Rotterdam is home to some of the most amazing architecture and street art in the Netherlands. It’s one of the most liveable and child-friendly Dutch cities, as well. Recently I’ve spent a weekend there with my son, and we have discovered some great things to do in Rotterdam with kids.
The Cube Houses in Rotterdam are probably some of the most famous buildings in the Netherlands. Built back in the 1970s, bright yellow houses are attracting people from all over the world. I had a chance to visit one of them last weekend, and have found its architecture to be utterly amazing. So, I researched their history a bit, took some photos of their interior and explored the idea behind them.
A long, long time ago, while the ships were still mostly navigated with paddles and sails, the majority of men living on Texel Island were somehow related to the maritime business. They would wake up early in the morning and spend the whole day in their boats, fishing at sea or repairing them at the shore. This story starts on one of those early cold winter mornings. It was as foggy as it could only get on the islands. And the only person outside of his house was a young man dressed in a thick grey coat, walking alongside the beach. His walk was suddenly interrupted when he tripped over something. That was a wooden board sticking out of the sand. And then, when he turned around himself, he saw the shore was covered entirely with them. Boards, ropes and other parts of the ship. There must have been a shipwreck during the night. Curious as he was, he came closer and noticed a huge chest…
On the early foggy morning, while the streets of Amsterdam were still quiet and peaceful, two men were carrying a huge mirror. Their heavily breathing was the only sound that could be heard on a canal next to which they were walking. When they were right in the middle of the bridge to Rusland, one of them slipped, dropped the massive mirror and it broke into numerous pieces. After the loud crushing sound, they just looked at each other in disbelief. That was the mirror belonging to the famous painter Rembrandt who was using it for his self-portraits. And his…
One of the first things coming to anyone’s mind when thinking of Amsterdam are its beautiful canals. There are songs written about them, more than 1,500 bridges crossing them and they are depicted on probably every single postcard from Amsterdam. The best way to explore them is on a boat, so I’ve made here a little guide with the best canal cruises in Amsterdam and some interesting facts about those famous canals. Best Canal Cruises in Amsterdam There are so many different canal cruises in Amsterdam to choose from, it could be hard to pick the best one. However, after…
The year 2019 is celebrated as the year of Rembrandt in the Netherlands. Many special events and exhibitions are organised throughout the year to celebrate the work of a famous Dutch painter. I wanted to give my contribution, by designing a set of colouring postcards ‘Rembrandt in Amsterdam’ dedicated to his life and work in the Dutch capital. Rembrandt in Amsterdam Rembrandt lived during the 17th Century and has spent most of his career as a painter in Amsterdam. Many places related to his life and work could still be seen around the city. From the houses where he lived…
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to get more creativity in my every day life. So, I was on a lookout for some creative workshops in Amsterdam lately. And when I learned about the Modern Calligraphy Workshop organised by Oh Pretty Paper, I immediately signed in for it. Art Saturday in Amsterdam Coffee & cake at Back to Black It was the weekend before our trip to Dublin, and Marijan was flying with Karlo to Croatia. So, I had the whole day for myself. I’ve decided to make a creative day in Amsterdam, out of it.…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Well, I love Christmas time! Decorating my house, making some delicious cookies or setting up the Christmas tree… I love it all! Since I live far away from my family, I love sending them Christmas cards. And each year I’m trying to put a personal touch in it, as well. So, last year I’ve got an idea to create Christmas cards inspired by Amsterdam. And what started as a small thing, became a big project ‘Drawing the Art of Europe’ with already a few different sets of colouring postcards created. However, this year…
Archeon Museum Park is a place I wanted to visit for some time already. So, finally last weekend, Marijan, Karlo and I went on a little trip there. All three of us completely fallen in love with it. With its great combination of revived history, old buildings and delicious food, it is a great destination for a day trip within the Netherlands. And we’re definitely going to visit it again soon! History lives at Museum Park Archeon Archeon is a large museum park where you can find different edifices from Prehistory, Roman and Medieval time. They have brought them there…