Following a wonderful breakfast, our guide Delik meets us at our hotel to start a walking tour of Old Istanbul – Saltanamet.
The morning begins in the centre of the old Turkish Ottoman Empire with a visit to Topkapi Palace, a massive complex consisting of four main courtyards of the royal residence. We are given some time here to do some quick drawings and then some time to explore under this historic city at the Basilica underground Cistern.
After coming out of the Cisterns and giving our eyes time to adjust to the bright sunlight, Delik takes us to an artist friend she knows who makes marbled paper art. He gives us an amazing demonstration on how he creates this traditional art form and wows the crowd. After lunch we are off to see the Hagia Sophia, once a church later a mosque it is now a museum and a beautiful example of architecture of both the Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Exhausted … but still excited about the history we are soaking up our tour finishes at the Blue Mosque.
Pueblos Mágicos, what an amazing way to break in the new year with the Travelling Brush. We had a small group of artists for this very unique art trip to of some of my favourite places in Mexico. Our group arrived January 3rd, starting our tour in this amazing Capital, if you have never been to Mexico City, there is a heap of cool things to see and do including some world class museums. Our first day included a visit …
I was attracted to this high vantage point because of the challenging perspective; as I painted I learned about Dubrovnik from the perspective of two locals caught in the daily riggers of mass tourism. Our painting group arrived in Dubrovnik after a beautiful drive down the coast from Split with a short interlude into Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to cross the Neretva River, along the famous 16th-century Ottoman bridge. Stari Most Bridge connects the two parts of the City …
I am lucky to have the opportunity to travel as much as I do and feel very fortunate to be in Croatia at this time, to explore such a beautiful country and discover my heritage. Once my group is on their way, I get the chance to visit the city of Rovijn in the Istria peninsula bordering Italy, and one of the first towns to fall to the Venetian empire in the 11th Century. Attacked several times over the next …
