the pretty cities.

of course i'd have to be talking about the stately den haag and the historic food-filled streets of haarlem. last week i had the pleasure of visiting both, but on seperate occasions. after much chat and excitement about visiting the beautiful bloem, it was agreed upon to head back to den haag on a super sunny monday. bloem hit the carrot cake well and truly out of the park and can be read about here. with the weather being so well behaved we took advantage of it and spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering the city streets. the last time i was in den haag there was snow on the ground. the sunshine made her even more beautiful and i fell in love for sure this time around. den haag is known for it's palatial embassies and mansions with a strong air of elegance. it boasts it's own nearby beachfront they call scheveningen which well and truly put on a summer show for us when we were there a couple of weeks ago. this city is the dutch seat of government and home to the royal family. unknown to many non-dutchies, den haag was the capital of holland prior to 1806 and still carries a regal maturity about her today. the architecture alone is worth an afternoon visit and i was constantly charmed by the art noveau influenced doorways and shop fronts that led us out of the city. we stumbled across the australian embassy, admired the beauty of the vredespaleis and finally settled with a cold beer in hand on one of the many flower adorned terraces. this city definately takes the cake. 

so many picture perfect moments down every street. 

the streets are lined with colour and patterns that make me weak at the knees.

hello beautiful tiles.

a lovely city to bike. 

amazing type adorned most surfaces.

more tiles, need i explain?

yes, yes and ummmm, yes. this place rocked my cake loving world. 

one of my favourite dutch words.

we hit haarlem on an overcast tuesday on our return from the emerald city of zaandam. described as a classic dutch city with cobble-stone streets and grand churches, i was soon getting a strong gouda/leiden vibe from this decorative city. haarlem's origin dates back to the 10th century and it's clear that this city is crawling with history. after a spanish invasion and finally a stand from willem van oranje, haarlem soared into the prosperity of the golden age, attracting artists from throughout europe. the train station itself is a sight to be seen and has been featured in several blockbuster movies. as we made our way into the shopping district and out towards the windmill we were confronted by an eery silence, with many businesses shut for the summer. photo opportunites were still a-plenty and we stumbled across some beautifully designed houses and bridges. haarlem is a thriving city just soaked in history and as you turn each corner you are instantly reminded of this. haarlem is a living movie set crediting the great artists and architects of the 14th and 15th centuries. a true historic gem on holland's map of must-see cities. 

so pretty, even when skies are grey.

so arty.

where at?

from harlem, nyc to haarlem, noord holland. did you know the new york neighbourhood's name derived from our historic dutch city? 

the dutch know how to colour code. 

emerald city.

if you're promised a handful of working windmills, rows of little green houses and a town that boasts the quirkiest international hotel...you'd be keen, right? thanks to NS and la place ticket deals we made our way 50 miles north to zaanse schans and then onto zaandam on tuesday for an absolute steal.  i won't forget the beautiful haarlem which we made our last stop that day, but it's a city that deserves her own post. the windmills situated in the little industrial town of zaanse schans were the very first factories in the zaan region. a handful of them still press oil, grind dyes, saw wood and make paper. it was a beautiful sight but tainted slightly but the number of tourists that had flocked to see them that day. the weather was warm but a little overcast so we made our way quickly to the paint mill, the most favoured mill for me. we climbed the dizzy heights of the narrow ladders that elevated us up to impressive views of the area. i saw for the first time the working components of a windmill and i was suitably impressed. these charming buildings aren't just there to adorn holland's landscape, so my love for them has now doubled in size. we saw the very first albert heijn (holland's primary supermarket) contained within the most quaint emerald green house that i would just die to live in. it reminded me of my days as an 8 year old wandering perth's pioneer world, still a treat for this fast approaching 30 year old. once i'd taken a mere 80 or so photos it was time to move onto the nearby town of zaandam, a word i just love pronouncing. i'd seen photos of the famous inntel hotel and was prepared for the squeals i would be ejecting as the train pulled into the station. as we exited the brightest station i had ever seen the quirky design of the inntel stood right before me. it was like being inside a theme park, and i'm only talking about the main street. giant red, white and blue tulips adorned fences, every tone of green was used to decorate building facades and were highlighted with a brilliant white scalloped trim that really made the colours pop. i was in heaven. i'll let the photos speak for themselves and will be back shortly with a post about the beautiful cities of den haag and haarlem. it's definately the dutch life for me. 

           

bloem.

a sweet as pie hole-in-the-wall that boasts an abundance of homemade cakes. have i got your attention yet? i found this little gem whilst searching for local bakeries that i would just love to work for and even though this beauty isn't rotterdam based, i knew it would be a worthwhile 15 minute train ride to den haag to investigate. even the boy was keen, perhaps persuaded by the number of drool-worthy photos i downloaded and shoved into his face the night before. we made our way to den haag just after lunch on monday and the weather was nothing short of glorious. nestled along the korte houtstraat only several minutes walk west of central station, bloem is one of the sweetest cake shops i have ever visited. the photos online gave me a cake hole vibe with a less fussy but just as peachy atmosphere. it was love at first sight. i had a big latte in mind but the warmer temps made me opt for an espresso frappuccino instead, and it didn't disappoint. after drooling over the menu and snapping photos for at least 10 minutes, i finally sat myself down on a peach tinted vintage chair that rested upon a heavily mesmerising floral rug. my eyes were literally popping out of their sockets. teacup light shades, vintage furniture, needlepoint decorating most surfaces and life-size reproductions of floral wonderment that can be found adorning the walls of the rijksmuseum had me overwhelmed with joy. the boy went with the incredible looking millionaire's shortbread and was in heaven withion seconds of opening his mouth, with me choosing the best carrot cake i have ever eaten. the two lovely (and lucky) ladies that run bloem checked in with us and stopped for a chat, where i was clearly unable to restrain my excitement. an almond cream kitchenaid sat a-top the mint green cupboards below a myriad of coloured tea tins. it's places like this that make me want to have a space of my very own, somewhere you can feel as inspired as i did that day. i'll be back for more homemade treats faster than you can eat a slice of tasty taart.

bloem is open mon - sat 10am - 6pm and located at korte houtstraat 6, den haag.