Travelblog 1: The Greek cyclades

Dear blog readers,

If you read my first post since ages, then you will definitely know that I have been travelling a lot. Instead of starting with the first (model)trip, to Istanbul, I will start with my last trip at the end of May, to the Cyclades, Greece. Just because maybe some reader will go there on summer holiday and do not really know what to do on which island or maybe they do not even know yet to which island they want to go. That is what my boyfriend and I were wondering in the first place before we booked nothing else then a plane ticket to Santorini, one of the most famous Greek islands. In total we have been to five islands in ten days. We wanted to see many different islands in actually a very short time frame. That was the main reason why we did research on the internet for things to do on different islands. Over here I will give you a (hopefully) fun overview of where we went, why we went there and what we did. 

Instead of flying to Athens and go by boat to the Cylcades, we flew to Santorini from Amsterdam. This was the cheapest and fastest option. Next to that we saved time by not going on a boat immediately. We booked a retourticket and all our boattickets we looked up on go-ferry.com where you can see which transfer is cheapest and then we went to the right boat company's website to buy the ticket there. We collected tall tickets in Santorini, Fira at an boat ticket office for all companies. Once we arrived on Santorini we found out that we should have asked the first hotel we stayed in to shuttle us from the airport to the hotel, because taxi's from the airport are quite expensive. Nevertheless it all went well and we got to Kamari really quick. Kamari is a wonderfull place, we immediately fell in love with. The boulevard has many great restaurants and if you pass by all of them a bit too early for dinner, they sometimes make you an offer like free wine. Since we planned to stay here one full day we arranged on the day of arrival to do a boat & hot springs & volcano/Kameni tour in one with a guide the next day. That has been a good choice! We loved Kamari because this place is not as busy/touristic as Fira and Oia, but the atmosphere is amazing and relaxed to start off your holiday and cheap local busses to Fira continuing to Oia will go from here too. That is what we did after the boat tour day, we went to Oia. This is probably the most famous village on Santorini with the picturesque white little houses on an hill. We had a wonderful sea view during dinner. After all we also wanted to see ancient Fira, but we snoozed for too long... In any case we would have had enough time to explore Santorini since we booked a stay in Fira before we went home on day ten. We stayed 54 hours on Santorini, Kamari & Oia which was more than enough for that moment. 

On day three we went to Naxos, the biggest island of the Cyclades. Most of our boattransfers took approximately 2 hours. Most of the hotels we booked were close to the haven to save time and also practically with our hand luggage and sunny weather we were happy we did. Naxos has an amazing coastline, not only because the wild water and wind (see pictures), but also because the long busy boulevard where everyone relaxes after a day of work. This island did not seem touristic at all to us. Only at the Portára, the not finished temple of Apollo, you saw some tourists, but that was mostly it. We also went to the archeological museum, which was pretty hard to find because there were many small streets that form a labyrint. A nice and cheap museum though with lots of pottery, from before Christ. Naxos has wonderful beaches too, so we chose one of the prettiest according to our host, Plaka beach, which you should definitely go to. We stayed 29,5 hours on Naxos, which could be more if you want to go inland or see more beaches.  

Next stop for day number five was Koufounisia, one of the Small Cyclades. This was the most expensive boattransfer for only a short time on the island. But mennn, this was absolutely beautiful and worth it. Such a tiny island, whith lovely and chilled people. We could have rent bikes to go around the island in one day. But we decided to go by foot, staying close to the seashore all time and finding hidden paradises/private beaches. I think we walked one thirth of the coast, where we saw Piscine which is a natural pool and also many beautiful private beaches. The most beautiful ones we have seen during this holiday (see pictures). The water was super clear. We stayed 13 hours on Koufonisia, which could have been a bit more to see the whole island by bike for example. There is not much more to do than relax.  

Actually the same day as we arrived on Koufonisia, we also went by boat to Paros, Naoussa. This island I remember because of it's cute white haven and old fort (see pictures). On this island are many clothing shops, even a very nice outlet called VENTO. There is also a white church in the middle that might be worth visiting (see picture)… It was closed when we passed by. Firstly, we wanted to plan a canoe tour, but after all we rent kayaks on Chrisi Akti beach, where you could also rent windsurf sets, SUP's and more. We stayed 44,5 hours on Paros, which was perfect. 

Day 7 we arrived on Ios. We chose for Ios instead of Myokonos. Both are party islands, but Ios is less known by tourists and this made our night out so so good. Partying starts late though. We walked up into the village around 11.30 PM but we sat on a typical Greek terrasse under leave trees with live music until 2 AM I guess. Luckily all clubs are close together and the party season just started. In the end we stayed all night long in the silenct disco where we met new friends from Brazil and other places. The day after we walked, with 30 degrees Celsius and a severe hangover, to an amphitheatre mentioned on the internet. We thought it would be a historical one, but in fact it had the same age as me, hahaha anticlimax. The view was amazing though (see picture) and it was worth suffering for. On our last morning here we got on a snorkeling excursion to three locations: a ship wreck, private beach and caves. This was awesome, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone. We stayed 48,5 hours on Ios, which was perfect for us as well. 

One day before the last we arrived back on Santorini again. This time we slept in Fira, the central village of Santorini. We wanted to do some wine tasting with dinner, but we did not really find an option for this. Although there should have been a good one inland. Nevertheless we chose a restaurant with sea view again and had our last great Greek plate for dinner. We stayed 30 hours again on Santorini, Fira, which was enough time for Santorini in total. 

Mmm I planned on making a shorter blog, but I guess I am still too excited about this holiday destination. It was a vacation with lots to see, to do and to eat. But also a great one to relax from the busy city lives and get tanned on lonely places. See you on the next!

ps. Without a doubt, Greek food is amaaaazing!

@kvanantwerpen for more pics

Sugarfree FOOD

Goooodevening readers,

Already winter here in Holland, freezing you know. And that means (for many people) more eatinggggg. But don’t worry, it’s a fact that you burn more calories in the winter than the summer, because you’re body needs to work harder to stay warm. Well of course you can also curl up against your boyfriend…

This blog will be about food.. Yes..

Since a month I’m trying to eat less sugars! If possible I only eat sugarfree products. They say, sugar is very bad for your body, all sugar we eat is not necessary for the body, because we make it our self. Americans say it’s poisson. Well I did some research before I started eating sugarfree.

It’s not thát bad for you but simply there are no important nutrients in it. So it’s not bad eating some sugar, and I know it’s difficult to resist some sugarbombs as crème, chocolate, muffins, icecreams. But if you eat much, you can gain a lot of weight and you risk diabetes, heart and vascular diseases. So warning : you can eat sugar, for energy it’s perfect for a while, but it’s also addictive. So be careful with that. You can also gain energy from other foods that are less fattening.

I know and noticed that if I eat sugar, my blood sugar levels rise for a while, and than it drops, so you’re body is asking for sugar again and that’s why eating sugar can be an addiction.

When you eat little or no sugar, your blood sugar is balanced, which means your need for sugar is less and secondly your blood sugar will remain constant.

Of course this is different for any person. But after some weeks I made sure that my need for sugar has diminished. With the result that you (can) lose some pounds.

Moreover I do not shun for natural sugars, which are in many fruits.

Here what I eat most :

-         Oatmeal (low in calories) with soya milk

-         Dried fruits like apricots

-         Unsalted peanuts, almonds and raisins

-         Breadsticks

-         88% cocoa chocolate

-         Rye bread

-         Vitalu crackers with toppings like: young cheese, apple sauce (no added sugar), smoked beef and peanut butter

-         Olives and greek feta cheese

-         Greek yogurt, low fat yogurt or quark

-         Lots of veggies and fruit

-         You can find many recipes for sugarfree snacks or cakes on the internet

-         For a drink : orange juice with no added sugar, green tea and lots of (lemon) water

If you want a challenge, or maybe you want to lose some weight. Well I would say : TRY IT ! It’s certainly not bad eating no sugar.

Be aware : you might have an headache for a week… Withdrawal symptons.

Many KiSsEs

Kirsten 

Living the free life

Hi guys,

It’s been a while since my last post, sorry for that, but here I am again.

This post will be about photographing, limits, cycling and experiences. I did so many cool things which I want to share with you. I really hope it’s inspiring.

13-04 was the first day in my life that I went shooting as photographer with a pretty girl I know from my violin lessons a long time ago. She has great potential I think!

I never really worked as photographer, but I went with my brothers camera Canon 1000D and I was surprised by its functions ! It was a great day and Julië did a great job as well. I was so excited that I immediately did some editing on my favorites. I hope you like them too! My photographing and editing skills aren’t that good, but I think it worked out quite well though. Tips and tricks are welcome! :)

14-04 was such a wonderful day. I planned to cycle to Scheveningen The Hague once in a while, so I thought this was a perfect day to try. I’ve been on my bike for about 50 km! That's been a long time ago that I've come so far on my bike, I think it was my bicyle vacation 2010 to Paris and London. When I got there, I felt really blessed. Like I could handle the whole world, which is insane ofcourse haha. It felt so good to reach something you didn’t think you could do that easy. I didn’t spend any euro or something this day, so that means you don’t need to spend money if you want to get happy. It was a lovely day at the beach! People didn’t understand why I would go all on my own, but it was great. Just a moment/day for yourself, it’s all you need once in a while.

Here a school assignment Pip and I wrote some weeks ago, theme: ‘Happiness is a state of mind’

Happiness is not a station you arrive at,  but a manner of travelling. What we think that makes people happy is setting goals and pursue them. This way you can be happy with who you are and only then you can appreciate others the way they are. For example you’re not that sporty type and your friend asks you to walk the marathon with him. You can surprise yourself and set this goal for yourself. You’re trying something new, stepping out of your comfort zone and you’re trying to reach this goal. You need to work hard for it, and when you finally reach your goal it will give you a happy feeling. Stepping out of your comfort zone will help you to achieve happiness. Because we think that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Other things that can make you happy are the little things in life and most of the time you don’t need to pay for it. This way of achieving happiness is inside your comfort zone you can watch the sunrise or have a good time with family and friends. You can also listen to music, this can help you to make up your mind and live in the moment, which makes you feel happy and satisfied. It isn’t hard to get happy, you just have to set goals, live in the moment and spend time with the people you love. And remember: it’s not about having what you want, but about appreciating what you have. So live life to the fullest. YOLO!

Ofcourse when you’re unhappy, getting happy is not that easy.. But it is the same thing: set goals and try to pursue them, and learn from everything you do.

21-04 was great as well. A really windy day, but much sun :) This time I’ve been on the road to Zevenhuizen, that was 15 km or some and back the same. I know how it feels like to medidate and it’s great. But going on my bike is some kind of meditation to me as well, because the air, the power you need and the movements… It’s me and my mind. One half is paying attention on the road and stuff around me and the other half is at the same time, looking for answers, analyzing so many stuff, it’s like day dreaming. Because I did only 30 km I needed some challenge. So I did a mountainbike outdoor valley parcours on my skinny travel (not mountain) bike and it felt so good to stand on the top of Uitkijkpunt Lührs. Just on time for a great healthy meal when I arrived home.

 27-04/28-04 the start of the May holiday. Two weeks off from school, that’s what I needed. Also being a bit nervous for my friends who all need to study hard for their final exams.

Had a great day shopping with one of my most creative and beautiful friends/models Marli. Such a nice day, and we became member of BNN to safe the Dutch broadcasting. Spend my money on: shoes, shirts, bikinitop, sporttop, accessoires, yehh maybe too much. We <3 Primark. In the evening it was ladies night out, Marli and I went to Rotterdam. And we became VIP’s at Café Fout & Saint Tropez.
We met awesome people and did some unexpected good deeds in the early morning (8.00 A.M.). We saved a sheep, found a big big rat and found an iPod Shuffle as well.. still looking for the owner! S.M. de Haan please come and get your ipod back. So much fun. Calling the animal ambulance was not a success.. calling the police was something like: speak out the name of your location clearly. Berkel en Rodenrijs. To be sure, say it again. Berkel en Rodenrijs. Well you’re in Bruinisse.. WHAT?! So it was up to us.. After a while we got the sheep , lifted it and got it over the fence. Reunited with his little ones… CUTE! Rescuers ! :)

Short summary about this May break :

I had a fitting at the KABK for Anna Mala, Rolf Snoeren from the designer duo Viktor&Rolf was there in The Hague to criticize the collections of the students. The show will be on the 15th of June, if you want tickets, let me know! Now I was there in The Hague I met up with my crazy friend designer Michelangelo Winklaar again, we had a great great meal together and so much fun with wigs and clothes in the shops, prefun for Queensday as well. What do you guys think, me getting a dark bob? Haha.

 

30th of April, the first Queensday which I spended in Amsterdam, not that busy as I imagined but it was such a great day when the sun came through and Loveland is an amazing event. I will never forget this day!

I went to Warm bodies the movie with my dad and brother, definitely recommended!

Enjoyed the sun in dresses which I’ve really missed (hippie >>>)

Had a fitting for a wedding catwalk show.

I had a fun night with most of my friends, good to see them again, only a pity for me and my healthy workout life that I fell from my bike before the night started :( I did Insanity workout for already 14 days, but I’m still having a knee injury, so I need rest, well I don’t really know that word.. But be positive: look at the things you CAN do and not at the things you CAN’T.

On Liberation day I had a quality day with my lovely brother, we went to The Hague to watch rock/punk bands on Malieveld and some fun music on main stage. In the evening we travelled along to Zoetermeer where Postmen, Di-rect and the Golden Earring gave a great performance.

Last Tuesday I was in Hazerswoude with my lovely girls and we did farmer golf. Which was so good for a laugh hahahaha. In between the cows, sheep and horses. I was a bit in an hurry afterwards for a casting at the WDKA and then I needed to be in Zoetermeer again for the wedding show with dresses from Yentlsbruidsboetiek. I don’t think many women (or men) sat in a wedding dress in the cinema, well I did! It was Ladies Movie Night in Utopolis. 

Last Wednesday I went to the Euromast in Rotterdam for the second time, but this time all the way up with my grandma, she was really excited because she had never been on the Euromast before. I feel really blessed to have both of my grandparents. They are really like second parents to me.  

To come this holiday:

Last bit of homework… That stuff need to be done too. Day Delft, Meerbeatz festival Hoofddorp and this monday back to school again.

Remember you can’t appreciate the ups without surrendering to the downs. Life is not perfect but enjoy the beautiful moments in life!

Eat well and behold the air >>>

Sending you L-O-V-E xox

Kirsten

Next post won’t be this personally ;)