Exploring Amsterdam: A Car-Free Adventure
It’s been a while! Let me tell you about my family trip to Amsterdam back in… March? Learn about paintings, history, baked goods, and incredible city infrastructure!
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It’s been a while! Let me tell you about my family trip to Amsterdam back in… March? Learn about paintings, history, baked goods, and incredible city infrastructure!
Continue...
Since my last serious travel sketching experience in Portugal, I have doubled down on learning about watercolors and purchased some real brushes. My next trip with opportunities for sketching was to Alaska in July. In advance, I practiced trees, grass, mountains, water, and skies. I knew I’d be working with a lot of scenics.
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This past July, my family finally made it to Alaska to celebrate my mother-in-law Kathy’s birthday. The trip was originally planned for summer 2020, but for obvious reasons it had to be delayed. After visiting Alaska many times with my parents growing up, I was so excited to share this special place with my husband’s family. We took the land route - no cruises apart from a few day trips - and saw more wildlife and scenery than we could have possibly imagined!
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When deciding where to travel for our first international trip since the start of the pandemic, we selected Portugal for many reasons. However, I’d been dreaming of visiting Portugal even before the pandemic and longed to photograph and wander through picturesque neighborhoods. Starting in late January, I regained an interest in sketching and drawing and tried to figure out which style resonated with me the most. I then discovered urban sketching - drawing what you see around you to capture the essence of the moment - and decided to use Portugal as a test run.
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After a delightful 5-day stay in Porto, we took the express train to Lisbon for the second half of our stay in Portugal. We walked from the train station to our hotel in the Bairro Alto, where the energetic hotel receptionist, Miguel, was surprised that we had walked 40 minutes from the train station. We enjoyed the walk as it gave us our bearings in this cosmopolitan city.
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I have dreamed of visiting Portugal for a long time. I’d seen pictures of the historic old cities and towns with winding pathways and cobblestone streets. The homemade pastries and bread with fresh cheese and local seafood. The gorgeous weather and beautiful scenery, from the lush countryside to the rugged coastline. Friendly people with a fascinating history and deep culture. Plus, incredibly high COVID-19 vaccination rates.
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