The Netherlands

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Jill — 4 Comments

Three Vegan Spots in Rotterdam

Maoz Falafel

Maoz Falafel, Rotterdam, Netherlands

If you’re a vegan or vegetarian travelling in Europe, there’s a darn good chance you’ll end up having at least one meal at Maoz, the popular vegetarian falafel joint. They’ve got locations in major cities across eastern Europe, including Paris, London, Amsterdam and Barcelona. They’ve also opened a few franchises in the US and you can now find them in Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Florida and New Jersey. A few years ago, we enjoyed several visits to Maoz in Paris and Barcelona and were excited to have a chance to eat there again while visiting Rotterdam, Netherlands.

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Posted on July 23, 2010 by Jill — 6 Comments

Have you Heard of Utrecht?

Utrecht, Netherlands

After visiting Amsterdam, we took the train to Utrecht, a nearby city packed with lots of students, bikes and cute shops. It’s basically a mini Amsterdam, without the overwhelming presence of the red light district, drugs and tourists. In Utrecht, we found another vegan squat cafe, lots of bio shops, and made friends with Miffy at the super cute Dick Bruna museum.

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Posted on July 21, 2010 by Jill — 3 Comments

Vegan Shopping Made Easy at Vega-Life in Amsterdam

Vega-Life Store

Vega-Life, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

It’s always such a treat to visit an all vegan store. It’s not everyday us vegans have the chance to walk into a shop and turn off the part of our brain that’s usually making a guess about whether or not a product contains animal ingredients and judging if it’s worth flipping over to read the label. In a vegan store, we can shop for food without examining the fine print and get excited about spotting cute shoes without having to worry about the possibility of leather insoles. Everything is fair game. And it’s such a lovely feeling! This is why we made a special trip to Vega-Life, Amsterdam’s all vegan store.

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Posted on July 20, 2010 by Jill — 8 Comments

Veggin’ Out at the Vegalicious HQ

Vegan Strawberry Tarts with Soy Yoghurt & Cashew Cream

Vegan Strawberry Tarts with Soy Yogourt and Cashew Cream

When we arrived at the Amsterdam airport, we received a warm greeting from Harald, the talented photographer behind the camera at Vegalicious. Harald does a fantastic job capturing the beauty of his wife Chris’ unique vegan recipes, all of which are available for free on the Vegalicious blog.

We had the pleasure of staying with Chris and Harald at their home in Almere, the Netherlands. Upon introduction, they dubbed us their little test bunnies and immediately started feeding us Chris’ delicious vegan creations. Our first taste of Vegalicious talent came in the form of vegan strawberry tarts with soy yogourt and cashew cream. We enjoyed them in the garden with tea and coffee.

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Posted on July 9, 2010 by Jill — 9 Comments

My First Time Eating at a Squat Cafe

De Peper Vegan Restaurant

De Peper Squat Cafe

Coming from Canada, squatting is a new concept for me. As far as I know, it’s illegal in Canada. You can’t just find any old abandoned building, break in, change the locks, set up a table, chair and bed, and call the local authorities to notify them you’ve moved in. In Europe, it’s different. However, laws seem to be changing and squatting is becoming an endangered lifestyle in some countries.

Many squatters seem to claim large properties, with ample space for living as well as community projects. In Amsterdam, there’s a legalized squat in the former Netherlands Film Academy (OT301) building. It’s now home to a vegan cafe, music performance/rehearsal space, cinema and gallery where [sub]cultural activities take place. When we heard about it, we knew we had to visit.

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Posted on July 7, 2010 by Jill — 10 Comments

What’s for Breakfast?

Brekafast

Muesli Breakfast

I couldn’t skip breakfast if I tried. Even if I wake up late, which I seem to be making a habit of, I still manage to eat something that resembles breakfast before having lunch. To me, breakfast is the symbol of a new beginning, another chance to have a happy and healthy day. When I was in Canada, my breakfast always involved a smoothie or freshly pressed juice. Since I started traveling six months ago, I’ve encountered less than five blenders and zero juicers. Naturally, I’ve had to open up to other options. In recent weeks, I’ve had many different things for breakfast, following along with the traditions of our hosts in each city.

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