Mix and match of events

Good afternoon,

Have a look of the events starting today and in the weekend:

Flying Solo Festival at the MC Theater starts today in Amsterdam till the 2nd of March. It´s a collaboration with the Contact Theater in Manchester and you can expect lots of new talent. Have a look at the program to have an idea of who will be on stage!

This weekend you can´t miss the Oscar Weekend at Pathe de Munt. A day pass for 25€ gives you acces to many films nominated for the Oscars, such as Gravity, The Wolf of Wall Street or Blue Jasmine. tThe first film starts at 10.30am and the last one is at 21.30.

And Sunday, yes more movies! Amsterdam Roest is showing the film Kinshasa Kids, included in their festival Movies that Matter. Free entrance!

So hopefully the weather is bad to motivate all of you to go inside and catch a movie or a performance.

Saludos,

Irene

Moderne Hippies Markt

Good afternoon,

After an uninspired last week (could have also been the grey weather) I went yesterday to the Moderne Hippies Markt at Roest and was really inspired!!!

Roest is a big barn used for concerts, events, art gallery, etc. close to Central Station. They have a bar and terrace (next to the water) with sand (I bet it´s a great thing to be there in the summer, must remember this place!) and they have lots of events, so check their site for the program!

The market was organized by the owner of the blog Moderne Hippies and there were lots of participants!

For you to have an idea, this is what it looked like (yep, very crowded, good thing I didn´t drag my boyfriend along)!

Foto from amsterdamroest.nl

As for what you could get, there were many things that caught my attention:

Bag from LaBeau Bags. They are fairtrade made in Thailand, love those colors! And I think my mum would love them too...

What about this boots!! mix of cowboy meets Native American. They are from Kiboots.

Continuing with the Native American theme, a dream catcher from Icatchy.

And lovely armbands from Riverstones.











It seems to me now that I was on the look out for accessories :)

Saludos,

Irene

Ideas for the weekend

Good afternoon,

I am glad to be at home since it´s rainy and grey outside! I have some tips for this weekend, and they are both indoors in case the weather decides to stay like this:

IJ Hallen (Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th) It´s a huge flea market that takes place in Amsterdam Noord, you have to take the ferry but then it´s a small walk. The entrance fee is 4.50€

And on Sunday you can find the Neighbourfood market on the Westergasfabriek with lots of yummy things to eat! Starts at 11.00 till 16.00.

They have a great blog with recipes, check it out here! makes me wanna go even more :)

Saludos,

Irene

Grey...

Good afternoon,

It´s all so grey!!! though today we might have more "light" than normal so I guess I can´t complain, right? At least I have this lovely tulips we got Saturday at the Albert Cuyp market to give me some idea of what is to come (spring, if you forgot with this long winter)

Saludos,

Irene

Love of the classics

Good evening,

The people who love classical music and specially Beethoven are in luck, the Muziekgebouw aan ´t IJ is hosting the Beethoven Driedaagse (or 3 days of only Beethoven). Tickets are available through the site of the concert hall, enjoy!

Saludos,

Irene

Back from the weekend

Good evening,

What a lovely day! I enjoy working from home with lots of light coming in, don´t you?

Until the 2nd of March the Olympic Stadion in Amsterdam is transformed into a huge ice ring, and it´s called De Coolste Baan van Nederland. 

The 27th of February they even show the KPN Marathong Cup Finals Live and every day there is a different theme (think of DJ night or lazy Sunday afternoon) for adults and children.

So for those of you missing the ice in The Netherlands, head over to the Olympic Stadion!

Saludos,

Irene

IMPRO Amsterdam

Good evening,

The International Improvisation Theatre Festival starts today until the 1st of February at the Compagnietheater in Amsterdam. There are late night shows, workshops, after party, and lots of improvisation! 

You can have a look at the cast here. The shows are in English, so good for the foreigners and good for the natives (in order for them to practice).

Saludos,

Irene

Horses

Good evening,

Today we have a post about horses! That´s right, the 55th edition of Jumping Amsterdam starts today until the 26th of January.

This event is held at the Amsterdam conventions bureau RAI and entrance fees depend on the time of day you want to be there . You can also watch it live from their website.

Saludos,

Irene

Events coming up!

Good evening,

Bear with me this week since it is very ectic with new job :)

As for the events I promised, here they are!

For the fashionistas: from Friday the 17th till Sunday the 27th of January you can enjoy the latest trends at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. There are different events (conferences, catwalk shows, exhibitions, etc.) so make sure to check their website if you don´t want to miss a thing.

For those people who would like to receive some flowers, pick them up yourself!! On Saturday 18 you will be able to pick up your own tulips at the Dam in Amsterdam since it is National Tulip Day...when I read this things I think to myself, so, I am really living in Holland. It starts at 13:10.

And also the sporters can enjoy the Vondelparkloop, this time for the 40th time. There are three distances (3.5, 6.7 and 10km) and two days (Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th) so no excuses!

Saludos,

Irene

2014!!

Good evening,

I am about to head of to a New Year´s "borrel" a the Huis van de wijk Lydia to meet and greet. This week I have already baked 5 cakes there, as I do every Tuesday, and started the Spanish class I am teaching (it went very well if I may say so myself)!! I am also looking forward to next week, my first day at my new job (part time but it´s a start) so as you can see 2014 is going great!

Seems like the city hasn´t woken up yet after New Year´s day since many events start from next week on, keep tuned then for more information on what to do in Amsterdam!

Saludos,

Irene

Weekend plans

Good evening,

Already thinking what you want to do this weekend? me too! Here are a couple of ideas:

Saturday 21st of December: Winter Warehouse Market at Amsterdam Roest, a huge warehouse with a special Christmas market edition. Free entrance, you will find gifts, crafts, music and food. Opening at 13.00 till 20.00 with an after party for the ones who can´t go home!

Sunday 22nd of December: Pure Wintermarkt at Frankendael park from 11.00 till 17.00. A good idea to do some grocery shopping and get some inspiration for all the Christmas cooking coming up.

Saludos,

Irene

From now on...

Good evening everybody,

I haven't been busy with Christmas presents, planning meals or even better, attending crazy Christmas parties.  I've been home resting and it seems I will be doing so for a while, sight! My mind is all there (though my boyfriend tends to defer) but my body isn't cooperating.

So I will get my inspiration for the blog from things I have close by (I am actually reading lots of magazines with great ideas for the holidays) and I keep my fingers crossed hoping my inspiration doesn't decide to have a Christmas break as everybody else.

Since I have lots of free time I wrote all my Christmas cards and posted them yesterday (yes, I did the walking myself and I am that old fashioned) Today I am finishing my last present but I am out of ideas for tomorrow, anyone?

Saludos,

Irene

Free entrance Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

Good morning,

The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, as part of the Illuminade walking route during the Amsterdam Light Festival, will be open from 17.00 till 22.00 for free starting the 12th of December and until the 5th of January.

Image from dehortus.nl

In de Hortus you will find light sculptures by Wouter Brave, Carla Monchen and Hagar Elazari & Liat Segal. 

Saludos,

Irene

And more events

Good evening,

Just before the weekend I wanted to let you know about another event going on in Amsterdam:


Amsterdam Light Festival, from the 6th of December till the 19th of January. A winter light festival that gives some much needed warmth to the city in this dark days. There is a water color boat route, illuminated buildings and bridges, and concerts. As part of the Amsterdam Light Festival you can find the Grachten Festival winter special! Hit the link for more information on location, tickets, etc.


Saludos,

Irene

So you think...

Good morning,

So you thought I was going to forget about Wednesday as usual, surprise! there is so much going on in town that I wanted to let you know what you can do this weekend already, both events on Sunday:

Pure Winter Markt at the Amstelpark from 11.00 till 17.00. Artisan products both Dutch and international. The entrance is on the Europaboulevard, in front of the A.J. Ernstraat.

Isn´t the flyer cute?

Image from  www.puremarkt.nl 

Aanother market, this one at the Museumplein. The Museum Market is from 12.00 to 18.00 and you can find art, design, things for the house, food, etc. Hopefully this time they will have more luck with the weather than last time (pouring rain).

Image from www.museummarket.nl

Saludos,

Irene

Christmas concerts coming up

Good evening,

Christmas is coming (ok, first Sinterklaas but that will be this Thursday and then he will go back to Spain until next year) and I really like carols so here is a round up of Christmas concerts in Amsterdam:

14th till the 22nd of December
Misa Criolla at the Nieuwe Liefde Church. Concert/mass starts at 16.00 and 20.30. You can expect a Latin American service, with Bolivian, Peruvian and Mexican music from the XVIIIth and XIXth century.

18th of December

Image from the site of the Muziekgebouw

Choir of the New College Oxford at the Muziekgebouw aan ´t IJ. Concert starts at 19.30 and you expect classic and modern carols from a choir that dates back to the XIVth century!

23th of December
Händel´s Messiah at the Concertgebouw. Concert starts at 20.00.

25th of December
Kerstmatinee at the Concertgebouw. Concert starts at 15.00 and has a more classical feel thanks to Wagner and R. Strauss. 

26th of December
Paradiso´s Kerstmatinee: Jesus is coming. Concert starts at 16.00. The Paradiso orchestra offers a more informal atmosphere with glühwein, humor, karaoke, etc. 

There is much more to do but that should give you an idea, right?

Saludos,

Irene

IDFA and other things

Good evening,

On a side note, first mention of snow in the country!!! ok, wet snow, whatever that means, but for me it already feels like winter so I have no clue what to expect from January onwards...

Today and until the 1st of December is the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. 

You can see the films at several theaters in town like Pathé Tuschinski, Eye Filmmuseum or Het Ketelhuis. Ticket price is 10€ but you have several discounts, for example with the CJP card.

And on a more commercial note, there is a big sale from the underwear brand Hunkemöller that starts tomorrow till Saturday (up to 80% discount). Check it out!

Saludos,

Irene 

Things to look forward to

Good evening,

Reading our neighborhood newspaper I found out several things to look forward to:

- Open air ice skate ring at the Leidseplein, opening the 15th of November.
- Open air ice skate ring at the Museumplein, opening the 29th of November.This is a big one, 1400m2!!!

You are now thinking, whoa! Irene is so well integrated in the Dutch culture that she can skate. No way, I find it very frightening, specially on natural ice, but I do love the atmosphere, the lights and drinking hot cocoa.

And last but not least, Sinterklaas is arriving to The Netherlands this Saturday! The intocht van Sinterklaas is the arrival by boat of Sinterklaas for the 75th time (the tradition says he arrives by boat from Madrid, where he lives the rest of the year) You can imagine how popular I am among Dutch children when I say I grew up close to Madrid.

For the ones who have no idea what to expect, here is a picture from the site mentioned above

Monday I will tell you more traditions related to Sinterklaas that I particularly like. For now, enjoy the weekend!!

Saludos,
Irene

Make it up!

Good morning,

I was thinking, what am I going to write about today after yesterday´s blank post!! 

There is an art market coming up at the social center where I volunteer (Huis van de wijk Lydia) so I need to start working on my projects:

- I have home made soap (does it ring a bell?).
- I am making Christmas cards (hope my taste matches the one of the Dutch).
- I have lots of paint chip cards, maybe I can do one of these projects http://www.brit.co/paint-chip-diy/? Ok, the easy ones.
- I also thought of perfume sachets (made with Christmas prints).
- And maybe some pins with felt.

Plus, we are also having a table with sweets (from the Tuesday baking group) In this case the money will go to the social center. Our carrot cake seems to be selling well, so maybe we can add something like cupcakes or something of that size.

Will post a reminder when the date comes, Saturday the 30th of November, so you can all come!

Saludos,

Irene 

Sint Maarten

Good evening,

Today is Sint Maarten! for those of you who don´t know this Dutch tradition it´s about the Saint who gave half of his cape to a beggar to keep him warm, though I am not sure how the lanterns come into play. 

This evening children will go from house to house with a lantern (usually with home made decorations) singing songs and getting sweets in exchange. It is not celebrated in all parts of the country but in Amsterdam you can go to the Vondelpark this evening: 

Picture from www.hetvondelpark.net 

Enjoy!!

Saludos,

Irene