Borneo-Sporenburg

Now that my 'stint' in Holland is very close to its due date, there was still one last thing in Amsterdam I had my heart on seeing. Before I had left South Africa, I was reading 'False Flat: Why Dutch Design is so Good’. A good chunk of one of the books chapter was dedicated to Borneo-Sporenburg, a new take on traditional Dutch canal housing designed by West8 Architects. I had set aside some time in my day to see it, and actually had some trouble locating the dock itself. Turns out, I was pretty much in front of it, I just had to lower my expectations in reality from the perfectly cropped images I had seen in the design books and blogs.

‘Two peninsulas in the eastern part of the Amsterdam docks, were to be exploited for water-related activities, as well as2500 low-rise dwelling units, with a density of 100 units per hectare. For anew interpretation of the traditional Dutch canal house, West 8 suggested new types of three-storey, ground-accessed houses deviating from the usual terraced house in being strongly oriented to the private realm by incorporating patio sand roof gardens. By repeating this type in a great variety of dwelling modes and with maximum architectural variation, an animated street elevation emerges with a focus on the individual. At a larger scale, a delicately balanced relationship exists between the repetition of the individual dwellings, the roof scape and the great scale of the docks. Three immense sculptural blocks take their place as landmarks in the vast expanse of houses.’-West8 Architects

 

SPRING IN MY STEP

There's nothing better than seeing all the blossoms bloom in the springtime, especially after my first European winter (which in actual fact wasn't even as cold as it usually is) . Its all quite strange experiencing the spring season in March and April when back in South Africa, it usually comes around  in September. Regardless, there isn't a sunny day that passes where I don't have my camera in hand, ready to photograph all the beautiful flowers blossoming ,being sold or being sat amongst. I also haven't yet had the chance to see the tulips at Keukenhof, so this is my version...

START SPREADING THE NEWS

So with all the drama and hype everyone usually places on getting around New York City, I managed to easily navigate my way from Newark airport, to the front door of my sister’s apartment in Lower Manhattan.  Having taken numerous means of transport in Paris, Barcelona, Holland, and Belgium over the past 7 months, New York was but a mere piece of cake.

After a long sleepless flight and a 4 hour Opera show at the MET the previous night, my day only began by 11 (as all my days seem to go whilst travelling it seems). I casually took the respective metro lines (have I mentioned how much I love the Metro?) to where I had to be and admired the greatness that the Metropolitan Art Museum and The Guggenheim had to offer. I braved the ridiculous minus degree weather (and my equally ridiculous down feather coat) to stroll through Central Park and purchase a famous New York City hotdog to somewhat warm myself up.

My Friday morning got off to a better early morning start and a full day ahead, although in all honesty, much of the day's itinerary had only been thought out that morning. I reminisced at the 9/11 memorial, gawked at the Statue of Liberty, and suited up in Wall Street (whilst getting lost somewhere in between). For the most part, I really wasn’t that hungry or even peckish, but I simply couldn’t resist trying all the American candy I had heard and seen so much of. Twizzlers were by far the most disgusting, with a taste and texture similar to that of soap and Tootsie roll visually resembling something along the likes of..er poop. Hershey's Candy Bars and Reese’s peanut cups were by far the tastiest of the lot.

After much debate about where we would be spending our Friday evening, we opted for the cosy bar around the corner from the apartment. The whole thing felt very New York as we had to wait outside on the sidewalk for a table whilst passer-by's complained. Like something out of Sex and the City!

The Saturday morning miraculously presented us the warmest weather since I had arrived,  and we made full advantage of it by using our Citi-Bike passes to head to Brooklyn Bridge. It really is like something out the movies, all the people jogging, walking, biking and pushing strollers. Everything except seeing two lovers meeting halfway across the bridge. Our mornings adventure was followed by watching a real Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Gardens. We munched on popcorn and kept our eyes peeled for any celebrities seated in the front row.

PRAGUE CITY GUIDE - PART 2

If you're anything like me, you will love the fact that you can sleep late on a Saturday morning in Prague. The locals, as well as tourists, only really start to show their faces from noon onwards.  We however managed to pull ourselves out of our hotel room  by 10 AM, getting our day started with a cup of coffee and a pastry in the park. If you're feeling a bit lazy, there is the Funicular Railway that will take you all the way to the top of the hill to the Petrin Tower, or you could get some fresh air and brave the steep hills on foot like we did. It really is worth it to go up the tower and check out the view (which is surprisingly not crowded with tourists) and see the city from all angles.
 

 

Its great to wander through the forests of Petrin Hill and exit through a different gate than the one you came in with. The steps leading up to Prague Castle were within walking distance from us and we braved yet another steep set of stairs to reach our destination. There is an abundance of tourists pacing all over the place, leaving us with but a mere glimpse of the area (and more than enough time in my opinion). I was fascinated by all the old Czech woman walking around in their best church attire and managed to sneakily photograph them in all their glory. If you're feeling peckish, try the traditional Balkan pastry, a Trdelnik. In English its translated as 'sweet bread' and are baked fresh on a daily basis and served 'natural' - with powdered sugar, or with Nutella.

 

 

The remainder of the afternoon gave us some time to make our way to DOX, the centre for contemporary art, situated just outside the city. A 20 minute tram ride will get you there, for which we didn't even have to scan our ticket in, so didn't bother buying one back.  The centre is relatively new but had some interesting exhibitions showcasing propaganda posters and a 'Pharmatopia' installation by Marek Schovanek.

If youre planning on eating out for dinner, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from, many of them being commercial eateries targeting tourists. We opted for the less touristy Leone and Anna, a quaint restaurant in the Mala Strana area not far from our hotel with a quiet atmosphere, great music and good food. Their Goulash was not quite to my liking but their service was impeccable. What's great about the city is you can go for evening strolls at any time of the night followed by a cup of hot chocolate to get the feeling back in your fingers and toes. T centre of The Old Town Square boasts several street musicians sitting in t-shirts ( even in the winter) playing a wide array of musical instruments whilst tourists half heartedly listen to their melodies and sip on their Glühwein from the street vendors.

 

IT'S A CONCRETE JUNGLE OUT THERE



Because Rotterdam was completely wiped out during the war, it's anything but your traditional Dutch looking city. Skyscrapers tower over the canals and uber modern architecture adorns every building. The Erasmus Bridge is an iconic piece of architecture that is located about 5 minutes from the Rotterdam Centraal station by Metro. Oh and did I mention the city has it's own metro, I fucking love the metro. Its just so European.

I had been told many stories of Rotterdam, some good, some bad and some neutral. I thought to myself that there is no possible way somebody couldn't love a city as modern and up to date as this one. But I kind of get it now. There is not a single trace of the traditional Dutch architecture that you see in the rest of the Netherlands, which makes the city that much more colder (besides the weather of course). Regardless, I still stood in awe of the buildings and felt quite insignificant next to them...