Last night was the European Football Championship semi-finals, Germany against Italy. I was excited to be in Stuttgart and watched the first half of the match with the crowd gathered in the Biergarten im Schlossgarten Stuttgart. Unfortunately, the outcome was not in Germany's favor, but the fans were amazingly spirited.
A few scenes from an evening in Stuttgart, where I'm spending the next few days on a work trip. After a morning of traveling and an afternoon of final preparations, I went for an evening walk in search of a bite to eat. It is properly summery here (ahem, Amsterdam) and everyone was outside to enjoy it. I landed in Weinstube Fröhlich for a dinner of Schwäbische Käsespätzle, which is basically delicious and cheesy. And not at all photogenic. More to come!
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Seeing The Life and Death of Marina Abramović at the Holland Festival. Just beautiful with the most amazing opening scene (pictured above, via) 2. Adding The Slide Inn to my list of restaurants to try when I next go to Portland 3. Google Street View for hiking trails (via @MarisaBrotman) 4. A recipe for whole wheat brownies 5. Dutch music now in The Guardian 6. A fisherman's favorite things 7. An overview of styles and trends in food photography (pictured below)
This record player plays slices of wood, translating year ring data into music.
A tree’s year rings are analysed for their strength, thickness and rate of growth. This data serves as basis for a generative process that outputs piano music. It is mapped to a scale which is again defined by the overall appearance of the wood (ranging from dark to light and from strong texture to light texture). The foundation for the music is certainly found in the defined ruleset of programming and hardware setup, but the data acquired from every tree interprets this ruleset very differently.
[vimeo vimeo.com/30501143 w=500&h=400]
Last Sunday, we headed outside of Paris for a visit to the Palace of Versailles with my aunt and uncle. My impression of the historical palace was wrapped up in associations with the royal monarchy, Marie Antoinette, and the French Revolution, but also as the place where the German Empire was founded and the first World War officially brought to an end.
The palace was grant and opulent, a sight worth seeing. But the gardens really stole my heart. It was a perfect summer day and we were all in the mood for a lazy stroll. We spent about six hours in Versailles, but it would have taken at least an entire day to see all the outlying buildings. I am glad we had the chance to go and see this grand monument of history.
A few scenes from our short trip to Paris, a city that so many people love. Our time in the city was sweet. We ate well, shared bottles of wine, and wandered the rainy streets. I even made friends with a dog who literally kissed my feet.
We're off tomorrow for a long weekend in Paris. It has been over a month since I last crossed the border and I'm eager for a change of sights and sounds. Unfortunately, its high season for my spring allergies, but I hope to survive the Parisian pollens. The occasion for the trip is to meet up with my aunt and uncle, traveling through a few European cities. Amsterdam didn't make their list, but we were happy to meet them in France!
Photo by Irene S
The Everywhere Project is a design collaboration initiated by designer and illustrator Adrian Walsh. Inspired by the song 'I've Been Everywhere', each of the 92 luggage labels represents one of the 92 locations listed in the song.
via Alyson Brown, the designer behind the Winslow, Arizona tag.
Eggplants were never my thing. A few too many experiences with sponge-like failures kept me away from them for most of my life. But, in the past weeks, several eggplants have showed up in our local CSA box and I have given them another try. Marcus and I made up this simple recipe, which makes an easy appetizer or a full meal when served over pasta.
Ingredients: 1 eggplant, in 1/4-inch thick slices 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tomato, in thin slices Parmesan cheese, grated or in thin slices salt and pepper
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and minced garlic. Brush onto one side of the eggplant. Add the tomatoes, then the salt and pepper. Spread the Parmesan cheese on top. Place directly on the oven rack, bake for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Spotting these woodsy wedding invitations (pictured above, via) 2. Cheering for the German National Team in their first match of the European Championships. A photo gallery of their victory over Portugal. 3. Making honey, ginger sparkling lemonade with rosemary. Delish 4. Downloading the Getty Images Year in Focus 2011 digital book 5. Enjoying a dinner at Bo Cinq with the ladies behind sisterMag 6. Watching the illustrated video The proof that we're soulmates <3 (pictured and embedded below)
[vimeo vimeo.com/43457382 w=500&h=400]
A film about place and memory, a farmhouse in Japan, and the lives of the people who called it home.
A beautiful short film about John Roderick, an Associated Press reporter in Japan, and his discovery of an old farmhouse in Japan. He and his adopted son Yoshihiro Takishita, an architect and antique dealer, transported and restored the farmhouse in a suburb of Tokyo. Shot just a month after the death of Roderick, the film looks at the memories within the walls of the minka farmhouse (via Ignant).
[vimeo vimeo.com/20658635 w=500&h=400]
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Beautiful video This Is Oregon that made me homesick for mountains and dense forests (via Eyes and Edge) 2. A trip to Amsterdam North to try out Stork Restaurant (pictured above, via) 3. A recipe for The Very Hungry Caterpillar Fruit Salad (via Eric Carle Blog) 4. Diamond Jubilee paper figures 5. A review of one of my favorite reads this year 6. Infographics to remind me when fruits, vegetables, and herbs are in season (pictured below, via sodapopgirl)
Life lately has been filled with the first signs of summer, taking care of my sick husband, making plans, and spending time outdoors when the sun is shining.
Above: Flowers for my birthday. Below: Lunch on a bread board / Homemade strawberry basil lemonade / Ice cream on a bike ride through the park / A ladybug on my finger / Mini hamburgers for the meat eater / A day at the beach
Dishes from the menu of London's Sketch restaurant, created by chef Pierre Gagnaire, were deconstructed and then reassembled as vertical sculptures by Dutch designers Raw Color. (via)
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Moonrise Kingdom! I was lucky enough to see this on Friday before it opened most places. Have you seen it and loved it as much as I did? (pictured above) 2. How Wes Anderson creates a musical identity for his films (via @lilywanderlust) 3. Ana Tijoux was a guest DJ on the NPR music show Alt.Latino 4. An interview with Piero Tosi, the last survivor of Italian Neorealism, on the beauty of Rome (pictured below) 5. Marie Claire has announced a photography award for photo reports on women (via @djclark)
The weather in Amsterdam has been ideal lately, perfect for barbeques on rooftop terraces (last night) and picnics in the park (tonight). Lemonade is the classic summer drink, but not so easy to find in the Netherlands. My first attempt at making homemade lemonade began with a basic lemonade recipe and ended with an infusion of blackberries. The result was a great mix of sweet and sour.
"They take themselves so lightly."
Sighted at Café De Republiek in Brugge
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Tasting the pastries at De Laatse Kruimel on an early Saturday morning (pictured above, via) 2. Planning to make these roasted strawberry and coconut milk popsicles when the weather turns warmer 3. Reading about photographer Elizabeth D. Herman's project to trace the memories of women who have experienced war 4. Watching a Vice feature of Donald Weber's work on Chernobyl and Fukushima 5. Adding 'staying in a treehouse' to my list of things to do on my next visit to the Pacific Northwest (pictured below, via) 6. Laughing at these videos of adorable kids and elderly men
Last week, I went to Belgium for a five-day work trip with two colleagues. My days were spent curating a photo exhibition, holding a press conference, and delivering a speech at the exhibition opening. All things that I don't usually do, but which I really enjoyed. In our free moments, my colleagues and I explored the seaside town of Knokke-Heist, where we were staying, and beyond.
One of the highlights was spending an evening in Brugge. I have been to Belgium numerous times and visited almost every major city, with the exception of Brugge. Our first stop was a waffle house and then a chocolate shop.
Not long after we headed into the side streets in search of a place with music for the evening. We ended up instead at Café De Republiek to sample a few Belgian beers as we talked about our favorite literature. After a further wander, we headed for a delicious dinner at Bistro Refter.
The day before the official exhibition opening, we had some extra time. I grabbed my speech to practice and we hopped in the car for a drive along the Belgian coastline, a late lunch in Dunkerque, and an evening in Lille. Just across the Belgian border, Lille is the fourth largest city in France.
We browsed through an open air book market, which had a fascinating collection of caricatures and advertisements from the '60s.
After a further walk through the city and a sampling of macarons, we went to a simple, rustic restaurant for dinner. Throughout the week, we had great conversations over the dinner table, from hilarious accounts of awkward travel moments to serious questions about life and death. On our way back to Knokke-Heist, we told ghost stories as we drove across the darkened Belgian countryside.
It has been a while since I wrote about books. In the last few months, I haven't read as much as usual, rather focusing on the wedding, visiting family, and work events. Summer is slowly arriving and I have a pile of books waiting for me. What will you be reading this summer?
Books and audiobooks from January - May Elizabeth I by Margaret George. An epic work of historical fiction that centers around the life of the Virgin Queen of England. I listened to this audiobook over the span of many weeks and was enthralled with the conniving courtiers, the battles against the Spanish Armada, and the struggles and joys of reigning a kingdom.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim. An inspiring story of four English women who decide, in defiance of social propriety, to escape the rain and drear of England for a springtime in Italy. I listened to this audiobook while riding my bike through rainy Amsterdam with the promise of a honeymoon in Italy ahead of me.
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. While I wasn't a huge fan of The Corrections (gasp!), I really enjoyed Freedom. Even in their absurdity, I could identify with the characters who must face 'the temptations and burdens of liberty'.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. This classic follows the life of Billy Pilgrim and, most poignantly, when he witnesses the bombing of Dresden during World War II.
Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz. Cognitive scientist and dog lover Alexandra Horowitz investigates the ways dogs experience and understand the world.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. I listened to the audiobook while traveling the Amalfi Coast. A short, sweet autobiography about the comedy writer and her reflections on her childhood, youth, and coming into her profession.
Yeah. No. Totally. by Lisa Wells. Written from the heart of Portland, Oregon. A tale of a floundering generation set against a backdrop of music and booze, the expanse of nature and the harshest realities.
The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez. A story of the last travels of General Simon Bolivar as he takes a journey down the Magdalena River, revisiting cities and memories.
The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland. A cookbook that has been a new source of inspiration in the kitchen since 7 April. The photography by Sara Remington is fantastic and the recipes are divine.
You Look at Me Like An Emergency by Cig Harvey. An autobiography in photographs and words.