Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!

1. Moonrise Kingdom! I was lucky enough to see this on Friday before it opened most places. Have you seen it and loved it as much as I did? (pictured above)
2. How Wes Anderson creates a musical identity for his films (via @lilywanderlust)
3. Ana Tijoux was a guest DJ on the NPR music show Alt.Latino
4. An interview with Piero Tosi, the last survivor of Italian Neorealism, on the beauty of Rome (pictured below)
5. Marie Claire has announced a photography award for photo reports on women (via @djclark)

The weather in Amsterdam has been ideal lately, perfect for barbeques on rooftop terraces (last night) and picnics in the park (tonight). Lemonade is the classic summer drink, but not so easy to find in the Netherlands. My first attempt at making homemade lemonade began with a basic lemonade recipe and ended with an infusion of blackberries. The result was a great mix of sweet and sour.

“They take themselves so lightly.”

Sighted at Café De Republiek in Brugge

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!

1. Tasting the pastries at De Laatse Kruimel on an early Saturday morning (pictured above, via)
2. Planning to make these roasted strawberry and coconut milk popsicles when the weather turns warmer
3. Reading about photographer Elizabeth D. Herman’s project to trace the memories of women who have experienced war
4. Watching a Vice feature of Donald Weber’s work on Chernobyl and Fukushima
5. Adding ‘staying in a treehouse‘ to my list of things to do on my next visit to the Pacific Northwest (pictured below, via)
6. Laughing at these videos of adorable kids and elderly men

Last week, I went to Belgium for a five-day work trip with two colleagues. My days were spent curating a photo exhibition, holding a press conference, and delivering a speech at the exhibition opening. All things that I don’t usually do, but which I really enjoyed. In our free moments, my colleagues and I explored the seaside town of Knokke-Heist, where we were staying, and beyond.

One of the highlights was spending an evening in Brugge. I have been to Belgium numerous times and visited almost every major city, with the exception of Brugge. Our first stop was a waffle house and then a chocolate shop.

Not long after we headed into the side streets in search of a place with music for the evening. We ended up instead at Café De Republiek to sample a few Belgian beers as we talked about our favorite literature. After a further wander, we headed for a delicious dinner at Bistro Refter.

The day before the official exhibition opening, we had some extra time. I grabbed my speech to practice and we hopped in the car for a drive along the Belgian coastline, a late lunch in Dunkerque, and an evening in Lille. Just across the Belgian border, Lille is the fourth largest city in France.

We browsed through an open air book market, which had a fascinating collection of caricatures and advertisements from the ’60s.

After a further walk through the city and a sampling of macarons, we went to a simple, rustic restaurant for dinner. Throughout the week, we had great conversations over the dinner table, from hilarious accounts of awkward travel moments to serious questions about life and death. On our way back to Knokke-Heist, we told ghost stories as we drove across the darkened Belgian countryside.

It has been a while since I wrote about books. In the last few months, I haven’t read as much as usual, rather focusing on the wedding, visiting family, and work events. Summer is slowly arriving and I have a pile of books waiting for me. What will you be reading this summer?

Books and audiobooks from January – May
Elizabeth I by Margaret George. An epic work of historical fiction that centers around the life of the Virgin Queen of England. I listened to this audiobook over the span of many weeks and was enthralled with the conniving courtiers, the battles against the Spanish Armada, and the struggles and joys of reigning a kingdom.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim. An inspiring story of four English women who decide, in defiance of social propriety, to escape the rain and drear of England for a springtime in Italy. I listened to this audiobook while riding my bike through rainy Amsterdam with the promise of a honeymoon in Italy ahead of me.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. While I wasn’t a huge fan of The Corrections (gasp!), I really enjoyed Freedom. Even in their absurdity, I could identify with the characters who must face ‘the temptations and burdens of liberty’.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. This classic follows the life of Billy Pilgrim and, most poignantly, when he witnesses the bombing of Dresden during World War II.

Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz. Cognitive scientist and dog lover Alexandra Horowitz investigates the ways dogs experience and understand the world.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. I listened to the audiobook while traveling the Amalfi Coast. A short, sweet autobiography about the comedy writer and her reflections on her childhood, youth, and coming into her profession.

Yeah. No. Totally. by Lisa Wells. Written from the heart of Portland, Oregon. A tale of a floundering generation set against a backdrop of music and booze, the expanse of nature and the harshest realities.

The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez. A story of the last travels of General Simon Bolivar as he takes a journey down the Magdalena River, revisiting cities and memories.

The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland. A cookbook that has been a new source of inspiration in the kitchen since 7 April. The photography by Sara Remington is fantastic and the recipes are divine.

You Look at Me Like An Emergency by Cig Harvey. An autobiography in photographs and words.

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!

1. Finally watching the film Submarine by Richard Ayoada – just fantastic (pictured above)
2. Booking tickets to see CocoRosie in July
3. Baking a rhubarb pie with a homemade crust
4. Trying out a new brunch spot in Amsterdam and looking forward to another
5. Looking forward to trying this blackberry sage cooler with a bit of rum (via creature comforts)

A selection of our wedding photos is on the website of our amazing wedding photographer. Choosing a photographer was one of the most important decisions we made while planning our wedding. And we couldn’t be happier with her results. Thank you so much Christine!

On Sunday morning, in the midst of a long weekend, I whipped up a batch of oatmeal yoghurt pancakes with berry crush, a recipe from The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland. Not one for complicated baking experiments in the morning, I found this recipe to be simple for a slow morning and delicious enough to share.

Berry crush topping:
2 cups fresh berries
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup, to taste

Pancake mix:
1 2/3 cup white flour
2/3 cup oats
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 heaping tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup Greek yoghurt, plus more for topping
1 cup whole milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs

Mash the berries and sugar, simmer about 8 minutes, and then remove from heat. Mix in maple syrup and let cool.

For the pancakes, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl, mix the yoghurt, milk, melted butter, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients until the batter is thick. Melt butter in a pan and pour the batter. Once the pancakes are golden, top with berries and yoghurt and serve warm.

It took a minute for me to figure out these Lego advertisements…get it? Genius brought to you by German agency Jung von Matt (via).