Small bookstore in the center of Amsterdam with the likes of Experimental Jetset, Metahaven and Karel Martens.

The best place to read a book outside or inside one of the greenhouses and be surrounded by all of these different species of nature.

My pilates studio for many years. Only great trainers. Very nice people. A warm, welcome, professional studio for training during all hours. 

Hannekes Boom is one of the nicest waterfront café in Amsterdam to have a beer when it's sunny. Close to Central Station, the place isn't crowded by tourists, but you need to be there early to get a seat.

At the Damrak on the daily journey between home and studio, my eye is continually drawn to the emblem that has functioned as a façade ornament on the corner of the Beurs van Berlage for more than a hundred years. In combination with the past function of the building - trade centre - and in relation to the present financial crisis, the timeless maxim gains extra significance: ‘Dis-pe-reert niet’ (‘Do not des-pair’).