A lot of crooners sung the song ‘I love Paris in the springtime’. Actually, the lyrics are about Paris’ beauty all year round. But for green Paris lovers, spring is when it all starts. The chestnuts and paulownia’s are in bloom. On the squares, in the parks and along the quays of the Seine people are […]
Green city
Porto in early spring is about camellias and azulejos
I visited Porto in the third week of March. My ‘nature eye’ immediately spotted a flower that is celebrated throughout the whole town: the camellia. Till then, I thought that is a bit of a bourgeois flower. I know better now (read on)… And: I discovered some more joy for green lovers (read on too). […]
Green summer city tips for travelers in Europe
I love city life. There’s lots to see, lots of interesting stuff to discover, lots of intriguing people to watch. But I need green too. If you go on a trip somewhere in Europe this summer, and you start longing for some quietness and peace in the busy urban vibe, I have some tips for […]
Peaceful gem in Amsterdam stone desert
There’s building sites with moving cranes. There’s traffic, electric saw and ramming noise. There’s asphalt, corporate buildings, a hospital and university institutes. In the middle of all that business and grayness, the botanic garden Zuidas of Amsterdam is a peaceful gem. For a few years I lived quite close by and had been passing it a […]
CityTree handles polluted air like 275 normal trees
How about a green unit that has the same health effect on citizens as 275 urban trees do, but it only needs the space of just one tree? It is possible with the CityTree, a new patented system, developed by a German start-up. Combine expertise in architecture, informatics, engineering and horticulture and you’ve got: Green […]
Discover the green secrets of Amsterdam
There is one weekend in Amsterdam where you may enter the elegant canal houses and nose out what’s in the garden. This year it is on Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of June. Discover the green secrets of Amsterdam with a special ticket. Over 30 gardens will be open to the public, lots of them […]
Going green in Coimbra on a rainy afternoon
It was quite a rainy afternoon when we arrived in the Portuguese university city Coimbra. So we put on our raincoats, hoodies over the head and went on a city hike anyway. Of course on the search for some cheering green. Which we found. Coimbra has one of the oldest university cities in Europe. It was […]
There’s plenty of green to discover in Den Bosch
‘s-Hertogenbosch. It’s the classy name for the city that we normally call Den Bosch. This capital of the province Noord-Brabant is a green hub in a land of marshes. It is an old town, with lots of ancient beauty. And: plenty of green spots. I know Den Bosch (in 1184 it got city rights) quite […]
Shop your greens at the Flower Market Utrecht
Every Saturday in the center of Utrecht, you’ll find your greens on the Janskerkhof. It is a lovely square surrounded by trees. On the old street stones, all kinds of flowers and plants are being displayed. In the stalls there’s plenty of fresh flowers. A true feast. See my impression to get inspired: Information on the Flower Market […]
Green walk in London neighbourhood Notting Hill
I visited London for Blogtacular, an international event for bloggers. How lucky I was to be invited to the Notting Hill Photowalk with the charming famous blogger Kristabel Plummer. She knows the neighbourhood very well as she uses the colourful streets on her pictures a lot. With a group of about 20 women we discovered the […]