The first rays of sunlight came out, sping has begun and so it’s off to the terrace!

Right next to the lake in ‘Het Kralingsche bos’ (check the Kralingsche bos article) is ‘De Tuin’, as people in Rotterdam call this restaurant/lunch-place/bar. This is the place I go to after a walk around the lake with my friend to have a cup of tea and eat back the calories we might have burned while walking by ordering a bittergarnituur (small deep fried snacks). My friends and I have done some thorough research and ‘De Tuin’ has definitely got best combination of ‘bittergarnituur’. So going to this place just for that is worth it.

But if you’re looking for a place to enjoy the green that Rotterdam has to offer, look no further. From the terrace there’s a great view of the skyline of the city. Plus this is a good place to enjoy the sun, although you will find that a lot of people like this place for just that reason.

Not to long ago they renovated ‘De Tuin’, which made it look trendier, but also drove the prices a bit up. Still it’s worth going to.

This restaurant lives up to it’s name (translation: “heaven on earth”). It’s the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends and not with out a reason. Their tapas are delicious and there is lots to choose from. My favorite are the dates filled with an almond and rolled in bacon.

This popular place does not take reservations during the weekend, so it could be that you have to wait before you get a table. Or you can take a seat at the bar.

Just with their food, the owners have put a lot of thought and love into the interior of the restaurant. Everywhere in the place there are statues of angels and other things that have to do with heaven.

Enjoy a great meal here and maybe afterwards you can have a nice beer or something warmer by the fireplace at the Locus Publicus (check the Locus Publicus article). Not too long ago they put heaters outside, so you can sit there as well. Normally there are only chairs here during summer, so I reckon that’s more for smokers to sit. I haven’t tried it yet, so can’t really judge. Good reason to pay them a visit again .

The Kralingsche bos is a forest on the border of Kralingen and Prins Alexanderpolder and is the biggest in Rotterdam. The trees are formed around a lake: the Kralingsche plas.

To people who jog around this lake say “I did a lap around the plas”. There a two laps, one where you really run along the lake and one where you go around the forest (yet they still call it the “bigger lap around the plas”).

When I skate I go for the bigger lap. When I go for just a walk I take the one next to the lake and then top it off with a visit to “De Tuin van de vier windstreken” (check the Tuin van de Vier Windstreken article). And now that I’ve started running, as of now this is also the place for me to practice for the 10 km!

In summer I come here to sit and have a picnic or BBQ on the side of the lake, joint by lots of people enjoying the nice spring/summer evenings.

A very old student pub on the corner of Oostplein with a nice fireplace -good for the cold winters-, an okay terrace-good for the summer- and a range of special beers. The bartenders, all male and student, have a good knowledge of all those beers. The locus is a pub made to really enjoy your beer. It’s not too big and the pub rules tell you to switch off your phone.

This place is good for relaxing when it’s not that crowded, but on Thursday and Friday evenings it can get quite busy. People who come here are mostly students or those who used to be.

Last year they built a massive set of stairs in the corner all the way up to the attic. This is where some functions are being held. Anyway, big improvement. Don’t know how they did it, but the ‘Locus’ feels even more like a cosy house then ever!