X-mass: cozy and deco

15th of December, almost Christmas. For some people a nice moment with family, for others a family-obligation. For a few of us we spend it with friends or just alone. But the most important part is that you have a nice time.

I will spend Christmas eve with some friends. Christmasday in my bed I hope, or maybe do a Christmas market with a nice gluwhein to heat up. But ok, the title was 'Cozy & Deco' so let's talk about that.
First of all. I'm not the one with the kitschy decoration. So I'm happy with a tree and a lot of candles in the room. No singing santa, no laughing or yodeling moose and certainly NO Christmas music. Maybe one or two songs on the entire day but that's it. Just keep it nice and calm. Zen. No fake snow or stickers on the window. No glitters everywhere, only on the decoration in the tree. Oh just one must: the lights in the trees need to be 'warm-light' (yellow, no white).

Sometimes I can see into other people their house when the shutters or curtains are still open and I sometimes think 'Oh my God, there's a new club?!' because they put blinking multicolored lights. And I just hate that! It's so ugly, not cozy and not relaxing. But if you like that, ok. Or people who put an entire population of mooses and santa's in their gardens with 10.000th lights.... Are they crazy? Horrible! What about the 'less-is-more'-slogan? Or is does it just count for your weight?
But I admit. You have sometimes those houses with small lights on the outside to highlight the roof-gutter are nice. So to clear it up for those who don't really got it. This is a no-go for me:


Link for this and other crazy houses: http://www.hdwallpapersinn.com/christmas-lights-on-houses.html

But ok, decoration is about taste and you don't discuss taste I suppose? Someone with a bad taste also has a taste, even if it's a bad one... Or something like that.

Wintercocoon

It's saterday evening and I'm at home. Cozy, enjoying the warmth because it's so cold outside. And a lazy saterdaynight after a whole day of work can be just the thing I need. So when I'm in my lazy, comforting moment I make it a really warm nest for myself or my friends who are having their lazy, comforting moment at my place :)

So how do I make my home a cocoon for everyone? First: give us some heat! Sometimes not that easy because one person is more chilly than the other....And of course you boost it a little bit with candles!!!! All spreaded over the area that has to be cozy up. So when you have a party and you have smokers you also put some candles outside. That's the most important part I think. All the rest is grading this atmosphere up to ultimate relaxation. You can also call it heaven :)

My upgrades are often the same. Good music is important, but I can also enjoy just a good moment of silence. Just relax that brain by giving it some silence. No more impulses to process, mmmm... And while my mind is relaxing by doing nothing I destress by cooking or eating a lovely dish. But I don't like take-away so I have to cook. But the idea of the end result while I'm cooking is making me often so happy that I really destress. What is good food for me? Euhm duck in an orange-soya sauce marinade and noodles with cherry tomatoes, ognion, carrot and pepper with orange juice. Mmmm... Or a ratatouille with couscous. Or a baguette with frushetta and mozarella. Basic but oh so good. And if you have company: cheese fondue with bread and a good glass of wine. Basic but delicious. And cozy for everyone because you can do it while sitting on the floor in front of the heating ^^ double fun!

Or you trade the music or company in for a date with a good book or just reading some pulp in women's magazines. 

What do you do to make it cozy in your home? :)

Gluhwein, sparkles and hot chocolate milk

Today I've heard that the christmas tree of Brussels is coming and.... it will be a real one, whoohoo! And tonight the first snow flakes will whirl down in the Ardennes (south of Belgium). Wintertime is very very close! But honestly, I'm a lover and a hater. I don't like the cold and I don't like the snow. But ok, you can put on the heat and layer yourself with thousands of clothes and blankets! Drink hot chocolate or gluhwein, eat cake near the hearth-fire (if you are so lucky to have one. I don't). So that makes everything cozy. And don't forget the little lights and candles!
But at the otherhand you have all those Santa Clauses that are singing everywhere (shops, gardens, markets, ...), all that decadence on the social evenings, the pressure to be happy even if it's cold and dark all the time.

But ok, that's not why I wanted to write this. It's because I love christmas markets. I really adore them. So I thought 'hmm let's put my favourites and wanna-see-this-year in a list'. So here I go :)

1. My number one favourite is the one in Leuven! It's small and so cute. You have some traditional little wooden cabins but most are in white tents, filled with warm light. And you can visit the house of Santa Claus!!! I also like the fact you find a lot of craftwork. More artistic than at the other markets I visited yet.
You also have a lot of students and professors walking around, like always in that city, so the atmosphere is fun, joyful, ... very student-like. If you are there I can also recommend those 2 foodstops: Restaurant Sakura if you want to have sushi or other japanese food and De werf for dessert (favourite? chocolatemousse!!!) or to play some board games :)
Start: 12/12/2013
End: 22/12/2013
More: http://www.leuvensekerstmarkt.com/index.html

2. My second favourite is the one in Brussels! Much bigger than the one in Leuven with of course another atmosphere (it's still a metropolian city) but really a must-visit. Even if I'm afraid of heights, I always go into the big wheel to see how beautifully the city is lighted and I love the creepy carousel  on 'Place sint-katherine'. It also has some creepy music which makes it more scarier!
Start: 29/11/2013
End: 05/01/2014
More: http://www.brussel.be/artdet.cfm?id=4843&agendaid=59

3. Last year I drove by the christmas market of Antwerp and thought I should come and see this one day. So hopefully this year :) But I'm sure the city on himself will be beautiful as well! All those small streets, little squares. I think it will be beautifully lighted!
Start: 07/12/2013
End: 31/12/2013
More: http://www.kerstmarktantwerpen.be/

4. Another one that I want to see is at Liège. It's the biggest and oldest of Belgium. They also have an exhibition and they have, like Brussels, a guest-country. This year it's Russia. So I hope to find some very warm gloves and matching hat on that Russian market ^^
Start: 29/11/2013
End: 30/12/2013
More: http://www.villagedenoel.be/en

Enjoy!

Discovering: Brussels! - Les Marolles & Sobieski

Monday was a day off because it was a holiday. Normally it's nothing special for me because I never work on Monday. But this one my boyfriend was at home too and that's fun! So because he lives in Brussels he showed me some places I didn't know yet.

First we went to 'Les Marolles'. It's one of the oldest areas of Brussels. The people from that area are known ass 'Les Marolliens'. What can you find overthere? A second hand market at 'Place du Jeu du balle' or 'Vossenplein' and the design and antique shops in the main streets 'Rue Haute' and 'Rue Blaes'
It was lovely. There's so much to see, the atmosphere is great and now in autumn you can eat roasted chestnuts. Love them! And when you hear the music of the accordeon (there are always some people playing) you travel back to the old times ^^ Just amazing!

Afterwards we went to a little hided park, called 'Parc de 'Sobieski'. You also have 'Jardin du Fleuriste' who is just next to it. Let's say it's a bit of paradise. Now everything is 'sleeping' (read: no flowers at all!) but I'm so sure itrs beautiful at the end of spring-begin of summer. So little note in my agenda 'Check park 'Sobieski in flowertime'. With a picknick of course. Can't wait to see it again. Infact you have 2 parts. One is very open and symmetrical with a lot fowers. The other part is a bit of a fairy tale forest. I jusssed the fairies..t mi..

Fancy & Burlesque

Yesterday I had an amazing evening at Antwerp. First I went eating in 'Appelmans' and afterwards I went to see a Burlesque show.

The food in Appelmans was amazing. We were with 6 and everyone took something totally different: Bouillabaisse, steak, stoofvlees, flounder, a brochette assortiment (I think) and I had a vegetarian Tajine.  The resume of everyone? Delicious! Everything was spicy enough, the right quantity and beautifully served.
Ok some more information? First my tajine! It's a lot! So really be sure you are very hungry. The flavours are good. There is a lot of coriander, a bit of anise (you will find the pieces of the anise when you are finishing the dish), made it spicy by the ginger and sweeted by the raisins. You got a big assortiment of vegetables: zucchini, eggplant; stringbean, paprika, ... Delicious!
The salad with the steak was served in a great way: you have slice of zucchini wrapped around the salad. Really fun because normally you got a bowl.
Also the bouillabaisse was served in a delicious way! First you get the plate with the variety of fish and then they pour it with the soup that they bring in a little ceramic can. Served with some toasted bread.
For the other dishes, I don't have a big description, except that they were really good because I was too hungry and impressed by my food I didn't really pay attention on it. And that means a lot! :D

Where: Papenstraatje 1 - Antwerpen

Price-class: normal

Link:: http://www.brasserieappelmans.be/index_nl.html#/home

So after the dinner we went to a Burlesque show.So the glamour continue. The girls were amazing. It was their first show in big public and they did it soooo good. Funny and sexy with that little glittertouch.
I like it that they all have their own style, that we all think 'waw I want to do that too'. I'm sure that every woman, big or small size, can see that we are all fun and sexy. Don't we all have that kittenish? Sometimes we need to express that a little more, and that's why we have burlesque.
I wish the girls a lot of luck. I hope to see them soon again in a next show and I can only say to everyone: like their facebookpage, check their website to stay tuned! :)
http://candycoatedcircus.weebly.com/

My dreamhouse -1-

We all dream, don't we? And those things, those are what I want:
- A round bath with view on the sea. I love the space that I have. For myself or with the girls or my partner. 
- For the terrace I would love a nippa, underneath some trees. It's cool in the summer and if it pour a bit you    can still be outside. But some candles, cushions and a soft music. All the ingredients for a romantic night or    just a fantastic holiday feeling. Love love love!
- I think the closeth in the stair is amazing! So practical! And you can put a mirror with some make up in one   so when you rush outside you don't need to go to the bathroom OR you can do your check-up/correction     just before you leave. Everything by hand. Handy; no?
- Last but not least: the floating bed! Or is it a couch? I won't use it as my daily bed BUT if you wanna do a      nap is just really relaxing I think. And you always have a spare bed for guests (who won't love this on his      holiday?!). You can also use it for some me-time. Just with a book or some music, you laptop, camera...      You can only love this.

For more information, you can check the links below :)

http://dornob.com/360-degree-outdoor-bathtub-shower-design/
http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-home-interior-design-ideas/
http://www.vivreaujardin.be/nippa_019.htm

Togo, mon pays

I went for the first time to Togo 3 years ago, in 2010. I needed to do my internship for my last semester. And I decided to go somewhere out of Belgium. I had the chance of getting an offer by Oxfam Belgium to go to Burkina Faso or Togo. I decided to take Togo because it was in the capital and I could stay in a family. And I didn't regret...

So the end of January I finished my exams and I had one week left to prepare my internship and my travel to Togo! It was a rush. Really! Especially if you don't know what to take. Luckely I have a dad who went several times to Africa so I had a little idea :) Finally I took off, started my 3 months journey to a continent I didn't know except of what I see on tv. Little detail: it was my first time flying! Directly a 6h trip. A good inauguration.
And I still remember my first hours there. I didn't had something like 'woooow I'm in Africa'. Probably because I was so tired. It was dark so I just saw a lot of people at the side of the road with candles and the fruits they were selling. I remember that the smell was different on the street. It was hot but not to hot. When I arrived at home there was no light because they just had 'la besse', what means that there was not enough power to really make a lamp light up. The next day I woke up and I still didn't had that waw-I'm-in-Africa-feeling. It was just my new home. I took breakfast and was surprised they didn't had normal bread, that the few-days-old-chickens were picking in my feet, that they liked the music I was playing (The Cure) and that I was sooooo scared on the motorcycle... Damn I never went on a motorcycle and then they put me on one in a road made of sand. I freaked. But I got used to it so after a month I prefered the motorcycles, the zeds/zems/zemmized instead of the car. Now a days when I go back I'm always freaking again. I'm always sure they will lose control and fall. It's stupid but I saw too much crazy drivers overthere and there are more and more drivers. All without a licence! Oh I also remember that the water we digged was sooooo soft and just the right temperature to shower. Crazy :D

It's such a crazy country in a crazy continent. But I lost my heart overthere. The people are so warm, so sweet. They give you so much love and happiness. All those colors, the music, the sun. It's so amazing. You can never find this here in Belgium.

Of course it's not all rosy. Definitaly not! You have those bastard mosquitos, I hate them. And I also hate those big beetles coming out of the toilet. Brrrr!!!! I also saw dragonflies and they were enormous! Let's say the insects are out of proportion and more dangerous. I'm not a fan of them. Really happy that I sleep underneath a mosquito net that I could buth underneath my matras so I could be sure nothing got into my bed :p

Oh I miss Togo. I'm really hoping I can go back next year :) The last time I saw them was 2012 so really toooo long ago.