With many seminars being organized across the globe, Aikido has a vast community of city hoppers. The majority of people visiting seminars mainly attend it for the sole purpose of training which – ofcourse – is the most important. What if we could give you a reason to stick around town before and/or after our next seminar with Claude Berthiaume Sensei? Below you will find some of our favorite places to visit in and around Eindhoven.

STRIJP-S ‘THE FORBIDDEN CITY’
In the heart of Eindhoven lies ‘The Forbidden City’ of Strijp-S: a creative and modern-industrial area formerly used by the famous Dutch engineering company Philips. Now it is a home to many young designers, creative entrepreneurs and caterers. Some of our favorite places include: 
RESTAURANT POPEI
POPEI is ideal for everyone who likes a cozy, casual and artistic living-room atmosphere. They regularly hold concerts by artists in the form of live music, whilst offering great dining possibilities. With the menu POPEI wants to show that wonderful food can taste even more exciting and flavoursome when using natural ingredients.
RESTAURANT ‘SOUL KITCHEN’
A nice and cozy restaurant where you can have lunch and dinner suitable for meat-eaters, fish-lovers and vegetarians alike. They also have a great variety of boardgames which you can freely take and play while you are waiting for your food to be served or as an after-dinner event.
URBAN SHOPPER 
Is not a restaurant, but nevertheless an exclusive place to tick off your visit-list. Located on the main floor of one of Philips’ former bigger factory buildings is shopping Centre Urban Shopper. Twenty shop-owners reside within a small wooden unit selling their products, ranging from jewelry to bikes and vinyl records to Persian-inspired design. Every owner considers each other more as a friend than a competitor: a great way of doing business!
DOWN TOWN FOOD GOURMET
The Down Town Food Gourmet is an eclectic eating and gathering sanctuary. This market, based in the centre of Eindhoven, brings 21 individual eateries; chef driven or fast casual concepts, around a social hub and two central bars.

KLEINE BERG
A 10-minute walk from the Central Station of Eindhoven leaves you at the Kleine Berg: a cozy street home to many stores and restaurants. A hidden gem is ‘Lucifer Coffee Roasters’ where you can get Eindhoven’s best coffee according to locals! 

THE ‘VAN ABBEMUSEUM’
The Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven is one of the first public museums for contemporary art to be established in Europe. The museum has an experimental approach towards art’s role in society. Openness, hospitality and knowledge exchange are important to us. They like to challenge their visitors to think about art and its place in the world. During the Claude Berthiaume seminar, early February 2019, there will be 2 exhibitions using its own collection: ‘The Way Beyond Art’, ‘The Making of Modern Art’. Anyone that is into modern art would definitely love this museum on a Sunday afternoon!

BLUE NOTE CLUB SESSIONS
Every Saturday afternoon you can enjoy jazz & soul acts in the Stadsfoyer of Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. Established names and surprisingly emerging talent from the contemporary jazz scene alternate in a relaxed club setting. It provides a great opportunity to meet up and share a drink under the sweet strains of Soul and Jazz. The doors open at 16:00h, the live performance starts at 17:00h. If you are missing out on the Saturday session this is a place-to-be. 

THE VAN GOGH CYCLE ROUTE
The way of life and the Brabant countryside formed the basis of Vincent van Gogh’s work (1853-1890). Stand where Van Gogh once stood, see what he saw and painted. Walk or cycle in Vincent van Gogh’s footsteps. That’s something you can really do in Nuenen! What makes it unique is that the stories about Van Gogh, his letters and his paintings all merge together in the same place.
The Van Gogh cycle route is incorporated into the existing cycle route network. Rent a city bike or electric bike (€8/day; €20/day) at Velorent and cycle to Nuenen to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Nuenen. Make sure to check out the specially designed Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path at night! It is 300 metres away from this watermill. A fairy-tale experience at night thanks to thousands of luminous stones. The cycle path is located in the eastern part of Eindhoven, between the Opwetten Watermill, Wolvendijk in Nuenen and the Coll Watermill, Loostraat in Eindhoven. About 15 minutes by bike from Eindhoven Station.