Monday, August 17, 2009

Europalooza 2009



Wow, it's been awhile. That's because I've been away for a few weeks now: I went on a much-anticipated backpacking trip with my sister through Europe. I have been wanting to do a backpacking trip for a few years but things kept falling through, but things finally fell in place this year and before either of us knew it we were whisked to far-off places on low-budget planes!

We first stopped in Dublin, Ireland where we visited the Guinness Brewery and visited local pubs with traditional musicians playing (I wanted to see the Book of Kells but kept missing the tours--oh well, guess I'll have to go back!) and took an evening trip to Howth, a beautiful marina outside the city.

Then we hopped a Ryanair flight to Paris--a lifelong dream for me (well, minus Ryanair). We climbed the stairs--yes the stairs--up the Eiffel Tower, visited the gardens of Versailles, and I finally got to see the Mona Lisa herself at the Louvre. I even got to taste one of my most favorite foods, escargots, in their home country (they're better there!).

Then on to Amsterdam, where I visited the Rijksmuseum (a great experience since I am a fan of Dutch painting). We took a beautiful bicycle ride through the countryside past windmills, canals and bucolic cow pastures. The night life there was something to remember as well.

After that came my (unexpectedly) favorite city of the trip: Berlin, Germany. What a unique city! So gritty and deconstructed, yet so vibrant and youthful! Everywhere we turned there was a building covered in awesome graffiti and street art. We visited a beer garden in a warehouse district that had two floors of clubs where everyone danced. The Berlin Wall too was unexpected in its artistic weight: each section had a mural painted on it by artists all over the world depicting their thoughts on the Wall and its history and future.

Finally, Prague, which was indeed fairytale-like in its architecture. The castle was very pretty and the buildings could give you hours' worth of photo-taking and scrutinizing with their ornate details and decorations. We visited the Alfons Mucha museum too, which was cool to see as an illustrator. The last day we spent in a little town about 1/2 hour away called Kutna Hora, where there is something called the Sedlec Ossuary--essentially a small church filled with the bones of 40,000 people, arranged in various ways such as garlands, crypts, and chandeliers. It was one of my favorite stops on the trip, very weird place (top picture).

I was sad to leave but now that I'm back I'm ready more than ever to get started on some new projects and finally see through to the end the old. I will be sending my children's book to some publishers and beginning the first stages of my next book, a modern fairy tale. I will also be stepping up my game in applying for some full-time jobs in the arts.

Stay tuned for more art, coming soon!

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