rotterdam, netherlands

The other week, I took to the skies once again and made the short journey from Norwich to Amsterdam (40 minutes flight time!) and then onto Rotterdam via train. It really was surreal that in the same space of time it would take for me to get a train to London, I had got through check-in, security, flying over the sea and picking up my case at the other end and in a different country. For that reason, both Amsterdam and Rotterdam make for ideal mini city breaks if you fancy a change of scenery but it's worth pointing out that both are worlds apart visually. 

-  RDM Rotterdam

- Markthal

It never takes me long to find a food market in a new city. If you're taking a trip to Rotterdam, then Markthal is an absolute must, both for food shopping and to grab a cone of chips. It's also based inside of one of the most incredible buildings I've ever been in, making it one of the best places I visited on my trip. 

 - The Floating Pavilion 

- The Bobbing Forest

Monki is one of my absolute favourite clothing brands, so I was thrilled to spot a few stores dotted around the city. In the way of chains, there's also Zara, Forever 21, Pull & Bear and most others that you'd expect. There's also lots of trendy independent stores too. 

- Witte de With Contemporary Art

On the final day of my trip I popped to the museum of contemporary art and quite literally had the whole place to myself. It has a very similar feel as the saatchi gallery in London but without all of the crowds. Plus entry is only €4.50 with a student card and there's three floors worth of rooms filled with exhibitions. 

- Veerhaven

All in all I'd say that Rotterdam is most certainly worth a visit if you're staying nearby or in Amsterdam and fancy a day trip to somewhere different. There's definitely enough to do to fill up a couple of days for a city break, but I think the combination of ticking off both Amsterdam and Rotterdam within the same trip would be the most ideal as they are only roughly a 40 minute train ride from each other. Before I go I also want to give a quick mention to Bazar (middle eastern restaurant) and Uit Je Eigen Stad (a homegrown farm cafe) which are both truly wonderful places to eat at.  

easter egg sugar cookies

As I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate (shock horror!) I baked up some easter egg shaped sugar cookies this weekend instead. They're super easy to make and look ever so spring inspired. I always follow this Nigella recipe for sugar cookies, they come out a good shape without spreading out too much in the oven and taste buttery and soft. For the icing, I pipe an outline and then fill them in. To get these shades, I mixed Wilton Ivory into Pink, Violet and Leaf Green, to create dusty pastel colours. 

the salthouse harbour hotel, ipswich

On Sunday, I headed down to Ipswich for a one night stay at the Salthouse Harbour Hotel. I've only ever been to the city very briefly before and had never been down to the marina, so it was truly wonderful to have a room that looked right out onto the water. I felt right at home given the quirky styling and huge copper bath right next to one of the comfiest beds I've ever jumped into. 

With the hotel being so central, there's plenty to keep you occupied with in the city, or you can take a short drive to a beach in Suffolk for the day. I played it pretty chilled and relaxed in the room for most of the afternoon and then went out for a delicious meal at Aqua Eight. 

After the sun had gone down I ran myself a huge bubble bath and watched all of the lights twinkling from the boats in the marina. I've been in a fair few decadent baths in my time, but this one is by far my absolute favourite. 

The Sail Loft Marina room (with the copper bath!) is currently priced at £141 for a Sunday night, and I really do recommend a trip to discover the hotel for yourself. Plus I shouldn't forget to mention that they do a cracking breakfast too.

www.salthouseharbour.co.uk 

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