Small Changes with Huge Effects
During my autumn break I did not only visit Eltz Castle, but also Milan. It was a short city break, filled with lots of Italian food, gorgeous weather, impressive architecture, vivid Italians and just a bit of shopping! Yeah, seriously, the shopping was only a small part of the trip. The best part of the trip was my companion, my teenage daughter. We had two days of quality girls’ time!
Skirt: H&M, Top: Yes or No, Shoes: Vans, Sunglasses (new): Cerjo
On the 11th of the 11ht at 11 hours it will be a century ago that WWI ended. This summer we visited Verdun, one of the most notorious battlefields. We walked through a beautiful and peaceful forest, which once was a terrible battlefield full of mud, explosives and hungry, wounded and dead soldiers. It was an eery feeling, knowing that in the grounds of this fairy-tale forest lay the remains of 80.000 soldiers…
I got the feeling that in this horrible war, few soldiers had the chance to decide whether they were going to be a victim or a winning warrior. They just had to fight.
In our daily lives we fortunately often have the choice: to fight or to give in, to give up. Two months ago a friend of mine posted an article on linkedin about the reward of resilience. It is so impressive and inspiring that I want to share her story here, along with a few others, to show you the power of persistence, the reward of resilience and that we, fortunately, have a choice: do we want to be a victim or a winning warrior?!
Dress and Cardigan: Street One (very many seasons ago)
In the autumn break we visited this gorgeous castle, Burg Eltz, in Germany. As the colour purple has been associated with royalty, power and wealth for centuries, I thought this dress and purple cardigan perfect for the occasion.
Last year I spent 10 days in London, doing a communication course. This made it a completely different trip than my ‘normal’ ones. First of all, I was travelling alone and the trip was less of a holiday as you can imagine. I did have time to explore London a bit at the end of most days (see photo diary here) and somehow appreciated lots of small things in these hours more than I usually would have. I wrote them down shortly after my trip and then forgot about them. Last week I was scrolling though my files, found this little list and realised how many of these small joys would be a joy for any of my trips. It also made me aware how many of these joys I find in my daily life in Switzerland too.
So, let me share these 10 small things that made me happy in London with you. Some of these are very much related to London itself, while others apply more in general. I am sure you can rely to many of them and will agree with me that travelling, like friendships and life, isn’t about the one big thing, but about all the little things.
One of the finest views on Metz Cathedral is from this pedestrian bridge
Most Dutch people will know Metz from the signs on the so-called “Route du Soleil”, a motorway taken by many to enjoy the summer holidays in the south of France. I have spent many holidays in France and never before visited this gem of a city. Until now that is! This summer we have travelled in a few days from Switzerland to Holland, taking time to explore cities and sights we normally just pass. Metz was one of our stops and absolutely worth it, as my little photo diary will show you.
Like I have written before, living in Switzerland means living pretty central in Europe and thus pretty close to many interesting places to visit in several countries. A few weeks back we spent a day in Füssen and surroundings: visiting a cosy castle, laying lazy at lake Alat and enjoying a walk and dinner in Füssen itself, one of many romantic villages in Bavaria, Germany.
Living so central in Europe means it is very easy to find destinations for a short weekend break. The Alsace, known for its white wine, fine food and picturesque villages is more or less around the corner from where I live. We can easily go for a mini break there…and that’s exactly what we have done. At least, I consider 24 hours in the Alsace as a real mini break. We started in Riquewihr, I think the most charming village ever! If you’d like to get a good impression of this village in summer and winter plus a taste of its many restaurants, frequented by both tourists and locals, click here!
I have recently spent a wonderful week in Zeeland. Although it was the beginning of May it felt like summer, just with less tourists!
We were looking for a relaxing holiday, which in our family means that we do several activities, but at a slow pace and without any planning or schedule beforehand. In those few days I have discovered quite some great sites and love to share some of them with you.
Dress: quinze heures trente, Jeans Jacket: Yes or No, Sunglasses: Cerjo (all previous seasons)
This week a very summerly blogpost! I have spent a few days in Holland, this time not only enjoying family time, but real holidays too. The great thing about going on holidays to a place very familiar is that you can easily ignore the urge to see and do as much as possible. I like that type of short breaks too (as you can read here), but since I was totally in the mood for pure relaxing, a short holiday in Holland seemed like a good plan to me. And right I was.
Skirt (new) and bag: H&M, Cardigan: Esprit, Top (new): Yes or No, Ankle Boots: Stravers Shoes, Sunnies: Cerjo
Today is King’s Day in Holland. It’s King Willem-Alexander’s birthday and a public holiday. Many people dress up in orange and in every village, town or city there are all kind of festivities: like parties, flea markets, fancy fairs, concerts…you name it. The King and his family always visit one big city to join the party there. This year they will be in Groningen, which is in the north, so Willem-Alexander will be “King in the North” today😉
Instead of posting a red-white-blue or orange outfit, I have chosen to show you a rather flamboyant and exotic skirt in a typical Dutch landscape. It feels like a Willem-Alexander & Maxima (his wife from Argentina) mix, so I consider it a perfect outfit for King’s Day!