On our way to the city of  sex, drugs and rock and roll we were craving for a hamburger and stopped by at the Mc Donalds Best, near Eindhoven. To our surprise, it appeared to be a special Rock and Roll restaurant, designed after the first ever Mc Donalds in Des Plaines, Illinois, US, 1955. There is the replica 50’s typeface and, of course, the “Golden Arches”, running straight through the restaurant. On the inside there are elements like a Chevrolet Corvette hanging from the ceiling, a jukebox, a Harley Davidson and a series of beautiful black and white pictures of Golden Age moviestars. The burgers tasted the same as in an ordinary Mc Donalds restaurant, though, which was fine by us.

Last year we stayed at hotelboat Zwaan. We loved it so much, that we decided to book this little piece of heaven on earth again this year. We chose the “Lovers Nest”, which is an all red, cosy cabin in the nose of the ship. The hotelboat is located very near to the Science Center Nemo at the Oosterdok near the center of Amsterdam. The breakfast is always on point and, moreover, the capt’n surprised us this time with scrambled eggs on saturday and home made banana cake on sunday.

Because I was aware of our plans to stay at this rather camp environment, I wanted my nails to be done likewise. I think, this navy style set of acrylic nails, done by Gabriela Cambula at Nail Couture 43, works pretty well to achieve that goal. Gabriela used a mix of techniques, such as the golden fishnet stickers and stripes, loose gems and studs and some handpainted detailing as well.

On friday night we went dancing. We stopped by at the Cruise Inn, but the party seemed to be over by the time we arrived. A kind fella at the entrance advised us to go to Maloe Melo, a bluescafé in the heart of Amsterdam. There was a performance by the Barnstompers going on at the Rythm Shack in the back of the café. These guys gave us a great time by playing their traditional American Country-Boogie, Western-Swing, Honky Tonk and Rockabilly. Especially the polyphonous country songs got our whole-hearted approval. We danced the night away on the tunes of this band, under the observing eyes of the regulars. Yunus, sitting at the bar, even filmed most of our dances, since he enjoyed them very much.

The pink tulle skirt I’m wearing works pretty well on the twists and turns. I bought it together with the black turtleneck T-shirt at a new shop called Grace in Deurne, my temporary hometown. Both are labeled “Mosquito”. The bun in my hair is adorned by a pink, silk daisy from Veritas. My black patent leather shoes are from Alain Manoukian. I got them from my grandfather about 10 years ago. He wanted to buy me a nice pear of danceshoes at that time. They still go along with me most of the nights I go out.

This picture was taken by Sofie Huybrechts, the talented Miss Fia, in her gorgeous fifties kitchen. We had organised an easy-going evening with some friends and the little ones. On the menu there was Nigella Lawsons Christmas Coleslaw, Nigella’s Redder than Red Cranberry Sauce (we used Grand Marnier instead of cherry brandy ;-)),  and -of course- stuffed turkey. Lili was helping a bunch by arranging the appetizers in an order that made great sense to her.

I’m wearing a seventies vintage dress that I bought at the Rockabilly Day festival a while ago. My beehive hairdo is secretly supported by Kevin Murphy’s Powder Puff. Lili is wearing her all time favourite princess dress by H&M. On her arm she’s showing us her fake tattoos from Flying Tiger. The randomly placed hairpin was a must according to the little stylist.

An then there was New Years Eve… just us two, little one to bed, furniture aside and dancing the night away. We’re in our homewear, but, still, I’m wearing my Freed of London danceshoes and Pieter put on one of them nice vintage pairs.

If you look closely, you’ll find some leftover fake tattoos on my calves, a remnant of an evening of fake tattooing at Tours et Taxis, Brussels at a De Persgroep event. The only one with the real tattoos here is, in fact Pieter.

In this picture, you see me dancing with Stefan, from Germany. I already enjoyed a few dances with Pieter, my husband. He asked me for another one and I refused, telling him I was too tired. But a that point, Stefan asked me to dance. What else can a girl do than accept? Pieters face spoke volumes: a mix of amusigness and a hint of jealousy provided him with an adorable smile. We had a good laugh afterwards about my “unfaithfulness” and danced the night away.

I’m wearing my favourite cardigan with maribou bunny tail by Moschino. Got it at Rosier 41 in Antwerp. The seamed tights are by Falke. They are sheer to waist, which is very convenient while dancing. You don’t want the spectators around you to have to look up to a very unelegant black shorts-like upper part of the dancing ladies tights, do you? The patent leather shoes are Alain Manoukian. My grandfather, being a tapdancer himself, gave them as a present, years ago. They are still one of my favourite pairs of dancing shoes.

Tis picture was taken by Arjan Massar.