Cricketts Inky Art Blot

We arrived mid-morning for our few days in Venice. It was exciting to sail in on our little boat and then switch to a Vaporetti to find our hotel. Luckily, our apartment was located close to the Vaporetti stop, so the cases did not have to be rolled too far. The apartment was at the top of the building and had a quirky little roof top terrace, which required climbing through a window to access. The location was incredible and we were just steps from San Marco Square! Sketchbook in hand, I spent 5 days exploring and painting. The city was full of wonders (and sighs), to inspire me.

One of the downsides to blogging while traveling, is that wifi sucks and my phone can only post about 2 or 3 images at a time! I will use this reminder to keep my posts short. The kids and I had a picnic watching the barges. Lady Macbeth kept Caity under control, while I did some sketching in the gardens.

What better place to visit in Shakespeare's 500th year, than Stratford-Upon-Avon? A few days into our Summer, I took my girls into Stratford. Last summer, they enjoyed seeing "As You Like It" it at The Swan. We took a look at the list of plays, but they were The Bard's less fun, more adult plays. We did check out the latest costume display while in the building though and made plans to see "The Comedy of Errors" in a couple of weeks time at The Globe, London. We also stopped to chat to a lovely English Bobby and the kids discussed differences that they see with police officers back home in the States. I was impressed by the discussion they had with him over US gun control. THEY were impressed by the lack of guns carried by the officer! Outside The Swan playhouse, we fed the local namesakes and watched the barges coming through the locks. It struck me that mooring up for a Champagne performance in The Swan, would make for a very pleasant day. I added it to my...