travel

If you've been a reader of this blog for some time it is probably obvious that I love to travel. Everything from the packing to the city walks interests me. My favourite aspect though is the travel research. I can spend hours on websites and in books looking for specialty restaurants, boutique hotels, vintage shops, undiscovered paths and amazing bookshops, about any given destination. Whether I have been there or not the research is always fun.

I also love to share the information I find. And have been contemplating for some time now what the best format is to share that information (my Excel Sheets don't look very attractive). And although I am not sure that the right format has been found, I thought it might be best to just try something out. So the Travel section was created.

Now, don't be shocked. There are only four destinations on the page. More will come soon. But hey, I am (it seems) a bit excited to share this with you and why wait for a few more weeks I thought. So to start there is Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen and New York City. To use a fancy term; this is the Beta Site (oelala I have a Beta site.... I hope I am using this term correctly). And, this being the Beta Site, I welcome you to let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, awesome places that you think should be added to the destinations and any other tips that may be helpful.

The goal is to share the information I find - and update it as often as possible of course. At the moment the plan is to only have destinations I've actually been to. That might change. Or I will just have to travel a bit more (yes, even more).

Image via here

let's do something amazing

Trolltunga is one of the most spectacular scenic cliffs in Norway. Trolltunga  is situated about 1100 meters above sea level, hovering 700 meters above lake Ringedalsvatnet in Skjeggedal. The view is breathtaking. The hike goes through high mountains, takes 8-10 hours in total (to Trolltunga and return) and the ascent is about 900 meters.The hike is usually possible to do from mid June, depending on when the snow melts in the mountains. Normally one can hike to Trolltunga until mid September. - this is on my bucket list :)

For more information on how to get here and all the exploring possibilities visit their website - visit Norway.

Trolltunga - The Troll's Tongue, Norway

a weekend in the city

It was a beautiful Friday morning and the sun was already brightly shining as we drove to the airport at 8am. It was only the afternoon before when the opportunity arose to join a friend to NYC for the weekend. And some times everything comes together and the timing is perfect. And so we headed to the big apple for the weekend.

Spring is in the air. Beautiful flowers near Rockefeller Plaza.

Enjoying the view.

Nobu NYC. Image via here

40 West 57th Street in Mid Town. 1.212.757.3000 for reservations.

On our first night we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Nobu 57. Everything on the menu is good. Start with a cocktail, enjoy some cold starters, let the sake arrive then go for the veggies, hand rolls and end with a bento dessert box.

A sunny Saturday in Soho. We were so lucky with this beautiful weather.

Loved the top of this building.

Artistic doors in Soho.

Cipriani Downtown. 376 West Broadway, between Spring & Broome Streets. +1 (212) 343 0999

A wonderful place to have lunch on Saturday is Cipriani Downtown. We ordered the ravioli, the carpaccio (which they are so famous for) and an oven dish. All delicious. It might come in handy to make a reservation. We just walked in, and after about a 5min wait we had our table.

The art and decoration in Cipriani.

Our visit to the High Line

We walked up right in front of the Standard Hotel and just walked a short piece. The combination of the rails, the trees and the cement make for an interesting combination.

The High Line is a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It is owned by the City of New York, and maintained and operated by Friends of the High Line. For more information on the High Line visit their website.

For some tips of places to visit along the High Line please visit this link.

White jeans - perfect for this time of year.

A visit to Chelsea Market

A nice water feature at Chelsea Market.

A block long and a block wide and just a short walk from the Hudson River in the area of Manhattan known as the Meatpacking District you will find Chelsea Market. The area has a great range of restaurants, food stalls, brick walls and enough oysters to last a week.

The Lobster Place

Catch NYC. Image via here

21 Ninth Avenue in Meatpacking. 212.392.5978 for reservations.

On Saturday evening we headed to Catch for dinner. A busy place in the Meatpacking district. The food was great. Try the lobster mash. But when making a reservation ask for a place at the bar if you are going with just the two of you.

At Catch we met Tiesto (it is New York after all) and it just so happens he was playing that night in lower Manhattan. A chance not to miss.

Webster Hall NYC

And so we headed down to Webster Hall and enjoyed some great music by Tiesto that evening. Webster Hall is a busy place, packed with people, great light shows and levels featuring a range of music. Tip: don't wear heels to this place.

The next morning all we could really think off was brunch at Balthazar - steak and frites for that matter. And oh did that go down well. For brunch they do not take reservations, which can turn out great as it did in our case. There was no waiting for a table, the service was good and we enjoyed the atmosphere of this legendary place.

Balthazar. Image via here.

Sweets to try at Balthazar.

80 Spring St, in Soho. (212) 965-1414 for reservations.

Taschen NYC in Soho.

107 Greene Street in Soho.

Shopping in NYC is of course quite exceptional. I love to wander around Soho admiring all the beautiful shops, the creations you will only find there and the variety of stores that keep every street interesting.

I am proud to say however, that the only shopping I did this weekend was of three books at Taschen. Two about travel and 1 about flowers (a trend of mine I think). This is an splendid bookshop - more of gallery I would say.

The lobby at the Mercer Hotel in Soho. Image via here.

While wandering the streets of Soho stop at the Mercer hotel on the corner of Mercer and Prince for a coffee and a piece of their cheese cake (you will walk it off do not worry). The interior of the hotel is lovely and Mercer Kitchen seems to be great as well.

The comfy beds at 6 Columbus. Image via here

We stayed at is 6 Columbus on Columbus circle near Central Park. I would have preffered to stay more towards Soho seeing how much time we spent there. But is was also nice to experience this part of town. Across the street in the Time Warner building is a Whole Foods, where we did some pre-departure grocery shopping which was just perfect.

The staff at the hotel is friendly and helpful and the concierge helped us out a great deal which in NYC is always a plus. The room doors shut quite loudly but depending on how much sake you've had the night before that really will not bother you all too much. Plus the bed is extremely comfortable.

The restaurant at 6 Columbus, Blue Ribbon Sushi is a must try. The sushi unagi (both types) and the kyuri special are both choices I would recommend.

We did not have a chance to check out the roof top lounge, but you have to admit it looks pretty chic on the picture below.

The roof top lounge at 6 Columbus. Image via here

NYC is always a great place to visit - and the more I go there the more I love Soho.

All images unless otherwise indicated are my own taken with the iphone5.

dreaming of paris

“Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant. ”

— Honoré de Balzac

Image via here.

Oh how wonderful is Paris. Always a dream when you are there, and always dreaming about it when you are not.

Enjoy this super fun movie by Garance Dore. Love her!