Europe: Summer 2006, Paris

This past summer on my travels through Europe I tried to sketch moments that caught my interest. As a result I have a treasure even more special than the hundreds of photographs I took. I hope you enjoy my little watercolor memories.

Finally, my favorite city in the whole world: Paris! I was here for a week 2 years previous and fell in love. This trip was much too short but I managed to fit in all my favorite spots and eat the most divine food! My favorite sketching site ended up being near the carousal in Montmarte where I watched as children played and their mommies visited and kept close watch.

The trip was over 18 days after we started from California, USA to London and back. It was so much fun to capture these vignettes of the places I was most privileged to visit.

Switzerland

Bologna was our last stop in Italy before traveling to Switzerland. We spent two nights there visiting the city of Lucern and the surrounding swiss alps. I know I shouldn't have picked the wildflowers and even worse....brought some home!

Tuscany and Florence

After our stay near the Mediterranean where I swam in turquoise blue water that was warm and inviting we headed north the Tuscan Region of Italy. We passes fields of sunflowers, olive trees, vineyards. We ended up in a town near Florence where I spent the next day in that marvelous city climbing to the top of the Duomo, walking the streets, shopping, sketching the gates of paradise, eating lunch on the Ponte Vechio and spending hours in the Uffizi Gallery with the likes of Botticelli, Giotto and Brunelleschi.....I could have stayed in Florence forever.

Sorrento area

After leaving Rome we traveled to Pompeii for a day at the ancient ruins. From there onto Sorrento where we stayed at a small hotel in the village of San'Agata. What a wonderful place San'Agata was! I enjoyed sitting on the outdoor terrace with a few of the other travelers sipping some wine and sketching the mood.

Venice and Rome

I imagine Venice to be a truly magical city but all I saw was a billion people and the humidity just draining. After wandering the streets shoulder to shoulder I decided to wander alone and away from the crowds. I kept walking and soon realized I was probably never going to find my way back to St. Mark's Square. Then I came into a big piazza where old women were sitting under shady trees on park benches, kids were playing soccer in front of the church and mamas were fanning their babies. I sat under a tree as well, another old woman, and began sketching. I had found the Venice I was looking for.

In Rome my new friend Preeti and I decided to explore the city on foot. After visiting the Forum, Colosseum, and the Pantheon we found this fountain on a side street and joyfully splashed and cooled our sore puppies in the cool water. While there I asked her to model for me and included her in my sketch. From here we went to the piazza Navona, then shopping, finishing off at the Spanish Steps for dinner. What a great day it was in Rome!

Germany and Austria

The following day we travel through Germany via our motor coach with a stop at in a small village for lunch and to board a ferry for a scenic ride down the Rhine where we passed little hamlets and fairy castles in the air.

After a night in Germany with some beer sampling with dinner we left early the next morning passing the blue Danube River (which really was blue) and crossed into Austria where the hills were really alive with the sound of music! A short shopping stop in Innsbruck where a quick summer shower cooled us off. The rest of the drive took us through the Dolmites into Cortina, Italy where I finally got to practice my Italian with two fine gentlemen who engaged me in conversation and bought me a cup of cafe. I knew I was going to enjoy the next 10 days in Italy!

London, Calais and Brussles

From London I traveled by motor coach to Dover, England where we boarded a ferry to cross the English Channel. As we left England the brightness of the white cliffs of Dover gleemed in the distance.
Upon entering Calais, France we met up with our guide with whom we'd spend the next 15 days with. We arrived that evening in Brussles, Belgium. There we took a bus tour of the city ending at the Grand Place and devoring Belgium waffles.

London

In London I spent the day at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. After feasting on the wonderful paintings there I walked toward Big Ben and Parliment where I found a nice spot on the Thames to rest and sketch the London Eye.