Berlin

December 20, 2015

I'm a list maker and a sort of part time journal maker, on my recent trip to Berlin I kept a brief journal documenting the sights we saw and the food we ate. Rather than write a long blog post I decided to keep it informal with what we managed to fit into four nights in the beautiful German capital.

Day one

Halloumi and falafel for lunch, walk to the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag. Tiergarten and war memorial then the Holocaust Memorial and harrowing information centre. Hot chocolate then the gate at night time then a walk to Alexanderplatz to the Christmas market. Pommes and trdelník for dinner.

Day two

Breakfast at Cafe Fleury and a day at Museuminsel - Altes Nationale Galerie for Impressionist painting, Nues Museum for Egyptian artefacts, Alte Museum for Roman and Greek artefacts. Pizza for lunch in between. Vegan banquet at Kopps followed by an apple mojito at the quirky bar next door.

Day three

Banana and chocolate waffles for breakfast. Berlin Wall and the memorial centre. Train to the East Side Gallery stopping at Mr Vegan for vegan wurst. Walk along the wall stopping to take pictures of the murals. Train to Alexanderplatz and a quick wander around the square before heading to Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart. Highlights - Cy Twombly, Anselm Kiefer - the rest of the gallery felt like an ordeal. 30 minute walk home through the city then burritos for dinner.

Day four

Fry up breakfast with vegan sausages at Chipps, then Checkpoint Charlie. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church before hot chocolate and a mini ice cream at Bikini Berlin. Train to Schloss Charlottenburg, wander around the grounds visiting the Belvedere then hot apple juice at the Christmas market. Home via the Neue Synagogue. Burger and sweet potato fries at Tommi's.

Dubrovnik, Montenegro and Mostar

October 19, 2015

I took a week out to visit Croatia with my mum. We stayed in Plat, a small village on the coast just south of Dubrovnik. Three days were spent in Dubrovnik's historic old town, surrounded by the city walls, with marble streets and gorgeous architecture. We walked along the city walls and took the cable car to see fantastic panoramic views of the Croatian coast, Dubrovnik and Lokrum Island. On one afternoon while caught in a downpour we visited the Rectors Palace and sought refuge in churches and restaurants.

We decided on a day trip to see Montenegro, crossing the border and receiving a stamp in our passports we explored a new country, stopping at Kotor and Budva. Kotor was beautiful, a walled town by water. We climbed to a church on a hill to see views over the town, as we reached the church bells rang in the distance and then right by our heads. After a stormy day in Dubrovnik the day before, Montenegro offered us brilliant sunshine.

Another of our days was filled reaching Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to the geography of the countries, we crossed borders several times before reaching Medjugorje. Once in Mostar we wandered past shops selling trinkets to the bridge where locals jump once they've been paid enough Euros. On one side of the Neretva river the people are Catholic and there is a huge cross on the hillside, on the other side the people are Muslim and there we heard the call to prayer.

It's not often that on a week long holiday you can explore three different countries, or at least sample a little of what each has to offer. Despite having a full time office job I'm happy to retain the adventurous spirit by travelling when I can, and I'm grateful for a mum that is happy to be adventurous with me.

The English Lakes

September 2, 2015

I indulged my love of the countryside by spending a week in the Lake District in August with family.

I've been inspired by landscape for as long as I can remember and my art practice has always involved landscape in one way or another. Being surrounded by such beauty for a week was obviously inspirational. The long walks cleared my mind, I always do my best thinking when I'm walking in the fresh air.

We walked miles. Up and over Cat Bells, up Helm Crag in the rain, to the top of Orrest Head overlooking Windermere. We saw Tarn Hows on a ten mile walk from Coniston and did a seven mile walk near Elterwater. The miles kept adding up and so did the sense of accomplishment.

I can understand why so many creatives spent so much of their time here, Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth to name just two.

Hundreds of photographs were taken, with every few paces there was a new perspective that I had to capture. Even with the DSLR around my neck I still made sure to breathe in the views without looking through the lens and to feel immersed in the natural wonder of the lakes.

With each trip I gain new inspiration. Art and travel are my two biggest passions, I can't live without either and both feed in to each other. My art has evolved as a means of recording, of documenting. Someday soon I'll use these photographs as inspiration for something, I'm not quite sure what yet but the prospect excites and intrigues me.