Marie Bernard's Guide to Art, Literature, Nature and Cuisine

A truly wonderful museum we recently visited is Chillida Leku which is very near San Sebastian in the northwest of Spain. The Basque Country is famous for its rugged coastline, scenic beauty and cutting edge cuisine. Eduardo Chillida remains one of Spain's most famous artists of the past century and after his passing in 2002, his estate, house and studio were transformed into a museum showcasing his contemporary art and sculpture. It's the perfect environment to view his, often enormous - forged steel sculptures which we highly value, and which seem to be such a profound expression of the rugged beauty of his birthplace. 

 

A book we keep close by and read over and over again is The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence by Spanish Jesuit Baltasar Gracián. It's basically a manual on how to interact with people that was first published in 1647. Still very accessible and highly legible this little book proves that although times may change, people stay very much the same.

One of our favourite recipes of all time is the take on mapu tofu by Lady and Pups. Her version of this feel good dish mixes loads of umami and spiciness with super smooth tofu which helps you cope with the heat. Together with our home baked pita bread it's a definite crowdpleaser.

 

One of our favourite hikes in nature is Kalmthoutse Heide which is right on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium north of Antwerp. It's a mix of heath and woodlands and a really good place for hikes that aren't too long, yet vary highly scenery-wise. Great place for spotting all sorts of fungi after a rainy night. Ideally we'll drive to Antwerp in the morning to shop for art materials, have lunch there and drive to Kalmthoutse Heide to digest before returning home.

A playlist we frequently turn to is the one by El Michels Affair. Apart from some of his own tracks, it features loads of obscure, old and new finds from around the world. Often surprising, sometimes brilliant and never dull makes it the perfect musical tour guide.