Floating gardens
Did you know that Mexico City has its own Venice? At only an hour’s drive from the fabulous chaos of the capital?
It’s called Xochimilco, meaning the ‘Place of the Flowers’ in Náhuatl, and floating down its famous green canals in a colorful, open air trajinera (gondola) while being serenaded by a band of trumpeting mariachis was one of the absolute highlights of my Mexico trip.
There I was, grooving to the infectious tunes, surrounded by relaxing locals and refreshment vendors offering delicious drinks and snacks from their boats: a Mexican fiesta on the water! This area, now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is where the Aztecs built fertile riverbeds called chinampas, on which they were able to grow crops, thereby creating ‘Floating Gardens’. So, when you watch your boatman propel your bright-colored trajinera forward by pushing his long wooden pole in the canal, remember: in Xochimilco, you are not just traveling through water, you are traveling through time.
MD Friends
Building bridges
From the Erasmus Bridge and the Mercedes-Benz Museum to Qatar’s metro network; Ben van Berkel’s iconic landmarks bring people together in rapturous beauty, again and again. I talked with the Dutch architect and educator about sensuality, ‘healthy’ buildings and the remarkable parallels between our designs.
MD Friends
More than a feeling
Don’t ignore your emotions; they are much more powerful than you can imagine. By linking the magical world of emotions with hard science, Dutch scientist Pierre Capel, professor emeritus in experimental immunology, shows us the consequences of our feelings and the power of our minds. The message: we can do much more than we think. “Meditate. It’s the single best thing you can do for your health.”
Marlies Says
Keto curious?
The fact that I feel bikini-confident all year round is, of course, a nice bonus. But for me, the biggest payoff of following the keto diet is the way it optimizes my health and gives me tons of energy.
Marlies Says
Super (skin) food
‘If you can’t eat it, why put it on your skin?’. I pretty much live by this beauty adage. After all, with your skin being one of your body’s largest organs, anything – and I mean anything! – you put onto your skin will end up in your bloodstream.