EEN STUKJE APPELTAART, AUB

I don't think I would be wrong if I said that the best apple pie in town is served here, at Winkel. You just have to drop by one of the days when the Noordermarkt is open (Monday or Saturday) and you will see that due to the great demand of apple pie those days, they reduce the normal lunch menu.

Winkel is also a nice and inexpensive place for a beer, lunch or dinner (different menu every day). Website here.

Winkel is located in Noordermarkt 43

ECO FASHION AND CAKES

Charlie + Mary is a concept store located in De Pijp, focused on Eco Fashion and other fair products.

They sell different clothing brands, all of them environmentally friendly, made with organic fabrics or which use sustainable techniques on their production. I specially like the Swedish Camilla Norrback. Their fabrics are so soft!

Besides, you can find books, (bio) cosmetics, home accessories... or you can even have a coffee and a piece of cake at the back of the cozy shop!

They also have a webshop. Check their website here!

Charlie + Mary is located in Gerard Doustraat 84

COFFEE, BEANS AND ARTHUR ADAM

A few days ago I read on their Facebook page that they were hosting a concert, so there I went yesterday! The artist who played was Arthur Adam, a Dutch musician I didn't know before and who definitely left a good taste in my mouth with his acoustic concert. I particularly enjoyed the "interactive" She's a mistery.

He will be playing in more around Netherlands in the next weeks. He is really worth listening! You can find the dates (and more) in his myspace or at the Coffee Company's website.

CAFFEINE NATION

Another place which took me a while to post about. This is Caffe Nation, my other favourite place in Antwerp. It is not difficult to imagine the amount of time that I could spend there, bearing in mind that my University was on the corner.

If you are a coffee lover, you CAN'T skip this place. The coffee menu is so large, the quality is great and the people working there really know what they do. And I don't know that much about coffee, but you just have to check their blog to realize that they do.

If you are lucky, when the weather is good, you can grab a place in the garden. It is always so busy!

Caffe Nation is located in the center of Antwerp, in Hopland 46

A DOSE OF CHOQ

I don't really know why it took me so long to post about one of my favourite spots in Antwerp. Me and my friends found out this bar by chance when we were studying there 2 years ago. We were looking for a real hot chocolate to warm us up during the cold Belgian autumn, tired of the warm Cecemel we were served everywhere and... there it was, Bar Choq! Luckily, it had opened its doors just a few time ago! Since then, it became one of our meeting points after class or an afternoon of shopping.

The menu includes a large list of chocolates and (for coffee lovers) very good coffees, plus milkshakes or sweet snacks. And the place itself is fantastic... the music, the books and its decoration, which has improved over the months and I have to say that I love the bike and the old pictures hanging on the walls. It is always a pleasure to come back and be welcome by the friendly Jens!

Bar Choq is located in Minderbroedersrui 64

SUICIDE BUNNIES

It is always funny to go to a big bookstore and spend hours there, reading all kinds of books. Therefore, taking advantage of a short visit to Antwerp last Tuesday, I went to FNAC and I found out this comic.

Its name is The Book of Bunny Suicides, the author is Andy Riley and I HIGHLY recommend to have a look at it. It is just hilarious, I love its irony.

Also Selfish Pigs and 101 Uses of a Dead Cat are extremely funny.

JAZZ AT THE WINDOW

This is the Cafe Van Leeuwen, a cosy jazz place in the center of Amsterdam where you can also have a nice lunch or dinner.

But probably the best thing of this bar is its terrace in the second floor... You can have your drink while sitting at the windows!

Every Sunday there is a jazz concert from 5pm. You can check the agenda at their website

Cafe Van Leeuwen is located in Keizersgracht, in the corner with Utrechtsestraat

NOORDERLICHT CAFE

I read an article on the Time Out magazine's July issue about the Noorderlicht Cafe, so taking advantage of my family's visit, we had to stop there for a drink during our trip to Amsterdam-Noord.

The first thing that calls atention is the building itself which gives the feeling of being in some kind of warehouse (already promising).

And the inside? A mix of wooden stuff, with vintage couches, colored mosaics, pipes, incredible lamps... A super laid-back atmosphere! As it that wasn't enough, they have a great terrace perfect for summer.

Noorderlicht Cafe is also a place for lunch (also vega), a snack, a piece of home-made cake... or just chill listening to nice music. Reggae lovers, this weekend they give a minifestival!

More info at their web.

To get there: ferry from Centraal Station direction NDSM Werf (every half an hour).

Noorderlicht Cafe is very close to the stop: just follow the signs.

ROARR!

Ways of having fun with a Polaroid during a rainy Sunday in Amsterdam

TAKE A BOAT

Take a boat and let it take you as far as it wants inside the city. And feel the diference, the same that you notice when you change from West to East and then to the South.

Noord is not what guides tell you about Amsterdam. It might look as a desolate neighbourhood in the beginning... but it's ok, just don't take the boat back and keep on walking: you will notice soon there is something different. It is maybe its industrial face, its innovative architecture, its arty atmosphere.

Whatever it is, be sure it will surprise you.

To get there: ferry from Centraal Station.

In this case, direction NDSM Werf (every half an hour)