World Press Photo @ Oude Kerk

I have been very busy with my studies lately, so I didn't really have the time to write new blog updates. I'm sorry for that! The good news is that I have springbreak now, so I'll have plenty of time this week to go discover some new hotspots and events :-)

I have been asked to become a blogger for Museumn8 and today I have visited my first expo for them: World Press Photo at Oude Kerk.This is a yearly exposition where you can see all winning photos of the World Press Photo contest for photography journalists. I think it is really impressive. You get an overview of what happened the past year, and actually that has been quite a lot. The Arabic Spring, the tsunami in Japan, the financial crisis which left a lot of families in the U.S. broke. The pictures that are exposed are pretty shocking sometimes, but also very beautiful and touching.

Besides the pictures that are related to the news there are also photographs of daily situations. All photographs have in common that they make you very conscious about what is happening in the world, and unfortunately it doesn't leave you with a positive feeling. Seeing all these wars, natural disasters, dead people, poor people does made me aware of the fact that I'm are very lucky to live in a safe country like this. I left the expo with a weird feeling in my stomach but still I am glad that I've seen it, it touched me. You can see the expo until the 20th of June, tickets are 8,00. Check out for more info:

http://www.worldpressphoto.org/Exhibition/2012_Amsterdam

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Cinéma Culinaire @ 16cc

 A friend of mine -who is a great cook and a very creative guy!- is organizing a nice event this Sunday. At 16cc, a small movie theatre slash gallery near NEMO, Cinéma Culinaire will take place from 13.00-18.00. This Sunday is the first edition, but from now on it will take place every last Sunday of the month. Whether you are having a hangover and only want to sit and eat or whether you've already had a very active day, it doesn't matter: everybody can have lunch at Cinéma Culinaire. Theme of the lunch is always inspired on one of the movies that is playing at 16cc: this time it is Wickie de Viking. Brings back some childhood memories!

 For only 12,50 you will get a great viking-style lunch,  a platter with all kinds of Scandinavian bites. If you want to you can see the movie as well but if you don't, you can just sit down and enjoy your Sunday here. Sounds good, huh? :-) I think it'll be a very relaxed afternoon - I'm looking forward to it! You can make a reservation for lunch via 16cc: 020-6270236 or send an e-mail to info@16cc.nl. Hope to catch you there! Check out the Facebookevent for more info or go to their website.

Take it to the Bridge @ Brug9

Remember I wrote about jazz evening at Brug9? Tomorrow, there is a nice event again in this club. According to the website, Brug9 will turn into a 'subterranean salon where an alchemic blend of jazz, spoken word (poetry!) and other afrolific phenomena will be brought to your ears'. Not something mainstream, I think it sounds interesting but goood! Tickets are available at the door for €7,50 and the evening starts at 21.00. Check out the website of brug9 for more info!

Kok op Stelten@ Van Woustraat

Kok op Stelten is a lovely traiteur in the Rivierenbuurt. Here you can buy sandwiches with almost all kinds of cheese and meat you can think of. Furthermore, Kok op Stelten sells wines (try the 'boerenwijn' which is sold per liter) pinxtos and sweets like brownies and pies. On a lazy Sunday or just  when you don't feel like cooking this is the place to go and to get a nice dinner to take away. If you are in the shop, don't forget to check out the olive oil that they sell - its reaallyyy good! Kok op Stelten has a nice relaxed atmosphere which makes that I just love to go here :-)

Check out for more info on opening hours: www.kokopstelten.nl

3 x Ten K Market

On three subsequent Saturdays in April (14, 21 and 28) 310k is organizing '3x Ten K market': a pop up store just around the corner of Ten Kate market where all kind of products from designers, artists and musicians from Amsterdam will be sold. I think it is going to be awesome! Amongst others, books, shawls, art, cd's, skateboards, t-shirts and pies will be sold. For a list of all participating artist, check this page. There'll also be a small exposition by Hedy Tjin - and I can only pray she's going to sell her shawls as well! (see picture above)

Olive & Cookie @ Saenredamstraat

This place is heaven for vegetarians! Olive & Cookie is a small traiteur at Saenredamstraat in 'de Pijp' where you can buy lovely vegetarian dishes either to take away or to enjoy while sitting at a table in their petite ‘living room’ restaurant. Olive and Cookie is owned by two people, Sandra and Petar, who have a passion for food. They use seasonal products and the menu changes every three months, but they also vary with their dishes a bit daily. You should really try the desserts, since Sandra bakes all the pies herself. Take a look at the picture above and you’ll understand why you can’t skip the chocolate pie.. Besides the desserts, the savory pies, salads and other main courses are great as well so I would definitely recommend this place to both vegetarians and people who still think vegetarian food is 'incomplete'. I assure you, visiting Olive & cookie will take your doubts away :-)

You can also meet Olive & Cookie every now and then at markets, where they sell their products. Keep yourself posted via http://www.oliveandcookie.com/ or their Facebook page

Van Kerkwijk @ Nes

Van Kerkwijk at Nes (the street with all the theaters) is a cute little restaurant in the centre of Amsterdam with an often changing menu. Instead of handing out a hard copy of the menu, the waiters tell you in person what you can eat that evening while standing at your table. The place serves quality food which is not regular 'eetcafé' food but instead it the cooks makes interesting combinations like tournedos with goat's cheese and raspberry sauce. And, not unimportant: they also have nice options for vegetarians. As a dessert, you should really try the home made pies (especially the one with pear!) although you should make sure that you reserve a little spot in you stomach for it since the portions can be pretty big :-) Besides the fact that the food is nice, van Kerkwijk has a cosy and relaxed atmosphere, especially in the evening when it is all light up with candles. You can't make a reservation but if you wait for a few minutes there'll always be a table available soon. Van Kerkwijk is a nice option to go to if you are in the city centre and want to have dinner but at the same time escape all the tourists.