Fun & Famous

CAROLIEN’S FAST LANE LIFE

Yes, another fresh weekday diary from our Carolien. Because you know: she never sits still…

. “Thank you Lowlands, you were amazing!” I still regret not shouting this out after the show on stage… Man oh man, what a blast it was to perform on such a huge stage with our show! The audience reacted mega enthusiastically to our Britney performance. Luckily, we performed on Friday night, allowing everyone to fully let loose for the entire weekend afterwards. But not for me, unfortunately… I dutifully got into the car on Friday night to Amsterdam to carry out pre-wedding tasks all weekend. But you won't hear me complain. I was able to enjoy a full day at the festival, discovered my new favorite artist NAO, could only dance and jump at Gallowstreet, and even got to stand on stage myself! A pretty successful day if you ask me.

The stress is really kicking in at the Karthaus-Spoor household… Besides all the wedding preparations, we are also working full-time until the last moment. So to prevent us from appearing at the altar completely stressed out with bags under our eyes, we planned a little relaxing weekend. And I can tell you: that was the best idea ever! In Voorburg, there is a little paradise hidden, called Central Park Ron Blaauw. When you arrive, you immediately feel like you're abroad: the hotel slash Michelin-star restaurant is located on a beautiful estate with a lovely garden and a large terrace. Besides the incredibly delicious and culinary dinner, our suite was one big party, because we slept in the Rolls Royce of beds: a highly exclusive Hästens bed worth 125,000 euros! (And no, I didn't add an extra zero.) For the first time in weeks, Jon and I slept 9 hours non-stop, which is really a lifesaver. We can take on the world again!

Every year it’s a fixed routine: a ride on the carousel, making poffertjes ourselves, and enjoying a few shows at the Parade. Unfortunately, the grounds in Amsterdam are mainly visited by people who just want to drink rosé on the terrace, which is of course perfectly fine… But at the Parade, all the shows are actually central, and you must have seen at least one show. Usually, we have already made a list of must-sees in advance because friends of ours are performing there. So after our pita pulled pork and homemade poffertjes, we even had to run from tent to tent to see all the shows. So if you're heading to Martin Luther Kingpark this week, do me and yourself a favor by attending one show, and I’m sure you’ll leave the tent with a smile.

Once a year, your timeline is filled with it: famous Dutch people locking themselves in a box of one by one meter to raise as much money as possible for the Free a Girl foundation. A beautiful visual initiative that fortunately raises a lot of money to free young girls from forced prostitution. To draw attention to Free a Girl during the Olympic Games, the foundation has designed a beautiful Brazil bracelet in collaboration with Island Bracelets: with this, you not only support the foundation but also support Dutch top athletes during the Games. Now that’s teamwork!

Nice, last week I could already pull my sweaters out of the closet and this week I’m reaching for my super short shorts and summer shirts again. You won’t hear me complain, but I would be a lot happier if it were just one long period of nice weather and then we clearly moved towards autumn, instead of a summer that was half-and-half… But well, in the meantime, the autumn collections keep pouring in and I just can’t help but look forward to the first autumn day. This week, my new it-piece for winter already arrived on the doormat from the Dutch brand Dante6. In this teddy bear coat, you just want to live, right? Be careful what you wish for, before I know it, I can wear this coat all year round with that changeable Dutch weather…