2014

What a peculiar plant is this rhubarb! Totally in season and waiting to be used in creative ways from the 22nd until the 31st of May.

Organised by Mister Kitchen, who also co-organises the Weekend van de Rollende Keukens.

Het Weekend van de Rollende Keukens 

I mean, since we are on a roll with this food thing, we might as well.

When?
From Wednesday 28th til Sunday the 1st of June the Westerpark will be full of food trucks and tents.
Thank you Mister Kitchen and Pacific Park for organizing this event for the seventh time!

Last year I went twice, and I loved it! Some things were quite overpriced, that is true, but everything I had was delicious. I cannot wait to go again.

De Oysterkar - They had about 6 different kinds, tried them all

Rollende Keukens 2013

In Conclusion

Like seriously?! Are you freakin' kidding me?

All in all, I got overly thrilled just by writing this post. That cannot be healthy.
Also, I am fairly convinced that you will agree with me than May is not the month to start working on your beach body.

xxx A.

My Amsterdam To Do List for September

It has been 5 full days since I have not left my house (and I do not count the 20 seconds necessary for throwing my trash out yesterday evening). I have been mainly bed-bound, since I have contracted the chicken pox. Most people have this illness when they are in kindergarden or elementary school. The few others, people like me, have managed to successfully dodge it. At least until last weekend, when I most likely contracted it when I was doing some volunteer work at a farm for kids. My friend made a good comment about this "That's some weird karma right there". I must agree.

Anyways, since I am feeling much better now, I started thinking of all the things I can be doing out in Amsterdam, once I can actually get out of my house without being a health hazard to my surroundings.

So here is are some things that are on my list:

1. The Stedelijk Museum
I have been waiting for this for so long! The museum has been closed for ever, and not even the interns there knew when exactly it would be opening. I wish my friend Gala would be here, with whom we have discussed this museum countless times.

Read more about the reopening here.

2. Unseen Photo fair
First time I heard about this was around a month ago from a German friend of mine. I was immediately intrigued, and put a mental marker on it. In the last 2 weeks I constantly see posts related to it in my Facebook feed. All of my friends in Amsterdam seem to be going nuts about it. So there is only one this left to do - Go see it myself.

For more info check out the website here.

3. The Begijnhof
The last time I was here was probably one of the first times I visited Amsterdam. I would definitely describe it as the secret garden hidden in the most busy touristic area of the city. Right next to the busy Kalverstraat and the Dam square, you can find this beautiful, tranquil, and somehow magical garden. This time I am gonna go see it as a resident of Amsterdam.

Check out the website here

Finally, here is one for wishful thinking - Inside Design, which was features in ELLE Decoration.
I was really hoping I could go see this one, but my chicken pox did not agree. In case I would look better on Sunday, I would love to catch the last day. But the realist in me, knows that it is probably something for next time.

Fashion's Night Out - Amsterdam Edition

Exactly a week ago I was leaving the P.C. Hooftstraat in Amsterdam, after a very nice evening dedicated to fashion. The little shopping and pretty-things addict in me was rejoicing the happening of that day, but definitely the happening of the month in Amsterdam - Vogue's Fashion's Night Out. 

For the first time Vogue organized this evening, full of events happening in the famous Dutch department store De Bijenkorf (meaning 'beehive'), and on the renown high fashion shopping street P.C. Hooftstraat in the Museum District of Amsterdam. 

The event started at 6pm and lasted until 10pm on the P.C. and until 11pm in the Bijenkorf. Needless to say, there was no realistic scenario in which 4 hours would be enough for me to go check out all the sports I wanted to. Therefore, I decided to calm down a little, and enjoy the things I can see to the fullest.

After trying on and tossing clothes to the side for about an hour and a half, I figured out what to wear and hurried to meet two of my friends at the Bijenkorf for the viewing of the fashion documentary "Diana Vreeland: The eye has to travel". Excited, but not with too many expectations, I joined my friends on the top floor of the Bijenkort where the first screening started at 18:45.

And OMG! The movie was so well done! It is made as an interview with Diana Vreeland, the figure who made Vogue Vogue. And there was one thing on my mind during the movie: "Wow, this woman is so funny!". This woman was the pioneer of crazy awesome fashion shoots and daring editorials. But I will not get into the detailed biography if this interesting woman, as I am sure I would not do better that Wikipedia. I will, however, post the official trailer to the documentary to spare you the YouTube search.

After watching the documentary, we made use of the cab service. There were three types of 'vehicles' - the Vogue FNO Mercedes, the Moet & Chandon tuk tuks, and the Tommy Hilfiger yellow cabs. Though the tuk tuk with a glass of champagne sounded awesome, we decided not to be picky (as the line was about 15 minutes of waiting, and it was quite cold outside), and hopped into one of the Vogue Mercedes cars with a sympathetic young driver who, though professional, did not manage to keep a straight face during the 15 minute ride. Not that he did not try. Let's just say that the conversation we were having was very girly and full of entertaining anecdotes, which did not start with "that one night, we decided to stay sober".

Finally, we arrived at the P.C. Hooftstraat. Almost every store had something going on. The huge line at Chanel made us suppress our desiree to see the special edition lipstick and nailpolish, so we continued down the street, and after a brief stop and the Frozz frozen yoghurt stand in front of the Italian luxury store Iceberg, we  headed to Filippa K. 

Filippa K did not not disappoint. We were greeted by the DJ's dancey tunes form the second floor of the store, which we sipped on a glass of champagne. To avoid the alcohol hitting the head, the guests were served finger-food (on a stick), which was delicious. A ball of goat cheese covered in pistachio and honey, or a trendy take on a simple meatball...it was delicious, and definitely excited the foodie in me as well. After browsing through the pretty clothes of the Scandinavian designer store, we decided to quickly check out some other spots on the street.

DJ at the Filipa K store

We entered the Diesel store, where the party was full power. Dimmer lighting, loud music. White wine, Russian Mules, Peroni, and Pellegrino. The whole shabang. It was definitely more about the Diesel motto, than about their clothes that evening :)

We continued to Hermes. My motto when entering the store "Indulge the eye, with what the wallet cannot buy". And we did. The experience was made even more magical by a handsome young gentleman who set a little paper on fire and turned it into a light-orange rose. Which he then turned into two...and that one in another two...until all the ladies watching had a rose to take home. And when you would look at it at home, you would dream of that Hermes bag.

After exiting dream land, we went to Karen Millen, where we savored a nice glass of pink champagne while checking out the new collection. Soon we headed back to Filippa K. to meet the rest of our friends. By now the shops were closing and the quite tunes of the DJ in Filippa K. had tuned to a fun party, which everyone was enjoying outside. 

For some the evening ended there, for others at the after-party in the Conservatorium. My evening ended up with some beers with a couple of my friends at a bar in the centre of Amsterdam.

Fun night!

Live music to close down the evening

The Zara Home store was ready for visitor since the morning

Old school ride

Tommy Hilfiger yellow cab is parked at the store at 4pm

The last preparations for the evening are going on

Nothing says festive as some gold and silver balloons - Nice job, Oger!

Make space for fashion!

The cover comes alive

The weather was kind the whole day

Voltt loves summer

Since I got back to Amsterdam two weeks before school started again, and the weather was far more welcoming and summery than before I left for Bulgaria to enjoy and actual summer, I figured that I should do some nice things in my free time.

After having a coffee and a very nice beet soup and a delicious quiche at the Vlaamsch Broodhuys,  I decided that I should join her and many other friend to VOLTT. It is one of the last festivals of the summer season, that I would recommend to any party goer in Amsterdam. Though we got wet a couple of times, the sun broke through and everyone enjoyed their time listening to the amazing DJs.

We definitely <3 Voltt loves summer 2012

Back in Amsterdam

After almost a month in Bulgaria, enjoying the sunny beaches with family and friends, I am back in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.

The weather is much better than a month ago, in fact people are talking about a heat wave. So far, I am ok with it.

As a welcome back, I decided to go to one of my favorite places and order one of my favorite foods - eggs Benedict at Cafe George.

If you are a fan of eggs Benedict, this place should most definitely be on your Amsterdam restaurant and cafe list.

My drink - koffie verkeerd (Dutch for cafe latte)

Finally, my date for today's brunch - the new September issue of the Dutch Vogue.

Xxx

When in St. Vlas...

Every summer when I come to Bulgaria, I decide to jump into the car with some of my friends and spend a weekend in Sunny Beach and party like it is our high school grad trip again. Alternatively, we go to St. Vlas, in Bulgaria known as Sveti Vlas. I would say that St. Vlas is about 2 km north from Sunny Beach, but in the past years they have practically merged.

Sveti Vlas is a very bizarre place. 

When you are passing the alcohol drenched, mostly teenage, tourists in Sunny Beach, luxury is the last concept that comes to your mind. As a tourist you also do not expect that only 2 km up the coast from the Bulgarian centre of debauchery, you can find the Saint Tropez, or the Orange County, if you will, of Bulgaria (these terms were also mentioned by some of my friends who came to visit me in Bulgaria). Rather than being flabbergasted by the group of Dutch or Scottish drunks who are trying to charm you after being thrown out of a cab in front of their hotel at 4:30 a.m., you will be amazed by the astonishing amounts of men in their 40ties dressed in expensive clothes getting out of their Bentleys and Maybachs in the company of not-so-natural blondes who are struggling to walk in their sky-high heels and tight mini dresses.

My name is...

Sveti Vlas (Bulgarian for Saint Vlas) is a rather small city, some would call it a village even, but officially since February 2006 it is listed as a city. It's history starts around the second century AD, and is called by the Greeks Larissa.
The village, now city, retained its Greek name up until the 14th century, when it was renamed Sveti Vlas (Bulgarian for Saint Vlas), as it is known until today.
It is documented that in the 14th century there were five monasteries in the area. The four male monasteries were St. Peter (Св. Петър), St. Ilija (Св. Илия), St. Andrei (Св. Андрей), and St. Vlas (Св. Влас), and the fifth was a female one named St. Ana ().
Therefore, when Bulgaria was under the Ottoman Empire it was registered as Manastir (Turkish for monastery).

View onto the marina and the Nesebar Bay from the residential complex Manastira, which means monastery in Bulgarian

Population then...

Since its establishment the population of St. Vlas was mainly Greek. After 1920 most of the Greek population migrated as part of the Greek-Turkish exchange. In the years after many Bulgarian families from Greece found their new homes in St. Vlas. Being at the feet of the mountain and on the seacoast, its excellent climate started attracting more and more people to the cozy village.

...and now

The city is a beloved place of many Russians who have purchased summer homes in St. Vlas, and soon might outnumber the Bulgarian population. The secret garden of Nesebar however, has not remained so secret, and has also been discovered by many Scots and Scandinavians.

St. Vlas is also known as a prominent summer destination among Bulgarian celebrities, who adore the beautiful marina. And why shouldn't they? I myself find it also very pretty. As a matter of fact, I also find it quite impressive. The marina of St. Vlas, also known as Marina Dinevi, is probably the biggest one on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
Besides offering a perfect place to find a parking spot for your beloved vehicle (yes, vehicle, because I do not only mean yachts), it hosts a couple of very delicious restaurants and a night club. The marina forms a part of the Dinevi Resort, which is named after the two brothers who built it. They have managed to cultivate the wild beaches and rocks of St. Vlas, and create what I would dare to call one of the most prominent and luxurious vacation spots in Bulgaria.

Sunset at the marina with Carole and Elena

Photo moment in the Marina Dinevi in St. Vlas with Deni and Elena in her chili peppers dress

Vamos a la playa!

Saint Vlas has many small beaches, all of them look in the south direction. Next to the marina, also forming a part of the Dinevi complex, is the Venid beach, which has been extended from its natural approximately 5 meters into a big beach full of umbrellas with sun-beds, volleyball courts, and beach bar and restaurants. During our stay here, we visited the beach bar La Playa. We liked it so much that we spent there four hours sipping on various summery cocktails from the menu.

Strawberry cocktail and an exotic lemonade to start with...while enjoying the beach

A little champagne - blue curacao - gin cokctail....it was quite intriguing, so resisting was pointless

La Playa - definitely a place worth the buzz

xxx
A.

Since the weather is crap outside...

This is probably one of the few times that I am ok with the weather not being nice. Admittedly, it started being cloudy and rainy yesterday already, but only today it made me stay at home the whole day.

Though it is very bad news for my tan, it is good new for my blog, which sadly, I have been neglecting again. I have been thinking about it a lot though, if that makes any difference. Either way, I will use this opportunity to post something :)

I have been spending my summer so far in Sozopol. I have been coming here for many years, and though it is not party central number 1 on the Black Sea coast, it still has a great charm.

Sozopol is one of the oldest seaside cities, located on the south coast of Bulgaria. It is also known as Appollonia (ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΑ), which is its ancient Greek name. The name Sozopol started appearing in many forms since the first century AD when it was known as Sozopolis. I promise to elaborate more on Sozopol's hisory and post more pictures later.

Three of my friends - Elena, Deni and Carole are enjoying a night walk on the ancient fortification wall

Evening walk with Deni and Carole through the old town of Apollonia

Happy Carole and Elena in a beach bar in the 'New Town'

xxx A.