Praha. Moje nejoblíbenější město na světě.

Translation: Prague. My favourite city in the world.

I so love this city. I first fell in love with it through a picture, found randomly on the internet. It was one overlooking the roofs and spires, so perfectly depicting Prague as the City of a Thousand Spires. I started trip planning almost immediately. By which, I mean reading travel books and doing internet searches. I didn't think I could afford it, nor did I think I had the guts to travel alone.

And then...

My 30th birthday was approaching and I wanted to celebrate with something memorable. A trip to Prague, perhaps? I found a tour company that offered 'relaxed' tours. They handled the mess of hotels and transport between cities and only provided a half day of actual group touring before you had the next 2 1/2 days on your own. It was perfect. The entire trip include Prague, Vienna, and Budapest and I loved it. I highly recommend visiting the other cities too, especially for you history lovers out there.

But Prague? It was magical. The buildings, the history, the people (who always forgave my horrendous attempts at the Czech language), and quite honestly, the air created such a wonderful experience that I knew I'd make it back one day.

Luckily for me, that day was an entire weekend. Last weekend. Events beyond my control cancelled a trip to Australia and left me with a flight credit. It wasn't difficult to decide to hop on a plane to go see LynnieC in London. It also wasn't difficult to convince her to spend the weekend in Prague. This time, I made sure to take more pictures with painting in mind. I even made it to Charles Bridge for sunrise. It's a good thing pretty things come from getting up that early. I hate early mornings.

I'll be sad to head home, but I'll be painting for a long time to come. These are only a few of my favourites. Stay tuned for some actual paintings!

If you rub the plaque of John Nepomuk falling into the Vltava on his statue on Charles Bridge, it means you'll return to Prague one day. I'm not the superstitious sort, but every bit of luck and chance and what-have-you will help to make sure I come back.

London Travels

I've been in London a few days now and already have some fun pictures planned for painting! There's an abundance of historical sites to photograph and wandering the museums just makes me want to grab a brush and start painting.  My favourite so far has been the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House (even the small sketches are amazing!) but I haven't hit the National Gallery. Yet. I'm hoping to snag a ticket to the da Vinci exhibit that is focused solely on his paintings.

Here's a sample of a couple photos that I plan to paint at some point. 

The first in St. James's Park just outside Buckingham Palace. The second is looking out my friend's kitchen window.

2011 Resolution. Fail.

Okay so I didn't quite make my goal of finishing a painting a month for my 2011 New Years Resolution.  But when I think about everything that happened throughout the year, 8 paintings isn't bad. Plus, Fall Leaves should count for at least 3, don't you think?

I also haven't painted since September.  How in the world did 3 whole MONTHS pass without me picking up a brush?! No wonder I was a massive grouch for most of November...

So, 2012's Resolution is a modification of 2011's. The goal is to complete 12 real (no practice!) paintings throughout the year. Obviously one a month isn't reasonable but a total across the year is doable.  If nothing else, the regular painting will help me keep my sanity and save my family, friends, and co-workers from experiencing another November with me.  Hopefully.