N Y C

new york.
last week i left holland to take a trip back to the states. ( now i am back in NL) i was struck by how incredibly beautiful the recently snow covered dutch landscape was thru the plane window. as we ascended, it became even more beautiful and the ocean ( see above photo) looked like it was glowing...
golden and heavenly looking. it was hard to leave
i arrived in nyc ( where i lived for a stint in the early 2000's) and it rained for the first few days but i still ran along the west side hwy park and walked the highline. i think this is my favorite place to go nowadays, especially early am and late afternoon when there are no crowds. ( middle photos) the view from my window in the west village ( thank you H & J)  serendipitously looked out at a typical dutch brick building, possibly from the 17th or 18th century, that could be one you see in holland quite often
i had a very nyc experience, one that is hard to put into words, suffice it to say, it was mezmorizing, memorable, fun  and so peaceful.  i encourage anyone in nyc over the next few weeks to go see Ann Hamilton's "event of a thread"  installation at the Park Ave Armory. you will enter the armory, leave the city behind and emerge inspired, relaxed and smiling......
nyc, i miss you but its always so immensely enjoyable to come back and visit.

A M S T E R D A M

decided to do another post on AMSTERDAM with a few more of my favorite spots
 * Museumplein - spend time here even if you have no intentions of going to a museum or if you, like me, have a one museum a day max but your traveling companion wants to hit more..it is a wonderful open park with a skatebaan, cafes, a huge green lawn, a pond that people skate on in the winter and amazing people watching. this is where  the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum (the collection is currently housed in the Hermitage museum), Stedelijk Museum, and the  concert building Concertgebouw are located. 
( the photo of H & i was taken here as well as the woman sitting on top off the letters  M & S,  perfectly color coordinated)
* Cafe De Jaren -  a cafe‑restaurant  that occupies a rather enormous former bank. it is situated on a canal with gorgeous views, the ceilings are unusually high and flooring is multicolored tiled mosaic. it is said to be:  " fashionable without being pretentious." they have the best assortment of magazines, newpapers, they offer free wifi and its always buzzing with people working onlaptops or just relaxing.
just over a nearby canal is  the famous * Droog  "concept" store filed with dutch design ( including gorgeous woodburning stoves for sale) . i love the beauty shop upstairs and the cafe. 
* Haarlemmerstraat - such a fun street for window shopping, eating, or hitting the "coffee shops" of which there are plenty.
* Foam  which is an extensive photography center, with classes, exhibits,  a museum - i recently saw a Diane Arbus show there.
* westergasfabriek park where i saw the Unseen Photo Fair earlier this fall 
( these are the photos of photo-billboards - stunning)
more  AMSTERDAM  soon

amsterdam

amsterdam - its an extremely urban yet feels-like-a-cozy-village city. i could never cover it in one post - so here are just a few of my favorite images & places,  focused mainly on the centrum close to jordaan & westerpark where i keep returning again and again.
love the gasfbriek & westerpark - the old water & gas works buildings restored and now used for events. they house a cinema, nightclub/jazz club, restaurants, cafes and events spaces. huge green park space too.  i love de bakkerswinkel for breakfast or lunch. amazing bakery & wonderful people watching with a lively & creative interior. 
the sailboat is an original ship model ( from 1600's) used for building and equipping naval ships and instructing their crew. it is housed in the rijks museum collection of historical objects. a "must see" but go early and on a weekday. 
the car & the dog in a bikebasket - these are just some of the koooky, fun, unexpected things one will stumble upon when walking around amsterdam.....the canals and architecture alone compel me to go into amsterdam about once a week to just take it all in. 

nacht. la nuit. night

now that the days are shorter i am quite aware that even some mornings can feel like night time.
i was biking the other day at 7:30 am, the full moon & stars were out and it felt like midnight.
because of this big shift  (lets be honest,  lack of daylight hours)  i was inspired to do a post on my "night" images. amsterdam, berlin, wassenaar, strasbourg and paris ( my favorites) its true that some cities and especially architecture are best seen at night ( or early am), especially the city of lights...so get out there early or late and take it all in.

B E R L I N

BERLIN
 a fascinating, vibrant, historically complicated yet fresh and exciting city.
we were so lucky to be invited to two wonderful, quite social thanksgiving celebrations with german/american expat couples. we stayed in possibly the nicest guest apt. with the best art  & photography collection ever. we met some amazing berliners - who all LOVE living there (and the younger ones all rave about the height of their ceillings & size of their apartments.) everyone kept saying : " you should move here, its fabulous.."
 with the exception of attending the holiday celebrations, the opera and  a never-to-be-forgotten  private house concert ( trio from berlin orchestra) on a lake we just walked and walked.
its the best way to see any european city, add in a bike ride or two  ( easily renteable now in all major european cities) to cover more ground.
this is my short list of not to be missed: 
*the berlin zoo, situated right in the heart of the city, a mere walk from our apartment.
i saw animals i have never seen in nyc, brooklyn and CA zoos, i was pleasantly surprised.
they had these very colorful, old fashioned carts ( see photo) to wheel your kids around in, makes one appreciated the way things used to be.
*seeing a concert or attending the opera in schiller theatre. we were gifted tickets to see mozart's la finta giardiniera. it was an amzing experience. the berliners are a tough crowd. 
 some - booing the director at the end. i had never experienced that before.
* walking around Kollwitzplatz  -  one of Prenzlauer Berg’s best-known and (arguably) most attractive squares.  saturday  is an especially fun day to be there - they have a most amazing farmers market...replete with typical german wool garments, baked goods, green groceries, wine stalls - its a fun people watching scene - with baby strollers outnumbering us all. the hip stores and cafes around the whole prenzlauerberg area are great for window shopping & eating.
* a meal at SET cafe  ( sitzen/sit essen /trinkin ) in the neighborhood of charlottenburg where we stayed

juwelen bijoux jewelry

 my other identity, besides my current  expat - mother- wife - art director  is jewelry designer
i had no idea how much i would miss my craft, my studio, my tools, my ability to pop into my little work space and create something in metal......even just tinker.  i purposely did not ship all my gear here - it just seemed like too much of a nuisance, too expensive, a burden and i thought i would fill my time with so many other great things...but alas, if i had to do it over - i would have.
as a  fiercely creative person, i find it essential to make things. daily. 
creating,  playing with materials or even planning photo shoots.  (here - all of it has been a challenge)  luckily i am making collages. paper, paint, pen & ink and there happens to be a lot of INSPIRATION. everywhere i turn.
that comes easily with living in a new place, a country with a breathtaking landscape, a country that pays so much attention to design, detail, architecture, fashion, a country with such history. i have been looking thru all of my photos recently from various photo shoots of my work. some i took myself, some i did with friend-collaborator-photographers.
(if you have a particular jewelry site you like or designer - please pass along to me here, leave a comment.)

b o l o g n a ( part two)

Bologna's university ( one of europes oldest) is bristling with students & energy, bikes, signs & political graffitti. we found a most intriguing museum of natural history within one of the academic buildings.  the collection of stuffed birds,  preserved snakes, fish & other  creatures - it was well worth the search ( i had read about it in a semi out-dated guidebook)

two distinct vino experience highlights : sitting outside at night after dinner at  tamburini at giant oak barrell - tables with a blazing fire. the second, osteria del sole , i was introduced to by my native italian friend. it is a gathering spot,  nestled in a tiny strada since the 15th century - where you can get glasses of spumante/ prosecco or wine by the glass and sit at long farmhouse tables with others. not to be missed.

as for eating - the totellini in brodo ( in broth), lasagna bolognese, bread with chunks of parma baked into it and cheeses - buonissimo.

i feel grateful to be here, to be able to travel to so many great places so easily and especially this past week - to keep my family's Corelli roots alive ( my grandfather was rocco corelli) by visiting italy after too long a stint away.....