This past weekend I had the privilege of staying in the wonderful small city of Bruges in Belgium. If you're not familiar with this place then here are a few snaps;
From what I could see the traditional artisan craft in Bruges - aside from chocolate making - was embroidery. There were so many shops selling unique handmade pieces - the 2 above were my favourites as I love Art Nouveau!
It was like walking around in a fairy tale, I know that sounds so cliche and cheesy but it really was! The buildings looked like they were straight from a chocolate box, there were swans swimming in the canals & so many tiny side streets waiting to be discovered, hiding more surprised within and at the end of them.
Okay poetic shmush over -
I made a lookbook video whilst there which I will be uploading in a few days, but also took a few snaps in the beautiful surroundings. I didn't take any photos of my first day oufit, so here's just day 2 & 3.
OUTFIT 2
Posing like a pedo. The daffodils were so beautiful :) there were families taking photos sitting in the middle of them and I could just imagine what those photos would look like and how pretty they would be. Mo & I attempted our own version but it was a selfie so yeah...not quite so artistic!
This bridge was so pretty! The pastel colours of the houses reflected the sun and made everything so bright and lovely.
Yay for pretty floors!
Grey jumper dress - Forever 21
Leather jacket - ZARA
High-waisted super-skinny jeans - New Look
Ballet-style pumps - Primark
OUTFIT 3
This bridge was so unexpected! Mo had been to Bruges twice before so he knew some cool places to pass by. We were on a main-ish street and there was a door in a wall at the side, through that door was a park that was almost empty. There was a huge old church to one side and a tiny ancient looking building to the far end in front of us - that was the buildings you see behind me in the pictures. As we approached the latter building I saw that there was a little nook which lead to a tiny bridge over a canal! I think I flapped my hands in true girl style when I came across it, PLUS there was a swan swimming there! We came just at the right moment alhamdulillah.
The first time we passed by there the door to the tiny building was closed, but the second time it was open, so we decided to explore. In there we discovered an artist's exhibition. His work was all over the walls and it was breathtaking and so inspiring that I have decided I want to start painting again. As we walked through we found the artist's cat asleep on a ledge next to one of the paintings, and in the back room the artist was working on a new piece, so we stayed and watch him sketch for a while. It was pretty awesome and really calming. I love finding strange hidden places and new unexpected experiences!
More pretty floors!
Chiffon dress - ZARA
Leather jacket, jeans & pumps all as above.
The food was also pretty amazing.
We had the traditional Belgian waffles...
The most AMAZING fries I have ever had - from the fries stand in the main square, with homemade tartar sauce (if you ever visit Bruges, pay them a visit & get a large.
And of course we had to have some Bruges chocolate since it's the chocolate capital of Belgium, and Belgian chocolate is renowned the world over.
I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to have visited such a beautiful, cultured and historical place as Bruges. Until next time!
Peace x
So today I had a billion errands to do. Just normal mundane life errands - nothing particularly interesting. I planned on making some BBQ chicken nachos from a recipe I came across on BuzzFeed's Tasty facebook page, so I needed to go out and buy ALL THE THINGS.
On the way we came across this rather amazing re-loved antiques store. I took a few snaps in there but the lighting was pretty terrible so I didn't get much. But these were a few of the items that caught my eye. Unfortunately my home is not big enough for these delights, and neither is my bank account! This is probably a good thing however. Anyway, here they are.
On the way we came across this rather amazing re-loved antiques store. I took a few snaps in there but the lighting was pretty terrible so I didn't get much. But these were a few of the items that caught my eye. Unfortunately my home is not big enough for these delights, and neither is my bank account! This is probably a good thing however. Anyway, here they are.
After spending the last month or so getting into the minimalist lifestyle and progressively clearing out my house of clutter and junk I don't need or want, walking around these shops is such an eye-opener to how my mind used to work not so long ago. I used to want pretty much everything I liked, I didn't buy it of course, but I still wanted it, and I'd think about it for ages afterwards, wishing I could have it, thinking of ways I could save up to buy it. Now I really don't care. That mirror was gorgeous and that screen was so beautiful, but I don't need them. My house is small and space comes at a premium - I can't just put something attractive in every corner.
Now that I have reduced my possessions by so much, I feel so much freer and my house is so much calmer to be in. Getting rid of things is so much fun too! (I think :P)
Anyway, I digress.
Boring errands day ended with a short hunt for a decent spot to shoot some ootd photos. So I chose a tiny side street I walk every week to my Dutch lesson where the houses are pretty & have very small doors and there aren't many people.
Told you the doors were tiny!
Then I walked past the same door many times. It was great.
Leather biker jacket - ZARA
Lace cropped top - H&MMaxi skirt - Forever 21
Chelsea boots - Van Haren
Bucket bag - Forever 21
Location: Zandstraat, Leiden, Netherlands.
Photography: Muhammed Hussein.
