COIMBRA

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

After visiting Peniche and Fatima, our road trip took us to the beautiful city of Coimbra, where we were joined by another friend, completing our travel company.  We were offered a place to stay and a tour around the city by a friend who I knew from his erasmus in Belgium.  He showed us their stunning faculty of architecture (located in an old hospital), casa da escrita (a writer’s retreat where I wouldn’t mind spending my days studying, the design by Joao Mendes Ribeiro is definitely worth checking out) and the beautiful little streets and views that Coimbra has to offer.  It wasn’t my first visit (the first time I went to Porto, I also made a stop here to meet up with my friends) and I don’t think it will be my last!  This town holds one of the oldest universities in Europe and with all the students wearing their typical black capes, it easily feels like you are on the set of a Harry Potter movie.  If that is not a reason to visit, I don’t know what is!

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles

coimbra via au pays des merveilles
all photos by me

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveillesChopstick pants on instagram, by brockdavis.

au pays des merveilles

Handbags by Olympia Le Tan (who you might know from her handbags that look like books), this time inspired by jazz music.  (source)
au pays des merveillesThe rubber barber makes correcting your mistakes a whole lot more fun!  Designed by Chen Lu Wei for Megawing and available here. (source)

au pays des merveilles(source)

au pays des merveillesManual photography explained in a beautiful cheat sheet.  (source)

au pays des merveilles

Wonderful garland, available here.au pays des merveillesDistance to Mars explains – obviously – the distance between the earth and mars.  (source)

au pays des merveillesHelveticat print, available here.

au pays des merveillesThe New York Times developed a Haiku Bot, which generates haikus from articles on NYTimes.com.   (source)

au pays des merveillesIllustrations by Bisser.

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FATIMA

au pays des merveilles

After having a picnic on the beach in Peniche, our road trip contined to Fátima, a pilgrimage town where people come to ask for health.  Next to burning the traditional candles, you can buy all kinds of body parts in wax (hands, hearts, breasts, lungs, you name it) and let them melt in the bonfire next to the candles.  We only stopped here for a short time, to take a look at the church and the shops with religious souvenirs, and then we continued our trip.  Next up: Coimbra!

au pays des merveilles

au pays des merveilles

au pays des merveilles

all photos by me

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PENICHE

au pays des merveilles

As I’ve told you before, during my last weeks in Portugal, I made a short road trip to Porto with a few friends.  The first stop we made was Peniche, a small town known for its beaches and surfers.  No surfing for us though, we were just here to have lunch, which was more complicated than expected thanks to me being a vegetarian. (Not so common in Portugal, unfortunately.) Despite the helpful portuguese lady, we didn’t find a place to eat, but it all turned out for the best!  we ended up having a picnic on the beach, accompanied by a smart dog who waited patiently for us to finish our lunch and toss him our leftovers.  A little bit later, we were back on the road and off to Fatima.  Stay tuned for the rest of the trip!

au pays des merveilles

au pays des merveilles

au pays des merveilles

au pays des merveilles

au pays des merveilles

all photos by me

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EXPLORED_ flower power in Lisbon

flower power, lisbon, via au pays des merveilles

At Flower Power in Lisbon (calçada do combro 2), you can eat and drink between the most gorgeous flower arrangements – not so suprising since this café / restaurant is part of a flower shop.  Both the beautiful decorations and the artwork changes regularly, so you’ll never be bored if you come to this place regularly.  Oh and the food is pretty good too, so you don’t have to come here only for the wonderful interior and the view at the famous elevador da bica right across the street.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

au pays des merveilles
Peter Defty looked up to the sky to make this wonderful architectural alphabet, called alphatecture.  (source)

au pays des merveilles

Joel Henriques made these wonderful wooden animals.  Find his blog ‘Made by Joel’ here, he makes loads of cool stuff!

au pays des merveilles

Best.  Sunglasses. Ever.  See the full preview of the collection here.

au pays des merveilles

This hedgehog must be the cutest table brush I have ever seen.  It’s available at By Mölle, among many other pretty things.au pays des merveilles

How can I ever be satisfied with a normal cappuciono again, after seeing this?  (source unknown)

au pays des merveilles

Best fashion advice I’ve seen in a long, long time.  Print by Zag.au pays des merveilles

Pantone Pairings by instagrammer dschwen.  (source)au pays des merveilles

This Mustache lover kit by REDImei was a personalised gift for a friend and such good inspiration if you’re into DIY presents.  If you’re curious: it contains scissors and a comb. (source)

au pays des merveilles

I’ve posted about tattly before on this blog, so maybe you already know these wonderful fake tattoos designed by great illustrators.    If you keep an eye on their blog, you’ll notice it’s not that hard to get creative yourself: they regularly present tattly hacks, or new, inspiring ways to combine their designs into something even more amazing.

au pays des merveilles

Shiny blindfold by Confetti System, available at hunting and collecting. A-ma-zing.

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EXPLORED_ café Tati in Lisbon

café tati, lisboa, via au pays des merveilles

Since this little café in Lisbon was close to my home and on the way between my apartment and the metro to the university, this was my go to place to work on my thesis (or the blog, because yes, this place has free wifi) while enjoying a cup of (cheap!) coffee and the company of likeminded friends.  But Café Tati has more to offer than free wifi and a cosy interior, they also have an extensive book collection and if you keep an eye on their facebook page, you’ll notice they regularly organize jazz concerts, which are tested and approved by yours truly.  The food is very tasty and affordable as well, so if you’re in Lisbon, I recommend you to enjoy at least one drink here.  (Rua da Ribeira nova 36)

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PRETTY THINGS: books

pretty books via au pays des merveilles

  1. I don’t know a lot about painters, but I do know I love Gerhard Richter‘s work and that every time I came across one of his paintings in a museum, it made a big impression on me.  ‘November ‘contains 54 works in ink and for what I’ve seen, they are absolutely stunning.  (source)
  2. Designer Thomas Billas is the man behind ‘How to make it without ikea’, a zine that shows us how to transform everyday objects into useful tools.  Volume three comes out soon, volume I and II can be found on line here and here. (source)
  3. As far as my german skills tell me, ‘wenn ich mal gross bin, werde ich designer’ is a student project and a pretty cool one at that.  This masterpiece contains beautiful illustrations, both hand drawn and on computer, and even some pop-up mechanisms.  Take a look here.
  4. ‘Quite good houses‘ shows us ordinary European houses, which might surprise us upon taking a closer look at them, but honestly, the title alone already does it for me.
  5. Like every self respecting person of my generation, I have a collection of tote bags.  However, the author of this book, which is conveniently named ‘The tote Bag‘, has gathered a much bigger collection that is well worth taking a look at if you love design and illustration.  (By the way, author Jitesh Patel also has a blog dedicated to the subject.)
  6. ‘A history of graphic design for rainy days’ gives you what its title promises, all explained with beautiful illustrations and even some exercises to keep you focused.
  7. ‘Don’t eat the yellow snow‘ gives us advice in the form of 250 of the best pop songs from the last 50 years, in all possible genres.
  8. The flamingos on the cover are what got me interested in ‘Mémoire universelle‘, and the fact that it’s available at Hunting & Collecting (one of Brussels’ finest shops) was very promising as well. Stylist and curator Benoît Bethume started a series of nine ‘bookazines’ of which this one is the first, devoted to love.  It’s available with four different covers and shows us a collection of articles and shoots, presented as an encyclopedia of personal memories.

For more pretty books, take a look at my pinterest board or my previous posts.

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CHARLIE DE KEERSMAECKER

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

There’s few things I love more in photography than images that somehow manage to capture people as natural as possible, and I think that’s exactly what Charlie De Keersmaecker accomplished while photographing dEUS and Axelle Red during their respective recording processes.  If you’re interested in his work and how he makes his portraits, here you can see a documentary about the photos he made for ‘Wakker!’ a book by Annelies Verbeke, where she tells stories of people who work at night.

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveilles

charlie de keersmaecker via au pays des merveillesall photos by Charlie De Keersmaecker

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EXPLORED_ Primeiro Andar in Lisbon

IMG_7357

When you take the small candle lit corridor that leads you to this hidden gem, you will find an indoor basket court and next to it, the entrance to Primeiro Andar (Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, nº110 in Lisbon).  With it’s cosy sofa’s and occasional concerts, you’ll find yourself right at home here.  For more Lisbon tips, take a look here.

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