How much does a person have to be fascinated by a certain place to dedicate his entire life to study it? Not to mention this certain place remained untouchable and unvisited for years until this person could finally get in? This is the story of Sjoerd de Vries, an eccentric, nice and cheerful Dutchman who I met by coincidence during my daily strolls in Amsterdam.
A few months before my first visit to Rotterdam (2015), an arquitectonic landmark in the city had just opened. It was MarktHalle. An exciting discovery especially due to its purpose: besides its impressive building housing two hundred apartments, it is also a vibrant food market. It is the largest covered market in Holland.
São Paulo is not a place for the faint hearted, it makes you grow a thick skin. And writing about it, where I lived half of my life, brings up deep and buried feelings that once made me so much want to be there and to be part of something special. As a result of living there, I also made friends who became family. Is blood really thicker than water? I wonder.
"Nordestinos are all the same: they come to São Paulo, picturing a better life in this huge capital city, but they are always yearning to go back", said Walter Bolinha, as he referred to his fellows’ northeastern citizens known in Brazil as "nordestinos". He is the driving force for more than 20 years at Baretto - the fancy bar of the international acclaimed Hotel Fasano.
Long before any of us could ever have imagined living under such socially restricted conditions, I've had the idea to ask some dear bartenders that I admire the most: what would the Last Drink of your life be? Coincidentally or not, Covid-19 made its unpleasant appearance right after my first inquiries and the subject of this interview has made more sense than ever.
Petra: a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Even though only 13% of what it originally was is standing today - almost all of Petra was destroyed by wars and earthquakes - its beauty is as impressive as the energy emanating from its rocks, ruins and tombs. I suggest arriving early to make the most of it, as the walk is quite long.
I have always found it important, and part of the process of getting to know the local culture, to explore local markets in certain cities we visited, at least the first time you go there. But when you are in the East, this assumption is fundamental, and in Amman, as in the rest of the Arab countries, local markets are rich with products and well-known Souks.
After visiting Amsterdam for a few years and staying in Airbnb flats to be closer to locals and absorb their culture as much as possible, I began to explore different types of hotels. Partly because my previous work as a 20-year Public Relations required me to take every traveling opportunity to learn more about my area of interest.
When we are not looking for a particular spot and unpretentiously go to places when we are traveling, perhaps the most incredible and unusual venues appear out of nowhere. That's how I met Botanical Affairs, that surpassed any expectation of a drink bar that I could ever visit.