Category Archives: Parks

Frankfurt to Stuttgart, Germany

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Day 37     Monday, October 6, 2025

On our drive to Stuttgart we stop at Worms, Germany. Worms is pronounced Vurmz. We passed through this huge gate on the bridge over the Rhine River.

We find a place to park on the street but have to move to a parkade because the street machine won’t take our euros…big surprise!  St Peter’s Cathedral is our first stop but we can’t find the door to get inside!  

In our walk around the church I see steps leading into what looked like a private area, but I take a look anyways and it is actually a public garden so we go inside. When I see something like this I am so curious. I wonder what it is, why it is there and where does it lead to?

Turns out this garden marks the location where Martin Luther refused to recant his beliefs at the Diet of Worms in 1521. This was the beginning of the Protestant Church and its split from the Catholic Church. These large bronze shoes in Worms’ Heylshof Park shoes are part of a 2017 memorial sculpture, which allows visitors to symbolically “step into Luther’s shoes” at the spot where he stood and defended his doctrines.

 A ‘Diet’ was an assembly or meeting of authorities to make decisions on important matters. The Diet of Worms of 1521 was convened to determine how political and religious authorities should respond to Martin Luther’s teachings. Because the Diet was held in Worms, it is know as the Diet of Worms which still makes me smile because of course I think of eating worms.

We leave the garden and go back to the church, passing a kindergarten with this colourful mosaic mural.

St Peters Cathedral is another cathedral that escaped destruction during the war.  Curious, I did a bit of of research and learned that the high belltowers and steeples of cathedrals were used by the Allies as navigational landmarks and that sometimes military planners made conscious efforts to protect major cultural and religious sites. So perhaps not divine intervention after all?

We do finally find small side door that allows us entrance to the church. There is an art display in the cathedral by a group called Atelierblau.  There are some really interesting pieces. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the names of the artists or the works they created. Here are a few of them.

The sign on the trunk reads “A thousand roses for a thousand lives”.

There are several large sculptural pieces that are from the church cloister.  I think they were placed inside the church as a method of keeping them safe from damage.

Built with red sandstone between the years 1130 and 1181, the church has a relatively simple interior……except for the choir and altar.
Bob noticed a side entrance to the crypt which contains the tombs of early rulers from 990 to 1040 AD.
Outside I see what appears to be ancient graffiti.

This fountain is at the end of part of the old town wall.

More graffiti, only on a tree this time.

This little bird sculpture with its huge beak, ragged wings and stubby body caught our eye…we both really liked it.

The Luther Monument is a group of statues. Martin Luther stands surrounded by bronze statues of the individuals that supported him. Plaques of the towns that supported Luther and the Protestant Reformation are placed on the walls of the monument.

This monument is in a lovely park near the Cathedral. There is a model of the statue with information in Braille, which was unique.
Back on the road I finally manage to get a photo of the Ausfahrt sign…which simply means Exit. I remember that we found this quite hilarious on our first trip to Germany with our daughter many years ago.

Next stop is Heidelberg where we are going to visit Heidelberg Castle that Bob says is like Versailles. We have a hard time finding the entrance to the funicular, even using Google Maps!  Finally I notice a small picture of a train on the wall of what looks like the entrance to a mall…we only walked past it two times! The part of the journey we take is all underground.

We walk to the castle but all we see is ruins…turns out Bob mixed up his castles!  It is fine though as this looks interesting anyways.  There is an in depth tour through the ruins in an hour and a half but we decide to just wander and see what we can.  This gate was built in one night by King Frederick V for his wife as a birthday present.

Our funicular ticket gives us access to the courtyard, the German Pharmacy Museum, and the Big Wine Barrel.  We walk through the gate to the courtyard…

…and we are greeted with views of the ruins of what must have been a very impressive castle

Walking through the doorway in the above photo we arrive on a huge balcony overlooking the Rhine River with views of Heidelberg below.A view of the ruins as seen from the balcony.

It is cold out so we go inside to see the Big Wine Barrel.  It is pretty impressive and I take this photo and then walk around the corner while Bob is inspecting the barrel. I come back and tell him “You need to come and see the BIG Wine Barrel!

Here it is!

This wine barrel held 220,000 liters of wine. The stairs I am standing on lead to a platform above the barrel that was likely used as a dance floor! 

Last stop is the German Apothecary Museum. It is warm inside, which I really appreciate.  Aspirin was a commercially sold product in 1889. 

This chest of homeopathic medicines from 1890 contains 312 vials of homeopathic remedies.

What is it about chests with lots of little drawers that I find so appealing?

Of course, ground unicorn horns were in big demand as a cure for ailments such as fever, plaque, poisoning convulsions and epilepsy! Unicorn horns were just long tusks from narwhals or other animals but they were an expensive medication reserved for royalty and the very rich.

An early distillery…

…bunsen burners and a telescope from 1780.We had such a hard time finding the entrance to the funicular and wondered where this castle was located…well, on our way back to the parkade I Iooked up…and there it was!  We both laughed, but then we couldn’t find the entrance to the parkade!  We looked everywhere and finally walked down the out ramp, and there was the door to the exit.  We checked it out and the stairs outside were right beside the ramp we just walked down…no sign or markers though!

Back on the road to stuttgart…and it is raining again.

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

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Day 28     Saturday, September 27, 2025

We drive a half hour to a free parking lot on the outskirts of Luxembourg city, then catch a bus to the downtown area. We should have realized something was wrong when we passed this interesting looking tower…we saw it when we drove to the parking lot. So…we caught the bus going the wrong way and ended up at different  parking lot on the outskirts of the city! The bus driver told us where to get the tram we now need to use to get into the city.  Luckily all the public transportation in Luxembourg is free!

We pass this renovation site on the way to downtown. I am impressed that buildings are almost always repaired, not demolished.

Walking downtown we pass a Cartier store. The necklace is ‘only’ 191,000€, the two bracelets are 26,900€ and 36,200€ and the ring is 113,000€…just a wee bit out of my price range!

We find a Post Office to buy stamps. While we are writing on the postcards, my purse falls down between the counter and the wall…a narrow space less than a foot wide!  I have to ask the security guard to come help. Even though his arms are much longer than mine  he is just barely able to reach my purse.  My phone fell out when he pulled my purse up but luckily it is on a cord attached to my purse so it didn’t fall to the bottom of the space behind the counter!

There is a big park downtown, at the base of high cliffs.

Yes, another church! The cathedral “Notre-Dame” of Luxembourg was built between 1613 and 1621 by the Jesuits. The stained glass windows make a stunning backdrop for the altar.

There are many paintings and tapestries in this cathedral, and the stone pillars are decorated with intricate carving.

I look up and there are paintings on the ceiling high above the nave.

We pass the National Monument in Memory of the Victims of the Shoah in Luxembourg (1940-1945). The monument was inaugurated on 17 June 2018. It is named after the Kaddish, one of the most famous Jewish prayers recited as part of mourning rituals in Judaism.

Luxembourg City has an upper plateau, which contains the historic Old Town, and a lower valley known as Grund. This area is home to some of the oldest and most picturesque buildings in the city, dating back to the 14th century. Take notice of the suspended platform on the right of this photo.

People are dining in the sky! I am not sure why anyone would want to do this. It does not appeal to me in the least, but for 325€ per person you can have lunch prepared by Michelin chefs 50 meters high above the ground!

We were in Luxembourg 46 years ago, but all I can remember is looking down from high walls onto the city, like we are doing here.

We take an elevator down to the lower part of town and cross a bridge on our way to the Natural History Museum.

I would not want to be a bus driver here, the streets are very narrow.  

We see our first halloween decorations.

The current St. John the Baptist church dates back to the 17″ century. Its rich Baroque furnishings are not its original ones, they were taken from other churches during the period after the French Revolution!

In the valley looking up at the upper city.

As we enter the Natural History Museum I am startled by the man sitting on the red couch.  From a distance I thought he was a real person.

It isn’t a big museum and after a quick look around I find a spot with a chair to sit and draw while Bob explores the rest of the museum.

This room is a hodge lodge of stuffed animals…some look old and a bit worse for wear.

Bob discovered an interesting fact about hedge hogs. “The European hedgehog is a nocturnal animal that is easy to recognize by its many spines. When faced with danger, it can curl up and form a “prickly ball”. Its luxembourgish name”Keisécker” (“cow sucker”) originates from a legend that hedgehogs sucked milk during the night from cow udders. Obviously this is not true as hedgehogs suffer from a lactose intolerance.” On our walk to the bus we stop for another look down into one of the garden areas below the walls.

We caught the right bus back to our car but getting out of the parking lot was another thing!  Thank heavens for Google maps!  We might still be driving in circles trying to get back onto the highway!

We see four nuclear power plants on the way home. They always give me an eerie feeling. I wouldn’t want to be living anywhere near one of these.

It is getting dark on the drive home but we are treated to a lovely sunset.

Driving to Belgium

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Day 16    Monday, September 15, 2025

Today we drive to our next location in Brussels. We stop on the way to visit a zoo in Lille, France. It isn’t a very big zoo but we are surprised that senior admission is only €3!

They have a lot of interesting birds. Clockwise… Blue Winged Kookaburra, Helmeted Curassow, Masked Lapwing, Rainbow Lorakeet.

This Crested Partridge seems to like Bob’s whistling.

The Prevost Squirrel lives in tropical forests.  Several of these squirrels are very busy running up and down all the branches in their enclosure. They look like they are playing.

Who doesn’t love Meerkats?  They certainly seem to love each other!

These two huge tapirs share their enclosure…

…with two of these beautiful Maned Wolves from the South American Savannah. They are not in fact related to wolves or foxes. They are their own genus.

This Siamang uses its feet and hands to get at their food.

These are White Pelicans. I am reminded of the time years ago I sat and drew one of these beautiful birds in the Greek Islands. The bird I drew was quite tame and hung about near the fishing wharf. I sat about three feet away from this enormous creature and spent a lovely hour or so drawing him. The locals gave him a name, which I don’t remember, but he was definitely a male.

The last enclosure is a large aviary for tropical birds. These Scarlet Ibis are so colourful and a bit comical with their very long beaks.

Darn, I forgot to take a photo of the information for these birds, except for the Cariama Huppé which is the brown one with feathers on his beak.

After the zoo we head towards the Citadel but unlike the one Bob visited in Arras, this citadel is still in use by the military.

The Lille Citadel is the headquarters for the Rapid Reaction Corps-France.  This is a high-level,   deployable operational unit for the French Army and a NATO-certified force. This unit comprises around 450 soldiers from 14 allied nations.

The white area of the Citadel is used by the military but the surrounding areas have been converted to parkland for the use of the public.

On our way back to the car there is a field with wild flowers.  I am surprised at how many wildflowers I see this late in the year.

Some of the bushes and trees are starting to turn colour.

There is a huge fair setting up next to the parking lot. Too bad we aren’t staying longer.

The weather is all over the place today. Sunny and warn one minute and then cloudy, very windy and rainy the next.  On our drive to Brussels we see a lot of wind turbines.  Many of them are really close to the road. They are so big!Everything was going well until we got close to a town called Tournai. Our route was supposed to take the yellow road that on this map ends in a no entry sign.  Instead we got detoured down the N50 which looked like we would still be OK but we weren’t. We were detoured onto the southbound lane of the highway which had a barrier to allow half of the road to be used for northbound traffic so it was impossible to make an exit left or right!  We had to keep driving..in the wrong direction …until we could get off the detoured road. We then rerouted our map to get to Brussels only to hit more detours, and then Google maps froze!..and Bob is asking me which way to go!!  We find a place to pull over and figure out a work around which means going in the wrong direction again until we get to a place called Mons, where we should be able to take a completely different road to Brussels. That did work but we hit at least four more construction zones where we were detoured again…only this time we kept going in the right direction. Needless to say we were both very happy to finally arrive in Brussels and check in to our Aibnb.

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Quiet Day and the Citadel in Arras, France

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Day 15     Sunday, September 14, 2025

I stay home for a much needed rest and work on my blog and journal. Bob goes to visit the Citadel. He writes the rest of today’s blog…

The military Citadel was built in the late 1600’s to protect Arras. It could house up to 1500 troops. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Beside the Citadel is a park with a zip-line course. Notice how the platforms are secured to the trees so that there is no damage.

Sorry for being so long winded. Bob

Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Jardin de Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes.

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Day 7 Saturday, September 6, 2025

Today I catch the metro about 12:30 to go drawing at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and Bob stays home a bit longer before going exploring on his own. He caught the metro to the Gare du Nord and then walked all the way south to the Jardin de Luxembourg to sit and read for a bit.

Sadly the studios of the Académie are no longer in the same historic building. These three photos are from previous trips and visits to draw in the 121 year old studios where so many artists have been before me.

On the way to the new location which is only a couple of blocks from the old studios I see these flowers that had been placed on a window ledge….I wonder what iis the story behind these roses?

Here is the new studio.  It seems rather sterile and bare, but at least the life drawing sessions are still in operation.  I believe that they are trying to find a better studio but the lady who talked about all this spoke very quickly and I only caught part of what she was saying.  My French has improved, but not enough to understand the whole conversation. You can see my spot in the foreground of the photo, with my sketchbook on the stool and my red bag on the floor.

The model was tall and my drawings weren’t great today, but it is all a learning experience. Four 5 minute poses.

a 10 and a 15 minute pose

A 30n and a 35 minute pose.

After drawing I walked to the Jardin de Luxembourg to meet Bob. Thank heavens for cell phones and texting or I would never have found him.  The gardens were very busy today.The Medici Fountain is a monumental fountain in the Jardin de Luxembourg that was built in 1630.  I really like this fountain.

 In 2006 we saw a giant nose floating in the water as part of an art installation.

We walk toward the Jardin de Plantes, a botanical garden about 45 minutes away. We pass the Pantheon, which is a mausoleum containing the graves of many famous people including Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Voltaire, Louis Braille, and Alexandre Dumas.  It is closed and I don’t think we will have time to visit this trip…guess we need to return to Paris at least one more time! I do not miss eating out in Paris.  Sitting check by jowl beside smokers is not my idea of fun.  I much prefer the meals we prepare at home in our bnb’s.

As we enter the Jardin des Plantes we see this huge Plantane tree which was planted in 1785 and is now classified as an ‘Arbre Historique et Remarquables’.  It amazes me that someone knows exactly when this tree was planted… 240 years ago!

These little orchids are growing at the base of the tree.  We have the same ones growing back home in Alberta. Sue loved this interesting flower and wanted a closer look.

Another huge old tree.  Can you tell I love trees.

We couldn’t find Sue but then Bob spotted her checking out this rather strange creature.

The Botanical garden was a bit of a disappointment, we had just started to explore some of the more interesting areas when we were told to leave as the park was closing, a half hour before it actually closed.

Everyday on our walk to the metro near our bnb we pass these beautiful Passion flowers.

 We got home about 8:30, another full day.

Notre Dame

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Day 5, Thursday, September 4, 2025

The morning didn’t get off to a good start. We tried to purchase an online e-SIM from Orange. I think it took almost two hours! Seems we need to confirm the purchase on our credit cards by entering the code they send to our phone number. Only problem is the phone number they have on file is our home land line! It took forever but we finally got it done, so now we have two different cell phone providers…hopefully at least one of them will be working when we need them. It poured rain this morning so at least we were still home when that happened. After the rain we set off to visit Notre Dame.

The restored Notre Dame is now open for visitors. I last visited the inside of Notre Dame in 2014 when I spent a month in Paris. It looks amazing, it is pretty much impossible to tell what is original and what has been replaced because of the fire. Our first view of the interior is stunning.

The Rose window on the south side of the Church.

This sculpted wall from the 14th century depicts scenes from the life of Christ. It forms a separation between the choir and the ambulatory. This is just one small section of the long carved wall depicting the story of the life of Christ.

The side chapels have been cleaned, repaired and repainted.  They are absolutely stunning.

I love the sun shining through the stained glass windows.

Another view of one of the two rose windows with dancing lights from the stained glass.

Looking up towards the second floor galleries I see more coloured light.  The chandeliers provide a warm glow as well.

We are impressed with the restoration.  Notre Dame is back!  It took 700 million euros and one thousand artisans to complete the restoration.  We stay for Vespers and listen to the organ music and a young woman with the loveliest voice singing the Psalms. This is how cathedrals should be visited, when they are full of music and prayer.

Outside we take our first selfie of this trip. Unfortunately the rooftop is not yet open.  I loved the time I spent up there in 2014, visiting the gargoyles and enjoying the wonderful views of Paris.  There are 387 steps to climb in the south tower to visit the rooftop.  It is supposed to open September 20th.  We are planning make time to do this on our return to Paris on the way home.We walk towards the Louvre and find a place for tea and a snack.  We stroll along the Seine and find a place to sit, but it was very busy, lots of cyclists, joggers and people going by so we walk to the Tuileries Garden just west of the Louvre. The name comes from the tile kilns which occupied the site before the palace.  

  On the way we walk through the Flower market, just before they close.

This lady was making the most fantastic bubbles, they were huge and there were so many of them blowing in the wind. I would love to know the recipe for her bubble mixture.

This bride and groom were having their wedding photos taken but I thought they weren’t very comfortable following the photographers cues.  There were lots of retakes.

The sun is setting on the Olympic Cauldron…very impressive.

Time to head home and we walk a few blocks to our metro line, which Bob can’t find….I see it right away…it is kind of hard to miss!

Nice, France

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Day 54, Saturday, October 21, 2023

We catch the train to Nice this morning. We are both happy to be sitting on a train instead of driving and navigating.  It is a nice change and Bob can watch the scenery go by instead of concentrating on driving.

I draw on the train. I feel out of practice but it is still nice to be drawing…I haven’t done nearly as much of it as I had hoped to this trip.The Nice train station is really big, clean and airy.

It is a short walk from the train station to the main tourist area by the beach.  We stop at a park for our lunch, and I wonder if the water is from yesterday’s big rain…or if it is a fountain?

A couple minutes later I have my answer.  These two young boys had the best time playing in the water jets.

We laughed at this big dog who jumped and tried to bite every jet of water he passed.  He was having such fun.  There were such neat reflections too.

This very large sea gull was eyeing our lunch, just hoping a few crumbs would fall his way…I’m afraid a few did…who could resist that gaze?

After lunch we visit the Cathedral of Saint Reparata., which is a National Monument.  It is very ornate and in great shape…no peeling paint here.  

The flower market is beautiful and the prices are very reasonable.

We try some socca. It is a thin chickpea bread that is sprinkled with pepper.  We have to wait a few minutes for a fresh pan to arrive (it is brought hot from the ovens in a wheeled cart) and it is delicious! It is also a bargain at just 3€ for a huge slice.  I am going to have to try making this at home.

Even though we have just had lunch, and socca, I am craving a cassis (black current) sorbet from Fenocchio’s, a world famous ice cream shop. They have 94 flavors of  ice creams and 35 of sorbet, but I stick with my favourite.  

After my sorbet we walk towards the beach.  

Nice has a pebble beach, and lots of sun worshippers.  I stay at the beach to draw some of them and Bob goes for a walk and climbs to two viewpoint.  There is one on top of the cream round structure in the distance and another higher up on top of the hill.

I take a photo of someone who I think is Bob…and he takes a photo trying to find me on the beach.  Do we think alike?

This is definitely me, I am sitting right beside the two rinse towers…and I get a light spray every time someone rinses off!  I was settled in by the time this happens the first time so I decide to stay put, in spite of the occasional mist of water that floats my way.

I am happier with my beach drawings.

This fellow was sitting beside me and he was very brown.  He was also wearing black underpants, which appears to be a common thing here.  People are not shy about changing on the beach, women pull off their tops and bras to change into their bathing suits and I saw lots of men just wearing underpants as their bathing suit.  There were a few topless women as well…it is the French Riviera after all.

We do a bit of window shopping, or as they say here, leche-vitrine, which translates to lick the windows!  I have had a couple treats here, but gluten really doesn’t agree with me so I have to content myself with a bit of window licking!  Oh and did you notice the prices?  

We stroll along the boardwalk, people watching and enjoying the sunshine…

but the sun is getting glow in the sky and we head back to catch our train.

Bob notices something strange about this building… Here is a clue.

Yes, the whole side of the building is a giant mural!  We pass this interesting fountain…

and there are seven of these statues high on poles above the street.  Google tells me that they were created by Jaume Plensa, a Spanish artist who specializes in monumental art.

They represent the seven continents and the communication between the different communities of today’s society. They are titled “Conversation à Nice”and they are illuminated every night, with slowly changing colours.  Too bad we won’t see that but it is a long ride home.

We were in Nice over 40 years ago and visited the Matisse Museum.  I was hoping to visit it again today, but it closes during the noon hour, and then we just ran out of time.  I am OK with not visiting so many museums this trip, there are so many other things to do and only so much time.

Lascaux II, Parc de Thot and Lascaux IV, France.

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Day 35, Monday, October 2, 2023

The Lascaux Cave contains one of the most outstanding displays of 20,000 year old prehistoric art in the world and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  We were very lucky to get tickets to visit Lascaux II.  We had completely forgotten about needing to book ahead but thankfully it is not high season and we were able to get tickets for an English tour of the cave.  The Lascaux Cave was discovered on September 12 1940 by 18 year old Marcel Ravidat when his dog Robot investigated a hole left by an uprooted tree that had fallen over in a storm.

Of course we are visiting a replica cave. It was the first replica cave in the world when it opened in 1983 near the site of the original cave…however there are still no photos allowed.  The original cave was closed in April, 1963. The continuous flow of visitors (1500/day) and the carbon dioxide and human breath began to degrade the prehistoric paintings in the decorated cave.   Lascaux II is an exact replica of the two main chambers of the cave. This short video has a segment with a walk through the cave by torch light. This is what we experienced at Lascaux II.   We were standing in a dark cave, with only a flickering torch to illuminate these 20,000 year old cave paintings.  It was an amazing experience.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWUUiFxbEE4&t=87s

I manage to do a couple quick drawings while in the cave, but the lighting is poor and I decide to enjoy the experience and forget about trying to draw.

We visit Parc de Thot which is a small zoo with animals that are similar to those drawn in the caves…bisons, wolves, deer, and bulls.  There was an interesting short film and some displays in their building. It was a nice place to have our lunch but that was about it.

This display shows the different techniques that were used to make the cave paintings and engravings.  I was surprised to learn that paint brushes, pencils (pieces of pigment attached to sticks}, stencils and a primitive sort of airbrush were all used 20,000 years ago!  The artist would blow pigment from his, or perhaps her mouth onto the walls of the cave, sometimes even using a hollow bone for more accuracy.

This display shows one of the cave paintings…

and then uses black light to show all the engraved lines that are difficult to see.

After we ate our lunch I did a bit of drawing and Bob did a bit of reading before we left for Lascaux IV.In 2016, a new replica, Lascaux IV, was opened to replace Lascaux II. It is adjacent to the original cave and offers an even more authentic experience than Lascaux II, with changes in air pressure, along with a series of atmospheric cave scents and sounds. Once again no photos allowed however there is an interpretive area that has more replica displays and we can take photos there.

These displays are just as well done as the paintings in the cave..

It is nice to have a bit more time to really examine some of the the paintings up close and in better light.

They are spectacular, and photos do not come anywhere near ot capturing this incredible art that was created 20,000 years ago by Cro-Magnons, who were the first early modern humans.

This stag is particularly beautiful with its magnificent set of antlers.

This is one of the first figures we see when we enter the cave.  It is called ‘The Unicorn’ even though it has two horns.  It is an animal drawn from the imagination of the artist and did not actually exist.

There is a deep shaft that has the only depiction of a human, although it does have the head of a bird.  This is also in the interpretive area as it would be impossible to climb down the shaft in the replica cave.  Here we can walk in at the bottom and look upwards to see the paintings.

This gives some idea of the size of these paintings.  This is one of the largest animals in the Lascaux caves.

I like this bull.  It is the one I drew in Lascaux II.

This display showed the engraved lines of this bull.  Giving the bull two heads was used to portray movement.

Leaving the interpretive area we walk down this long corridor which has several theatres with more information on Lascaux and the history of the discovery of the caves.  There are over 150 prehistoric sites in this area.The last room we entered had huge animations which travels across three walls and sometimes over the floor and ceiling as well.  I particularly liked this one which shows mammoths from the Rouffignac Cave, which we hope to visit later this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2yv2ydzsJ0

We are the last people to leave and they lock the doors behind us after we walk out.  It was a great day.

 

 

 

Life Drawing Montmartre and Sacré Coeur

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Day 6, Sunday September 3, 2023

I am drawing in Montmarte today and head out on my own while Bob waits for our Airbnb host to come and solve our internet issues.  Life Drawing Montmartre is a Meetup group that I have drawn with before.  This group meets in the basement of a bar.  I forgot to take a photo but found this one on their page. There were twenty of us crammed into this hot  little room, no empty seats today. We had a fantastic Russian female model.My drawing goes better today and we share our work upstairs in the bar afterwards.  I met some lovely people from Australia, Korea, Montreal, England and Italy. The times for each pose are written on the pages.

 

While I was drawing Bob explored Montmartre. Here is the iconic Moulin Rouge…and a busload of British tourists checking out the porn and sex shops!

We have a rest and snack in a little park which contains ‘The Wall of Love’.  This is is a 40-square-metre wall decorated with enamelled tiles containing 311declarations of love in 250 different languages.  The wall includes the words ‘I love you’ in all major languages, but also in rarer ones like Navajo, Inuit, Bambara and Esperanto.

The lady above the tiles is saying “Aimer c’est du désordres, alors aimons “…  Love is disorder, so let’s love!  We walk to Sacré Coeur and take the funicular instead of climbing the 270 steps.  It is 32 ° today!
The Sacré Coeur dome is decorated with a large 480 square meter mosaic.
We decide to stay for mass to listen to the amazing organ music and I took the opportunity to draw the dome.  I find architectural drawing more difficult than figure drawing.  Maybe I will get a bit more practice this trip.
The organ is right above our heads.  I think I am sitting just out of sight behind the left pillar.
After the service we stroll through the church and Bob notices this view of the mosaic in a niche with a view of Jesus above.  The mosaics are amazing, such tiny tiles.
Where is Waldo?  No…where is Bob? Here he is in the first photo.
Can you find him in the photo below?  There are always so many tourists sitting on the steps to enjoy the view. There are still hordes of tourists in Paris.  Us included!
We pass this car on the way home.  Someone is obviously living in it but I have no idea why they feel the need to stick feminine hygiene pads all over the windows!
We are hot and tired, but it was a good day and we are greeted with this beautiful sunset out of our apartment window.

The Nymphenburg Palace, Munich and Life Drawing

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Day 60, Thursday, October 24, 2019

Nymphenburg Palace is one of the largest royal palaces in Europe.  It sits on 490 acres of gardens and park land.  This arial view was found online.  The façade of the palace is almost 700 metres long!This central four-storey building was the beginning of the palace and was built in 1644.  Over the years numerous additions were built until it reached its present configuration in 1776. The Nymphenburg Palace was originally a summer residence for the Bavarian rulers.  This is the Great Hall.  Musicians would entertain guests from the gallery.
One of the many rooms with original furnishings. Many of the rooms are not that big and seem to serve as connecting passages to other larger rooms.The south apartment bedroom of the Electress, who was the consort of the king. Our reflection in the bedroom mirror. Every palace has to have a Chinese inspired room. The audience room of Queen Caroline… and her bedroom have their original furnishings.  This room is where King Ludwig II was born in 1845.  The bed is hidden by a cover on a high frame which was spread over the bed during the daytime. The official Hall of Beauties is under restoration but the paintings are on display in a corridor. From 1826 to 1850 King Ludwig I had a series of 36 portraits painted of what he considered to be the most beautiful women.  Beauty was considered to be an outward sign of moral perfection! We finish our tour of the palace rooms, and go explore the grounds.  Unfortunately we realize that the park pavilions closed for the season a week ago.  I do manage a peek inside the Magdalene Hermitage, which was a pavilion used for contemplation. Much of the grounds are in the style of an English park, with paths… and little bridges over water features. This creek was so covered with fallen leaves that the water was barely visible.This shows just how long the canal water feature is…looking towards and away from the palace on a bridge that crosses the canal.  At one time gondolas sailedd these waters.  Neat reflections too.
Walking back towards the palace along a tree lined path. I liked the reflection of the palace in the water. Looking out towards the garden from the Palace steps. It is almost closing time, but we manage a quick peek inside the Carriage museum, which is one of the most important museums of court carriages, travel and equestrian culture in the world. The Coronation coach of Emperor Karl VII is here…

along with numerous over-the-top elaborate coaches built for King Ludwig II. We can only begin to imagine how much these coaches cost! Besides dozens of coaches there are numerous sleighs on display. Parades and competitive games with these carousel sleighs were a popular winter amusement at court.  Women would sit in front of a male driver and try to hit rings or paper maché figures with a lance or sword.  Notice the rear view of the sleigh in the mirror. Just a few of the many coaches on display in one of the halls. One last selfie before we leave. and one last look back towards the front of the Palace…
with a photo stop at the swans. I have life drawing tonight, so we head toward the metro and after checking out my route, Bob heads for home and I head towards my drawing session.  I have a bit of time so I sit at the Sheraton Hotel having a cup of tea and doing a bit of sketching.

My sketches from the bus this morning weren’t terribly successful; I was having difficulty getting proportions down accurately.  That happens some days… These were a bit better. Sketches from the Sheraton Hotel. My first drawing at the Meetup session.  Still having some issues with proportions and the head placement in relation to the body. I started again after our break and did this portrait which was better.  Bettina, our model, really liked it and said that it looked like her.    

I managed to make two wrong turns on the way home, but retraced my steps and finally got back home near 11:00.  Bob met me at the bus stop which was really nice.  It was a good but very long day.