lifestyle / golden hour

The warmth of the sun that glistens between 17:00 ~ 18:30 and shadows that fills the space.

Just a small golden hour series that I captured during my time at the office and commuting back home.

I thought I'd post this since Rotterdam is now back to its usual cloudy days. 

How's the weather over on your side? 

the weekend tales / museumpark

Sun's out and it feels like Spring in Rotterdam. 

Funny how just about a week ago it was snowing over here. 

Today a friend and I went for a nice stroll to Museumpark after catching up over our bagel lunch date. 

Here are some photos that I shot, playing around with different perspectives while capturing the essence of modern architecture. 

travel / when in athens

Over the summer my siblings and I flew from Eindhoven to the historical city of Athens in Greece for a three night stay. Traveling to Athens reminded me of my sixth grade days. Back in 2005, my school had our annual sixth grade Medieval Week festival, and my class got Greek Mythology as our theme. Throughout the festival I was Athena, the goddess of war. I don't remember how I ended up getting Athena, but I dressed up like her and eventually became her for a week. So being in Athens this summer felt surreal; I would never have imagined traveling to the city that I often studied about during my school years. 

My trip in Athens was short but it's definitely one to remember...partly because I had a terrible food poisoning hours before my morning flight back to Eindhoven that made me call the SOS doctor to our AirBnb place. Might I add it was 5a.m. when the doctor came. But besides that unfortunate event, Athens was a beautiful city full of characteristics, amazingly cheap and delicious food, political movement, and of course its architecture. 

While in the city, one of my fondest activity was visiting the Acropolis Museum where you not only enjoy the artefacts, but also Athens' beautiful cityscape from their outdoor restaurant and café. I didn't have lunch there, but I do recommend their dessert menu! It was the perfect refreshment on a hot summer day. If you happen to be in Athens during the warmer months, spend an evening watching at an outdoor cinema! My siblings and I watched David Lean's (1955) Summertime right after sunset with salty popcorns, nachos, and drinks in our hands (we were hungry). The whole experience was lovely and I'm glad we managed to get last minute tickets!

We didn't explore the entire city of Athens, but if you are planning to travel to the city here's a list of my favourites:

Attractions

Acropolis Museum
Dionysiou Areopagitou 15
€5- per adult (reduced fares available) 

The Parthenon
€12- per adult for a package deal to visit other temples (reduced fares available)*
If you're an (international) university student in Europe you can get in for free by showing your student ID card.

Temple of Olympian Zeus
Same applies as stated above*

The National Garden 
Amalias 1

Activities

Mount. Lycabettus
Centro de la Ciudad de Atenas
Go on a hike to mount Lycabettus that is worth your every effort. Trust me, the view is just spectacular especially during sunset.

The Art Foundation (TAF)
Normanou 5
A unique gallery and café with a rustic, demolished yet young atmosphere. If you're lucky like I was, you'll get a personal free tour guide by the current curator!

Cine Thisio
Apostolou Pavlou 7
Really recommend trying this! It's also listed as one of the most enjoyable cinemas in the world.

Vouliagmeni beach and lake
Fancy taking a day trip outside Athens but don't want to travel too far? Try visiting Vouliagmeni! We checked both the beach and the lake, but ended spending our time at the beach. Entrance for the beach cost €2- and you will get access to a crystal clear ocean.

Directions:
Take line 2 Metro and get off at Elliniko. Then take the E22 bus right outside Elliniko metro station. The bus ride will take approx. 30 minutes, get off at Vouliagmeni. Try asking a local or other passengers for the exact stop to be sure! I did so and it really helped since I couldn't read the signs. 

Areas to check out: Exarcheia, Plaka, Monastiraki square

travel / a little trip to the seaside

The main harbour

Scarborough castle

Since this summer, I have finally moved to Leeds, UK, for my study abroad program for university. It has been roughly two weeks since I moved and so far, I am loving Leeds! Over the last weekend I made a one day trip to Scarborough located in the Northern Yorkshire region. We left Leeds at about nine in the morning and reached Scarborough just around fifteen past ten o'clock. Lately the weather in the UK hasn't been so bright but thank goodness the weather when I was there was perfect! The sky was clear and blue, and the sun scorching hot despite now being the end of September. 

Throughout the day we explored this little sunshine place; how in love was I with this city. From the buildings to the doorsteps and to every corners, this city is just beautiful. Can I just say that there is something about British doorsteps that makes me want to take out my camera and shoot it (I know I'm not the only one who likes to take photos of people's doorsteps!) These doors are so colourful and unique from house to house, neighbourhood to neighbourhood. I also noticed how the Brits love pastel homes and also brick walls. It's everywhere.

While living in the UK, why not try and devour on their fish and chips? I most certainly did so for our quick lunch. One funny thing though, was the pudding. Now, I realized that British pudding and the usual pudding that I normally eat is different. British puddings are like cakes, whereas the ones I enjoy are cold and jelly-like, similar to flans. Knowing this now, I think I won't order puddings in the near future since I did not particularly enjoyed it. But who knows, maybe one day there will be a time in which I come to like British puddings!

My one day trip to Scarborough was just splendid and I am most definitely looking forward to more roadtrips around the UK! If you guys have any recommendations of places to see and try out, do leave me comments! I'd love to know about them :)

travel / bali photodiary

So long overdue since my trip to the land of the Gods, Bali, but I still reminisce about those glorious sunny days, the beach, the sunsets and of course the food. It was a five night stay but boy was I happy to finally see the beach after nearly a year, might I add. Can't wait to explore more of Indonesia one day, there's just to much to see in my motherland. Here's a little sneak peek of my Bali getaway, though I have to say that these photos don't do justice to what the eyes can see.

travel / buongiorno!

The view of Firenze, Tuscany from Piazzale Michelangelo

Giardino di Boboli in Firenze

Venezia

 My Italian getaway was far too short and I immediately fell in love with the city of Florence and Venice at first sight. The weather during my time in Italy was beyond amazing. The sun was radiant and always warm with breezy wind to balance it out. Yes, it was perfect unlike the Netherlands in which it was pouring cold rain (and super windy as always) the evening that I left for Italy. The rustic city of Florence has its hidden charms and you can find its gems (one of them being gelato of course) in every corner, despite how small the city is. As for Venice, the main island was absolutely breathtaking. It's nothing like the past travels and cities I've been to. The quaint and charming neighbourhood, to the beautiful hand-made arts and endless staircase. My time in Italy was amazing and I would definitely come back for a longer stay to explore deeper and to continue my quest for the most delicious gelato and Italian food, unique corners and cafés!