Summer has been an eventful time for me. I had the great fortune to be able to travel across Europe after nearly 3 years. Before leaving, I had to figure out how to bring my art with me on the trip. Normally I bring my sketch book but somehow I wanted to try something different. After some browsing around Bay Area art stores, I settled on watercolor. Watercolor gave me the opportunity to discover a new medium and learn while on the road. Hope you all will enjoy this short journey through Europe in watercolor as much as I did.
Nestled just across the border from the Black Forest and the city of Freiburg, Colmar, France is an old town with a beautiful city centre. The canals are lovingly called Little Venice. This is a close-up of some of the locks on the fence along the canal.
The Black Forest in Germany has a number of large lakes. In summer, they are bustling with people enjoying the crisp air and beautiful water. We spent a little time enjoying the Titisee late in the afternoon, when it is much more quiet.
After the trip to southern part of Germany, our home away from home served as a fun destination to meet up with friends. The south of The Netherlands is a beautiful place to visit, with the city of Maastricht an absolute highlight. This is a small water color of one of our friends sitting in a little courtyard next to the St. Servaes Basilica.
There is a lot more to see around Maastricht, with the town of Valkenburg, the 3-country point in Vaals to name a few. But travel beckoned and next up is one of the nicest places in Europe: Oporto (or Porto) in Portugal. The city is lovely, lively and colorful, with wonderful architecture and good food.
We took the bus from the city centre to the mouth of the river Douro, which has a number of light houses. It is a rugged coast, and provides a pretty amazing view of the ocean.
After spending some more time in Lisbon, Estoril and Cascais, it was time to go back to The Netherlands. As tradition, we always spend a day in Amsterdam before flying home. After visiting the Van Gogh museum, we enjoyed a stroll through a warm and sunny Amsterdam. The canals never cease to amaze and enchant. Just so pretty.
After three years of pandemic, it was wonderful to be in a position to travel and once again experience new places and visit old favorites. I really enjoyed using watercolor and experimenting while in these beautiful places.
Til next time, hopefully with more images to share!
Christine
PS. Visit my store if you would like to buy some of the watercolors.