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Birmingham: A Pleasant Surprise for the Artsy Traveler

November 12, 2022September 13, 2024Artsy Sightseeing, Destinations, England, Get Inspired carolcram Leave a Comment

Last updated on September 13th, 2024 at 07:33 am

Back in the day, industrial Birmingham did not have the best of reputations. I lived in England for four years in the 1970s and have been back many times, but never have I put Birmingham on my itinerary. I remember changing trains there in 1979 and walking quickly and a tad nervously between stations.

But over the last few decades, Birmingham has undergone a transformation.

Why I Went to Birmingham

While planning my solo trip to England in 2022, I put Birmingham on my list for one reason only. I wanted to visit a National Trust property called Birmingham Back to Backs. It’s not a grand country house like the vast majority of National Trust properties, but rather a nondescript collection of cramped houses built around a courtyard in the style known as back-to-back.

For over two centuries, millions of Britons (including some of my ancestors) lived and worked in this type of housing. I was writing a novel set in a mill town in Yorkshire in the 1890s and wanted to know how regular people lived. Since the Birmingham Back to Backs property is the only one of its kind left in England, I booked two nights in Birmingham to see it.

But I had zero expectations of what else I’d see and do while in Birmingham.

Birmingham Map

The map below includes all the locations mentioned in this post. I suggest staying in the Gas Street Basin area (see below). You can walk pretty much everywhere from there or grab an Uber.

Map thanks to Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

Arrival in Birmingham

I arrived at Birmingham New Street Train Station (#5 on the map above) at 7 pm after a wonderful day tootling around the Cotswolds on a Go Cotswolds tour (read my post all about it!) and took a taxi to the AC Marriott hotel located on the edge of the Gas Street Basin (#3 on the map above) in Birmingham’s bustling and refurbished city center.

The AC Marriott is located in Gas Street Basin in the building called The Mailbox

The second largest city in England, Birmingham appears to be booming. After checking in to the hotel, I emerged quayside to the Gas Street Basin to survey a plethora of modern architecture, colorful boats cruising along canals lined with posh restaurants and bustling pubs, and throngs of people out having a good time.

Birmingham apparently has more miles of canals than Venice. Who knew?

The city planners got things right with this area of Birmingham. It’s incredibly people-friendly with its canal-side walkways and aura of peaceful prosperity.

A Full Day in Birmingham

While enjoying my first coffee of the day at a coffee shop on the main floor of the hotel, I tried to listen in on the conversation between two men sitting next to me. They were speaking English—I think. The famous Brummie accent really is just about incomprehensible, at least to me.

I needed to listen very, very carefully to hear more than a series of rumbles and mumbles with swallowed consonants and vowels and glottal stops. Clipped words emerged from throats that sounded like they’d been stuffed with cotton. I worried the men were choking, but no, they were just having a regular conversation. I’ve eavesdropped on French conversations and understood more!

So far, I’ve had to ask anyone I’ve interacted with to repeat themselves several times. Even a phrase like Anything else? asked by the coffee person comes out as noise.

And I thought the Scots accent was hard to understand! The Birmingham accent has it beat, hands down.

Birmingham Back to Backs

As mentioned, I decided to spend a full day in Birmingham to tour the Birmingham Back to Backs (#1 on the map above), a National Trust property that promises to let visitors experience 200 years of working people’s lives in the heart of Birmingham.

A hundred years ago, the Midlands and North of England were full of these brick structures built to accommodate the millions of factory workers needed to keep the industrial revolution ticking over.

I purchased my ticket a month prior (pre-booking is essential) and arrived at 10:30 am for the first tour of the day.

Entrance to Birmingham Back-to-Backs National Trust Property — Entrance to Birmingham Back to Backs National Trust Property

For almost two hours, I enjoyed one of the most comprehensive and interesting tours I’ve ever experienced.

The National Trust is known for its stewardship of massive stately homes—domains of the 1%. I’ve visited many of these homes over the years and marveled at the art and architecture.

The Birmingham Back to Backs are at the opposite end of the wealth spectrum. That the National Trust also recognized the need to preserve the type of building in which a great majority of the population lived right up until the early 2000s is to its credit.

What are Back to Backs?

The Back to Backs are houses built, as the name suggests, back-to-back, with half the houses facing the street and the other half facing an inner courtyard. A collection of these houses is known as a court. Some courts included dozens of houses. The National Trust has preserved Court 15, a community of eleven houses thought to have housed over 500 different families over its 200-year lifespan.

The courtyard at the Birmingham Back-to-Backs — The courtyard at the Birmingham Back to Backs

A very knowledgeable guide took our group into four homes and related the stories of the occupants from four time periods between 1840 and 1977. In our group of 9, everyone except me hailed from England.

One of the men, who was about my age, told us that his mum had been born in a Back to Back. I’m pretty sure my grandmother and certainly my great-grandmother would have lived in similar housing up in Yorkshire.

House 1: 1851

Each of the four houses we visit was decorated in the style of a different time period. The first was from 1851 and was occupied by the Levy family, a Jewish family who migrated to Birmingham from London. The house was surprisingly comfortable, even spacious, although certainly not luxurious. Lawrence Levy had been a watchmaker and had his workshop on the top floor.

We climbed up and down tiny twisting stairways numerous times during the tour. Handrails and grips were provided for safety, but the guide informed us that back in the day, none of the staircases would have had handrails. She asked us to imagine how agile a woman would have needed to be to mount the stairs while wearing long skirts and carrying a candle in one hand and probably a baby in the other. Apparently, accidents were common, and no wonder.

Even hanging on with both hands, I could barely make it up some of the almost vertical stairways!

House 2: 1860s

The next house we entered belonged to the Oldfield family who lived in one of the back houses in the 1860s. Eleven people lived in the house at that time—two parents, seven children, and two lodgers all crammed into three floors consisting of one room per floor that also included space for Herbert Oldfield’s workshop. He was a glassworker who made glass eyes for dolls and stuffed toys.

One of the double beds had four pillows—two at each end. Four children would have slept top to tail in the bed, with likely one more in the middle! The guide also showed us a bureau drawer in which the baby would sleep.

A curtain divided the children’s bed from another double bed slept in by two lodgers. A man and a woman (unmarried) shared the bed but apparently not at the same time. One worked the day shift and the other the night shift so they were two ships passing in the night. Their space was bare of everything except a bed and a high shelf on which was stacked a small collection of books. The entire room was maybe 12’ x 12’.

The overcrowding must have been horrendous—and yet very common. My great-grandmother with her twelve brothers and sisters would have lived in a similar place when she was young. She eloped in 1903 and emigrated to Canada in 1911 when my grandmother was five years old. The log cabin she inhabited in British Columbia with her four children and no running water must have seemed like paradise compared to the housing of her youth.

Entrance to the communal wash house at the Birmingham Back-to-Backs — Entrance to the communal wash house at the Birmingham Back to Backs

House 3: 1830s-1935

Three generations of the third family—the Mitchells—lived at Court 15 from the 1830s, when water had to be brought from the well a few blocks away, until 1935 when the houses had basic plumbing and electricity.

The prevailing feeling in the small rooms was how cramped, dark, and uncomfortable they must have been to live in. The upper floors had no heat, and damp was a constant problem.

House 4: 1960s-2002

The final house was lived in by George Saunders who migrated to Birmingham in 1958 from St. Kitts in the Caribbean. By that time, the ground floor of Court 15 had been converted to shops with some people still living in the floors above. George was a tailor and the last person who worked in Court 15 before its closure in 2002.

Special Exhibition at Birmingham Back to Backs

After enjoying the tour (highly recommended), I toured the special exhibitions. The most interesting documented the Child’s Emigration Homes founded by John T. Milldemore in 1873. The Homes sent 5000 orphans and desperately poor children from Birmingham to Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia in Canada. Between 1922 and 1955, they sent another 259 children to Australia.

While some children thrived in their new homes, others did not and suffered terrible abuse. The pictures and commentary are both heartbreaking and compelling.

Photograph of Mary S., living in poverty in Birmingham in 1896 and allegedly better off in Canada in 1897

Birmingham Back to Backs Practical Information

Operated by the National Trust, the Birmingham Back to Backs are accessible only by a guided tour that you must book in advance. Here’s the link. Tours are offered from 10:00 to 15:00 daily (closed Monday). Admission is free to National Trust members. Non-member prices are £9.50 for adults and £4.75 for children.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

After a lunch of leftover chicken wings from my dinner the night before, I set off for the Barber Institute of Fine Arts (#2). I had wanted to visit the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (#6) which is said to be world-class and have an excellent collection of paintings by the pre-Raphaelites. However, it was undergoing renovations, with almost all the galleries closed.

Housed in an imposing building on the campus of the University of Birmingham, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was also reputed to have a fine collection so off I went. I took my first Birmingham Uber with a young man originally from Haiti who was very interested in learning all about Canada. We had a great chat as he drove me through the posh area of Birmingham with large houses and leafy avenues on our way to the university.

The Barber Institute Collection

The collection at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was small but quite exquisite. I spent a happy hour wandering past works from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Here are a few highlights.

Dürer Special Exhibition

One room was dedicated to a special exhibition of etchings by Albrecht Dürer. I’ve had a soft spot for Dürer even since touring his house in Nuremberg on a trip to Germany in 2015.

Etching of a greyhound by Albrecht Dürer

Medieval Art

One of the first rooms included a good collection of medieval art (always my favorite). Here’s a piece by Simone Martini (1284-1344) of Saint John the Evangelist. Painted in Siena in 1320, the piece originally formed the right-hand panel of a triptych. Although there is no signature on the piece to prove it was painted by Martini, the refined use of color, the elegant borders to the drapery, and the decoration in the gilding are characteristic of Martini’s style, which was very innovative for the time.

Flemish Art

I am fascinated by the still life paintings common in Flanders during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Barber had several interesting examples, including the two shown below.

A Still Life with a Nautilus Cup by Jan Davidsz de Heem

I love how the objects have been arranged in this painting to demonstrate how well the artist is able to show the play of light on different materials–shell, pewter, leaves, fruit, etc., using only a few colors. Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-1683/4) lived in Leiden, Holland.

Still Life with a Garland of Fruit by Maria Tassaert

A woman artist! You don’t see many of them, although I noticed on my trip in 2022 that changes are afoot. In most galleries, I found a least a few paintings by female old masters as more and more of them are being rediscovered and given their due.

Maria Tassaert (about 1642-1668) lived and worked in Antwerp in Flanders. The painting is a celebration of Nature’s bounty and the artist’s technical skills in depicting a cluster of fruit that includes cherries, white peaches, white and black grapes, nectarines, raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries in addition to ivy and fruit-tree leaves.

Still Life with a Garland of Fruit by Maria Tassaert - a still life from the 17th century Flanders — *Still Life with a Garland of Fruit* by Maria Tassaert

Impressionists

The Barber Institute includes a few beautiful paintings from the 19th century, including a very fine Renoir.

A Young Woman Seated by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

This work became know as La Pensée or Thought and was painted around 1876. The soft oranges, reds, greens, and blues are typical of the Impressionist pallette during that period.

Pre-Raphaelites

The Last of England by Ford Madox Brown

One of the Barber Institutes major works is The Last of England by pre-Raphaelite artist Ford Madox Brown. It’s one of the masterworks of Victorian painting and one of the very few pieces in the collection that I was not allowed to photograph. Thank goodness for Wikipedia Commons (see picture below).

The painting depicts a young family huddled together on an open boat on their way to a ship that will take them from England to a new life in the colonies. The resigned expressions on their faces as they leave behind their home is caught with painstaking detail.

Ford Madox Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Barber Institute of Fine Arts Practical Information

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is located on the campus of the University of Birmingham and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is free.

Strolling Around the Canals

I took an Uber back to my hotel and went for a stroll along the canals in the area immediately adjacent to Gas Street Basin (#3) where I was staying. Restaurants and upscale pubs line the canals which were teeming with people enjoying the Bank Holiday Sunday.

The prevailing atmosphere was prosperous, cheerful, and incredibly diverse. Everyone seemed to be under forty, many pushing strollers. People from all over the world have made Birmingham their home, which rivals London for the diversity of its population.

What Else to See and Do in Birmingham

With only a day to spare, I didn’t have time to enjoy all the delights of Birmingham. Here are some suggestions if you have some extra hours. I particularly recommend the walking tours.

Where to Stay in Birmingham

I recommend staying in the vicinity of the Gas Street Basin, preferably overlooking one of the canals. I stayed in the AC Hotel by Marriott and can recommend it. The room was spacious, the staff friendly and helpful, and the large bar very comfortable. Also, the location overlooking the Gas Street Basin can’t be beat. Right outside your door are plenty of restaurants and cafes.

Here are some other options:

Booking.com

Birmingham Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of Birmingham!

Conclusion

Have you visited Birmingham? Any suggestions for what to see and do? Share in the comments below.

Here are more posts about cool places to visit in England;

A Visit with Tuscan Artist Silvia Salvadori in Arezzo, Tuscany

October 26, 2022October 15, 2024Artsy Sightseeing, Destinations, Italy carolcram 1 Comment

Last updated on October 15th, 2024 at 04:03 am

Artsy traveling means being on the lookout for interesting encounters with artists, artisans, musicians, writers—the whole pantheon of creative people. In Arezzo, a delightful town in Tuscany known as the city of gold and high fashion, I met with visual artist Silvia Salvadori.

Silvia works out of her studio, the Bottega d’Arte Toscana, on a tiny side street steps from the Piazza Grande in Arezzo (see the map below). If you are in Arezzo, stop by to meet her and see her marvelous work.

Places mapped by Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

Silvia is one of the very few artists in Italy who creates art using the same painting techniques as those used by the great masters of medieval Tuscany. I’m talking about such luminaries as Giotto, Duccio, and Lorenzetti—all artists I love and who inspired my debut novel The Towers of Tuscany.

Who is Silvia Salvadori?

Silvia’s ambition as an artist is to preserve and promote the ancient painting techniques described by Cennino Cennini in his work Il Libro dell’Arte (1370-1440) and by Giorgio Vasari in the Lives of the most excellent painters, sculptors, and architects (1550-1568).

Using these techniques, Silvia draws her inspiration from the art created by artists in Florence and Siena during medieval, Gothic, and early Renaissance times.

Silvia’s workshop–the Bottega d’Arte Toscana–is a treasure trove of beautiful paintings. One of the more prominent pieces is A Window in Time that hangs on the back wall of the Bottega and immediately captured my attention. This arresting painting is a tribute to the city of Arezzo and the work of Piero della Francesca. The painting is a good example of how Silvia uses medieval painting techniques to put her own spin on a medieval subject.

A Window On Time - medieval-style painting of a woman playing chess by Silvia Salvadori

Interview with Silvia Salvadori

I interviewed Silvia in the Bottega d’Arte Toscana in Arezzo in October 2022. Here’s an excerpt from our lively conversation conducted with the aid of a translation app.

Silvia’s Inspiration

Artsy Traveler: Why have you chosen to create works inspired by medieval art and using medieval techniques?

Silvia Salvadori: Twenty years ago, I began to study these painting techniques while at school in Siena. From there, a real adventure began. I decided I wanted to rediscover and use the painting techniques described by Cennini, a painter who lived in the 14^th century and was a pupil of Giotto.

Selection of pigments and brushes and other painting tools in the workshop of Silvia Salvadori — Art materials being used in Silvia’s workshop

Silvia’s Goal as an Artist

Artsy Traveler: What is your goal?

Silvia Salvadori: My goal is to preserve these techniques from medieval art and pass them on to future generations. These techniques are typically Tuscan. They were born in Siena and then also applied later by artists living in Florence and Arezzo where other schools of painting were born.

There have been other artists who have taken up these techniques but only to make reproductions or copies. I started by making copies, but now I am creating a style that is Renaissance but that also looks to the future.

It is a cultural project. These medieval art techniques are important and should not be lost.

How Silvia Creates a Painting

Artsy Traveler: How do you create a painting?

Silvia Salvadori: As described in Cennini’s book Il Libro dell’Arte, I start with wooden boards from poplar, lime, willow or pear trees that have been aged at least thirty years. I then prepare them using layers and layers (eight to twelve coats) of rabbit skin glue mixed with chalk. The chalk I use is the same kind that Cennini used in the 14^th century. I also use the same pigments that Cennini describes.

The second phase is gilding performed with thin leaves of pure 23 carat gold stretched on a thin layer of red clay. I also use precious gems. These gems all had special meaning in medieval times. For example, amber, which I use a lot, symbolizes eternity.

For a detailed description of all the steps involved in creating a painting, check this page on Silvia’s website.

Silvia demonstrates how she uses a small punch to make designs in the gold leaf.

Landscapes in Silvia’s Work

Artsy Traveler: I see that you also often include landscapes in your paintings.

Silvia Salvadori: Yes, since I live in Arezzo and every day see the Tuscany landscape, I like to include it in my paintings.

An example of one of Silvia Salvadori’s landscape paintings

Looking to the Future

Artsy Traveler: Will you one day teach your techniques?

Silvia: I would very much like to teach young people how to paint using these techniques so that the techniques are not lost. But as Cennino said, technique is not enough. To create art, you must have a kind soul.

Silvia’s Artwork

As soon as you see one of Silvia’s pieces, you know you are looking at work inspired by medieval and Renaissance art. And while most of her subjects are directly related to their medieval and Renaissance counterparts, some subjects are contemporary and from pop culture.

Silvia’s work glows with the rich colors she creates from pigments she mixes with egg tempera, just like Cennini describes in his handbook. Her skill is awe-inspiring. Following are examples of the many gorgeous paintings hanging in Bottega d’Arte.

Paintings of Madonna and Child

Go to any art gallery in Italy that features medieval art and you’ll see scores of depictions of the Madonna and Child. Silvia’s versions, while heavily inspired by medieval works, are fresh and vibrant. The colors glow in the soft light of her workshop.

Here are four of the Madonna and Child paintings displayed in the Bottega d’Arte.

A depiction of the Madonna and Child by Silvia Salvadori done in the medieval style

A small, circular gold painting of the Madonna and Child by Silvia Salvadori done in the medieval style

A gold painting of the Madonna and Child by Silvia Salvadori done in the medieval style

A medieval-inspired painting of the Madonna and Child by Silvia Salvadori done in the medieval style

Paintings of Medieval Scenes

I love how medieval artists depicted buildings and towns. Silvia does the same when she includes buildings in her paintings. I particularly loved these two pieces.

Medieval-style painting of Christ and the devil by Silvia Salvadori

Medieval style painting by Silvia Salvadori of Saint George and the dragon

Paintings with Contemporary Subjects

Silvia doesn’t confine herself to creating works in the medieval style. Many of the paintings in her workshop depict contemporary subjects—from Marilyn Monroe to a dachshund (one of my favorites).

Painting on a gold background of a dachshund

My Connection to Silvia’s Work

I was thrilled to discover Silvia and her beautiful artwork for two reasons. First, as you’ve already seen from the examples included in this post, her work is stunning. And second, her work has a direct connection with my first novel The Towers of Tuscany about a female painter in 14^th-century Tuscany.

When I was researching early Renaissance painting techniques in order to write the novel, I read and re-read Il Libro dell’Arte by Cennino de Cennini many times. Imagine my delight to discover that Silvia is intimately familiar with Cennini’s book, credited as the first manual designed to teach painting techniques to artists.

I felt honored to spend time with someone totally dedicated to her art. Silvia clearly loves what she does. As I watched her paint with tiny brushes that she uses to meticulously layer on stroke after stroke, I felt like the centuries had melted away and I was watching Sofia Barducci, my fictional heroine in The Towers of Tuscany, at work.

I have every confidence that Silvia will be able to realize her ambition to one day share her knowledge with other artists so that the ancient techniques are kept alive.

Visit Silvia Salvadori

Visit Silvia in the Bottega d’Arte Toscana in Arezzo and tell her the Artsy Traveler sent you! And after you’ve enjoyed meeting Silvia, consider purchasing one of her pieces. She has a wide variety of sizes and subjects to choose from. And considering the hours and hours of work Silvia dedicates to each of her pieces, the prices are very reasonable.

A selection of small paintings for sale in the Bottega d'Arte Toscana in Arezzo

Gregg Simpson with Silvia Salvadori in her studio

I love the small piece I purchased of a stylized Tuscan town painted in Silvia’s unique style. I have hung it next to my writing desk so I can look at it every day and remember the wonderful hour I spent getting to know Silvia and admiring her work.

Small and colorful gold painting by Silvia Salvadori of a Tuscan town — The small painting I purchased from Silvia Salvadori

Visit Arezzo

After meeting Silvia in the Bottega d’Arte, take time to wander around Arezzo. It’s a charming town with plenty to delight the Artsy Traveler. With its inclined trapezoidal shape, the Piazza Grande is one of the most beautiful in Tuscany (which is saying something!).

Here are some pictures of the Piazza Grande.

Medieval houses lining the Piazza Grande in Arezzo in Tuscany

And like so many towns in Tuscany, a big attraction is the food. We passed numerous stores and cafes featuring local cuisine. The specialty in Arezzo is Pappardelle all’Aretina (a ribbon-shaped pasta served with a sauce made from rabbit or duck), Zuppa di Cavolo (a cabbage soup), and the Pappa al Pomodoro (a tomato soup).

While in Arezzo, you can also visit the Vasari House Museum, which is a rare example of an artist’s house from the late Renaissance.

Conclusion

Have you visited Arezzo? Share your experience and suggestions with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.

Here are some more posts about artists in Europe:

Cooking in Roma with InRome Cooking

October 10, 2022September 16, 2024Activities, Destinations, Get Inspired, Italy carolcram 2 Comments

Last updated on September 16th, 2024 at 05:44 am

Culinary tourism is definitely a thing, and nowhere more so than in Italy. Food tours and cooking classes abound and for good reason. Italy and food go together like, well, Italy and food.

The popularity of Stanley Tucci’s series Searching for Italy about food in Italy is proof that eating and cooking continue to be two of the many artsy reasons to travel in Italy.

Is cooking an art? Absolutely!

And so, while spending a week in Rome in 2022, I decided to take a cooking class. I’d taken a cooking class in Paris, and one of my guest posters, Liz Reding, has written a post about her cooking class experiences in France and Spain.

It was time for Italy to take a turn.

Choosing InRome Cooking

I chose a 3-hour cooking class with InRome Cooking. Here’s the link to register if, after reading this post, you’re interested in taking the class.

Full disclosure – the link takes you to the Tiqets.com website, which is one of my affiliates. That means I get a small percentage of the ticket price if you register.

Cut to the chase–I highly recommend taking a 3-hour class with InRome Cooking. The time flew by and not only did I learn a lot, but I also enjoyed a fabulous meal that I’d cooked myself with some help from my new friends and chef Marco.

About InRome Cooking

InRome Cooking operates out of three locations:

Flagship school on Corso del Rinascimento in a converted 17th-century palace very close to the Piazza Navona and overlooking the Italian parliament. This is the location for the Hands-on Pasta Making Class & Tiramisù class I took.
A sleek and stylish terraced building near the Pantheon on Via Giustiniani.
A cooking school located in the Pope’s organic farm at his private estate in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome.

My Experience with InRome Cooking

In this post, I write about my experience taking a 3-hour class at the Corso del Rinascimento location.

InRome Cooking offers several classes–either shared or private.

I chose the Hands-on Pasta Making Class & Tiramisù for two reasons. First, my husband, Gregg Simpson, had recently discovered the delectable delights of Tiramisù and so I thought it would be good to learn how to make it at home. And second, I have a pasta maker gathering dust in my cupboard, and felt it was high time I learned how to use it correctly.

Both goals were met during the course of the evening.

Registering for a Class with InRome Cooking

I registered for the class about three days in advance, in October 2022. The registration process through Tiqets.com was quick and efficient. Within seconds, I had my ticket downloaded and ready to show. It’s advisable to register well in advance. I was probably lucky to get a spot because the class of just twelve participants was full.

Arriving at InRome Cooking

Promptly at 5:20, I arrived at InRome Cooking located at Corso del Rinascimento, 65 after passing it and then doubling back. You have to look closely to see the rather small InRome Cooking sign on the door.

View of the InRome Cooking sign at Corso del Rinascimento, 65 in Rome — InRome Cooking next to the buzzer at Corso del Rinascimento, 65

For a few moments, I was flummoxed, but soon figured out that I needed to ring the buzzer to be let in. A voice answered (phew!), the buzzer buzzed, and I climbed two flights of marble stairs in the converted 17th-century palazzo. I do like a nice palazzo.

I was met at the top of the stairs by Chef Marco holding a clipboard and smiling broadly. He ushered me into a gorgeous, light-filled kitchen and introduced me to my companions for the evening: a mother and son from Arizona; a mother and son from Sweden, a mom and dad and son from San Francisco, and two couples from Toronto.

The InRome Cooking kitchen with ingredients set out to make Tiramisù

The evening began promptly at 5:30 with a welcome glass of prosecco. We were then placed around the large table already laden with the ingredients and utensils we’d need to make Tiramisù.

Carol Cram at InRome Cooking — Me with chef Marco

Making Tiramisù

We started by making dessert so it would have time to set before enjoying it at the end of the evening.

Chef Marco paired us up and told us to get cracking (literally!). We each separated an egg to get two yolks. The whites were whisked away to be beaten by the sous chefs for later folding into the Tiramisù. We then set to work beating the gorgeous yellow yolks.

Marco told us that fresh eggs are essential for Tiramisù (or indeed any cooking). They shouldn’t be much older than a few weeks and preferably from local hens. I’m lucky that I live on an island where fresh eggs are readily available.

Throughout the evening, Marco emphasized that great cooking starts with the very freshest of ingredients. You don’t need many ingredients to create a wonderful dish when each ingredient is top quality.

Tiramisù Ingredients

For the Tiramisù, we used only six ingredients: fresh eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers (called savoiardi), cold coffee, and cocoa powder (unsweetened) for the topping. Tiramisù translates literally as “pick me up,” a direct result of the espresso used in the recipe.

Tiramisù Method

Under Marco’s expert tutelage, we beat sugar into the egg yolks until the color was a rich and creamy light yellow. The more we beat, the creamier the eggs became. I’d say we beat for at least five minutes. Fortunately, Marco supplied links to recipes at the end of the class so I didn’t need to make notes.

After beating the eggs and sugar, we stirred in very generous dollops of mascarpone cheese. Marco emphasized that precise measuring is not necessary in Italian cooking. A generous tablespoon looked to me more like two or three level tablespoons. But then is there such a thing as too much marscapone?

Next step was folding in generous spoonfuls of whipped egg yolks.

Layering the Tiramisù

With our creamy, eggy, cheesy concoction all mixed and ready to go, we were ready to build our Tiramisù. Marco handed each of us a lovely big tea cup (I suppose coffee cup would be more accurate!) and demonstrated the next steps.

First, I took a ladyfinger biscuit and dipped it quickly into the bowl of cold espresso. Down and up, no lingering. The ladyfinger should absorb the coffee but not be dissolved by it. I then broke the ladyfinger in two and placed it at the bottom of the cup.

Next, I spooned in half of the creamy, eggy, cheesy mixture and then dipped and broke another ladyfinger. Finally, I slathered on the rest of the creamy stuff.

One more step! We were given shakers of pure, unsweetened cocoa to sprinkle on top of the Tiramisù and directed to carve something meaningful into the cocoa so we’d know which one is ours.

Here’s my first (and extremely delicious) attempt at Tiramisù with my initials etched in with a toothpick:

A serviing of Tiramisù made at the InRome Cooking school — Tiramisù made at InRome Cooking

Making Pasta

The Tiramisùs were whisked away and the large workspace cleaned by the staff while I mingled for a while with the other guests and enjoyed another glass of prosecco. Two of the people from Toronto had been to Bowen Island where I live, and one has a friend who has just written her first historical novel. Coincidentally, it’s about a subject that intrigued me after visiting the Back to Backs National Trust property in Birmingham. Small world.

We were to make two kinds of pasta: cacio e pepe and amatriciana. It turned out we wouldn’t be making the sauces; Marco demonstrated that. Our job was to make the pasta.

Marco showed us how to mix the two flours and then to knead in the olive oil to make a beautiful, yellow dough. Next step was to pass the dough through the rollers of the pasta maker several times to flatten it and then through the cutters.

The pasta makers were equipped with two cutters–one to make spaghetti which we later ate with the cacio e pepe sauce and one to make fettucine, which we ate with the amatriciana sauce.

Carol Cram passing pasta dough through a pasta maker at the InRome Cooking school — Carol flattening the pasta

Making the Sauces

As he had all evening, Marco emphasized the importance of using just a few, top quality ingredients.

Amatriciana Sauce

The amatriciana sauce contains only three ingredients: Mutti tomato sauce (it only contains tomatoes grown in Italy, of course), small pieces of pork cheek that have been very slowly cooked to release the fat and flavor, and romano cheese.

Marco cooked the fettucine we’d just made for a very few minutes and then showed us how to combine the pasta with the three-ingredient sauce. The smell was amazing!

Cacio e pepe Sauce

This sauce is a Roman specialty and is the simplest of all. Only two ingredients are used–romano cheese and freshly ground pepper. That’s it! Marco demonstrated how he makes the sauce by stirring the starchy water from the boiled pasta into the cheese to make a rich, creamy sauce. He then added the fresh pepper. The result was to die for!

Chef Marco at InRome Cooking school making pasta — Making Amatriciana

Chef Marco at InRome Cooking school adding spaghetti to a sauce. — Making Cacio e pepe

Eating the Results

Following the demonstrations of how the pasta is combined with the two sauces to make Amatriciana and Cacio e pepe, we were invited into the adjacent dining room, complete with coffered, Renaissance style ceiling. I joined the table of Canadians and enjoyed pleasant conversation about travel and food while enjoying the fruits of the evening’s labors.

Rome Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of Rome!

Conclusion

The three-hour cooking class (more like three and half by the time we finished eating) at InRome Cooking is a bargain at only €75 (price varies depending on which class you choose). Considering I enjoyed three delectable courses, learned a lot of valuable cooking tips and even got plenty of hands-on practice, I consider the fee very reasonable indeed.

Have you taken a cooking class in Rome? Share your experience in the comments below.

MONA: The Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania–A World-Class Art Experience by Guest Poster Linda Moore

September 30, 2022October 10, 2024Artsy Sightseeing, Australasia, Destinations, Get Inspired carolcram Leave a Comment

Last updated on October 10th, 2024 at 03:39 pm

Guest poster and novelist Linda Moore takes artsy travelers on a journey down under to remote Tasmania to experience the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Find out more about Linda Moore and her debut novel, Attribution. Author Joshua Mohr (Model Citizen) calls Attribution a “high-concept arthouse puzzle.” Sounds intriguing!

Written by Linda Moore for Artsy Traveler

Arriving at MONA

If possible, arrange to arrive at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) by water. The 25-minute ferry ride from Hobart in Tasmania brings into dramatic focus a clifftop complex that rivals any of the major museums of the world.

To reach the museum entrance from the ferry dock, you’ll need to climb one hundred steps. If you wish to avoid the climb, you can travel to the museum by car from Hobart, a 20-minute drive away.

Of course, no matter how you arrive at MONA, you’ll have traveled many hours to remote Tasmania, an island off the coast of Australia.

Is the long journey worth it? Absolutely! Despite its isolation, MONA has become a world-renowned art destination—and a must-visit for the artsy traveler.

Photo by Barrylb, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is MONA?

The creation of gambler-turned-art collector David Walsh, MONA will appeal to art lovers interested in experiencing a stunning collection of old and new art and impressive architecture.

Walsh, a controversial figure with a large bank account, built his museum for his own amusement and to provide a landing place for art that interests him. Almost everything about MONA is different from other museums. Check out the MONA website and read the content. Even ordinary information such as how to get to the museum is presented with a quirky twist.

MONA’s Collection

The essence of MONA is not its eccentricities, but its collection, and Walsh does not disappoint. MONA displays pieces from a full range of the history of art. The eclectic installation includes art from ancient Egypt, the European Renaissance, and Pacific Islanders.

You’ll find an Egyptian sarcophagus and Asian scrolls along with 20th-century works such as Georgia O’Keefe’s flowers and provocative works such as Matthew Barney’s genitalia.

Why I Loved MONA

MONA draws me and others who travel the world to see art because we want to discover artists we don’t know about, the ones whose original ideas are not derivative of the major art scenes in New York or Berlin. Similar to traveling to the Venice Biennale or Documenta, a journey to remote MONA exposes you to new art and new ideas.

For example, Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed’s woven fiber pieces use an ancient art form in a contemporary way. His work appeared in the Venice Biennale and later was added to a show at MoMA in New York. But how many of us know about art in Azerbaijan?

Walsh’s collection spans the globe and his curators are on the hunt for fresh ideas from artists whose works may never be seen by curators from big international institutions.

MONA’s Installations

The site-specific installations at MONA are the showstoppers. Examples include Yayoi Kusama’s room with dizzy dots and the two-story waterfall by German artist Julius Popp that spills text generated by 128 computer-controlled nozzles streaming words from real Google searches.

Generous budgets and plenty of space provide artists with creative opportunities that may not be possible in large city museums. For example, an $18 million tunnel completed in 2019 houses works by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who spent time in prison for his art, and The Divine Comedy, a light installation of hell, purgatory, and paradise by one of my favorites, Chilean-born artist Alfredo Jaar. Here’s a link to The Divine Comedy featured in an article in The Guardian.

When to Visit

Schedule at least a day-long visit so you can view the James Turrell light pieces like Pharos (named after the lighthouse in Alexandria) inside a tunnel and then remain until sunset to sit outside under Turrell’s Amarna project that glows and changes as the sunlight in the Southern hemisphere disappears. Stunning.

Armana changing with the setting sun, an installation piece at MONA by James Turrell — ***Amarna*** changing with the setting sun

Shore lights twinkle as you travel back to Hobart on the night ferry and the peaceful channel creates space to ponder the impressive art experiences you’ve enjoyed at MONA.

Tours & Tickets in Hobart

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Practical Information

MONA is only open Friday to Sunday, so temporary exhibitions are displayed for five to six months. You must purchase your ticket in advance and ensure you have reservations for everything you want to see.

Read about Linda Moore on the Artsy Traveler Guest Posters page. Here are some other contributions from guest posters to help you with your travel planning:

Hidden Gem: Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome by Andie Easton
Three Tips Every Writing Adventurer Needs to Buy The Damn Hat by Tina Overbury
The Joys of Exploring the World with Small Group Tours by Julie H. Ferguson

Have you traveled to MONA? Share your suggestions and experience in the comments below.

Best of the Courtauld Gallery in London: A Treasure Trove for the Artsy Traveler

September 21, 2022October 10, 2024Artsy Sightseeing, Destinations, England, Get Inspired carolcram 3 Comments

Last updated on October 10th, 2024 at 05:41 pm

I recently visited the Courtauld Gallery within hours of landing at Heathrow after flying to London from Vancouver. After three years away from Europe, I was itching to see great art, and the Courtauld Gallery turned out to be the perfect place to ease my way back into artsy traveling.

It’s small, it’s centrally located, and its collection is exquisite.

The highlights of the Courtauld Gallery are the truly impressive Impressionist collection and the medieval collection.

What is the Courtauld Gallery?

The Courtauld Gallery is part of the renowned Courtauld Institute of Art. This research-led higher education institution is the University of London’s largest community of art historians, conservators and curators. The gallery recently reopened after being closed for three years. The new and improved version is little short of spectacular.

Impressionist Collection at the Courtauld Gallery

Like the vast majority of visitors, I headed first to the top floor to view the Impressionist collection and the special exhibition of paintings by Edvard Munch (see my review of this exhibition). The room containing the Impressionist collection attracts the most visitors and can get a bit crowded.

I walked into the large room containing a delicious collection of Impressionists and immediately had to sit down to prevent myself from falling down and embarrassing myself. What I really wanted to do is laugh out loud and twirl myself past masterpiece after masterpiece, giddy with the beauty surrounding me.

When, finally, I collected myself, I began pacing slowly and reverently past gorgeous painting after gorgeous painting by all the biggies—Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Renoir, and on and on.

Here are just a few of the highlights of the Impressionist collection.

Tall Trees at the Jas de Bouffan by Paul Cézanne

Image of the painting entitled "all Trees at the Jas de Bouffan" showing a row of trees in Provence by Paul Cezanne included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London. — “Tall Trees at the Jas de Bouffan” by Paul Cezanne

Cézanne painted many views of the countryside surrounding Jas de Bouffan, a rural estate outside Aix-en-Provence owned by Cézanne’s father. Having visited the area, I can attest that Cézanne captures the shimmering quality of the light and the particularly vivid shades of green unique to Provence. My favorite Cézannes are his paintings of the Provence landscapes and this one is a keeper for sure!

Young Woman Powdering Herself by Georges Seurat

Painting called "Young Woman Powdering Herself" by Goerges Seurat showing a woman wearing a red corset and holding a powder puff. The style is pointillist and the piece is included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London. — “Young Woman Powdering Herself” by Georges Seurat

I’ve long been a fan of Georges Seurat who created the “pointillist” style of painting. He followed newly formulated optical theories by placing colors from opposite sides of the color wheel–orange and blue; pink and green–next to each other to create contrast. Seurat died at age 31 but he left behind some stunning works, this one being his only major portrait.

Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh

I couldn’t believe the Courtauld had this piece! It’s one of my favorite van Goghs. I love how he contrasts the various colors–blue hat, green coat, orange face–and also includes the image of one of the Japanese prints he collected. Van Gogh was heavily influenced by Japanese printmaking. He painted this piece in 1889, a week after leaving hospital following the famous incident when he cut off a portion of his left ear after a heated argument with Paul Gauguin. Even injured, van Gogh was determined to keep painting.

The Haystacks by Paul Gauguin

And speaking of Gauguin, I was thrilled to see this piece which he painted while he was living in Brittany. Gregg Simpson (husband and painter) is currently working on the Pont Aven Suite, a series inspired by Gauguin’s Brittany paintings, so Gauguin has been a regular topic of a conversation in our house. I love how Gauguin simplifies and flattens forms and colors. This piece has so much movement–the women raking hay above and the man driving the oxen below.

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Edouard Manet

The Bar at the Folies Bergeres by Edoaurd Manet included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London. — *A Bar at the Folies-Bergères* by Edouard Manet

Fabulous as all the pieces in the Impressionist collection are, the best of all is my old friend A Bar at the Folies-Bergères by Manet. What a painting!

The young barmaid (the model’s name was Suzon) looks out at the viewer, her expression both bored and vulnerable at the same time. According to the descriptive text next to the piece, “Manet created a complex and absorbing compostion that is considered one of the iconic paintings of modern life.” That is certainly true!

Suzon is every person in the world working in a dead-end job they hate and yet obliged to pretend they enjoy for the sake of the customers.

Medieval Collection at the Courtauld Gallery

After thoroughly exploring the top floor, I began my descent to the other two floors to explore the rest of the Courtauld Gallery’s collection. I was in for a treat as it turned out.

One of my favorite eras for painting is the middle ages, particularly the first half of the 14^th century when artists were not worried about perspective and realism. I love the use of gold, the pastel shades of the egg tempera paint the artists used, and the lego-like way in which they depicted medieval buildings.

Well, the Courtauld delivered! To my delight, it houses a lovely medieval collection that includes such notables as Lorenzetti and Duccio—two hometown boys from Siena, my fave Italian city (and one of the settings for The Towers of Tuscany).

As is often the case in art museums, the medieval rooms were pretty much empty so I drifted from painting to painting and admired to my heart’s content.

A highlight is a series of small panels painted by Fra Angelico (1417-1455) that depicts six female saints. Each face is incredibly expressive and compelling. I wonder who Fra Angelico used as models.

Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in the black habit of a nun created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in a blue robe trimmed with gold and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in a red robe and with long hair, and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in a pink cloak and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint wearing a red gown trimmed with gold and a green cape, and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint wearing a simple blue gown and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

Other Highlights of the Courtauld Gallery Collection

After thoroughly exploring and enjoying the large collection of medieval art, I toured the rest of the collection. There’s a fair number of works from the 16th to the 19th centuries, including works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Rubens.

A big selling point of the Courtauld is its compact size and that each piece in the colleciton is stellar. I don’t think I’ve ever visited an art museum where the quality of all the pieces is so uniformly high.

After my visit, I got chatting with the young man in the gift shop. He enthusiastically agreed that the Courtauld’s collection is first-rate and also kindly listened to me rattle on about how I first visited the Courtauld with my mom back in 1970 (likely a good forty years befor he was born!)

Here are two more of my favorites at the Courtauld Gallery.

Adam and Eve by Cranach the Elder included in the collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London. — “Adam and Eve” by Cranach the Elder

Landscape with the Flight into Egypt painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and ncluded in the collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London. — “Landscape with the Flight Into Egypt” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Courtauld Gallery Practical Information

The Courtauld Gallery is open Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Book your ticket in advance on the website to avoid line-ups and also to make sure you get in! Check the website also for special exhibitions. The Munch exhibition I saw was definitely worth the extra price.

London Tours & Tickets

Here are some options for touring London and buying tickets for other interesting museums and attractions.

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London Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of London!

Conclusion

As my first visit to a world-class art museum in three years, the Courtauld was the perfect choice. It gently eased me back into artsy traveling, doling out artsy hits like small bites of gourmet chocolates—each one more flavorful than the last and yet all equally fabulous.

Have you visited the Courtauld? Which piece was your favorite? Share your experience in the Comments section below.

Here are some more posts about favorite art museums in Europe:

Myth-Making & Travel: Three Magical Moments with Trees in Dartmoor, England by Guest Poster Tina Overbury

August 17, 2022October 8, 2024Artsy Sightseeing, England, Get Inspired carolcram Leave a Comment

Last updated on October 8th, 2024 at 02:50 am

An Artsy Traveler is always on the look-out for those magical moments that make traveling so, well, magical. And if you’re also a storyteller (like me and our guest poster), you can be extra vigilant in your search for those magical moments that lead to or affirm story.

Guest poster, writer, storyteller, performer (and fellow Bowen Islander!) Tina Overbury shares her experience finding magical moments with trees while participating in a writing program in Dartmoor, England (one of my favorite places!).

Myth-Making, Storytelling, & Magical Moments

‘Stories don’t enchant, they break spells’ – Dr. Martin Shaw, Storyteller and Mythologist, West Country School of Myth

I’m fresh back from a week-long summer school program called Tent of the Seven Doors from The West Country School of Myth. Led by storyteller and mythologist Dr. Martin Shaw, the program was located in Dartmoor in the southwest corner of England.

The story room at night, at West Country’s School of Myth Summer School: The Tent of the Seven Doors with Dr. Martin Shaw.

I had just completed a two-week story pilgrimage in Ireland and decided that since I’m so close, I should really hop over to England and tick a story-box I’ve been carrying for a long time.

Who is Dr. Martin Shaw?

I came across Dr. Martin Shaw’s work seven years ago when my writing partner, Meribeth Deen, sent me an article from Emergence Magazine: Mud and Antler Bone. I swear I listened to that interview fifty times. I used to run to it and then stop it mid-stride, catch my breath and slap my head with: What? What did he say…?

OMGGGGGG – There’s a language for what I see in my head? Other people talk like this?

I didn’t understand then that the way my instrument as an artist works is through ‘thinking’ and ‘hearing’ in mythological terms.

What this looks like for my friends is that I have a rather obnoxious habit (to some) of explaining everything in metaphor. This isn’t because I think I’m all that and a bag of chips, or because I’m trying to hide from being clear about anything. It’s because to me, using symbols and imagery that are thick with textured meaning ARE the closest way I know to speak succinctly.

Communicating Truth

How else can you communicate the complexity of the truth? Or so says me! And thankfully I discovered this summer during my travels that a gaggle of other story people say so too.

Let me tell you about three magic moments I had with trees in beautiful, mystical Dartmoor.

Magical Moment 1: Finding the Ashes

Tangles of branches spotted while on a medicine walk in Dartmoor National Park as part of the Summer School, Tent of the Seven Doors.

To provide a context for the magical moments with trees I experienced while walking on Dartmoor, I first need to go back two years to when I wrote a piece called OMYGOD about the women we burned, the babies we buried and the Gods we have worshiped.

As the name sounds, it was a tough piece to write. I didn’t choose to write it, it chose me, and to top it all off, I decided to perform it as a live storytelling piece. However, due to the pandemic, we filmed it instead. All this to say, I had to memorize the damn thing–all 60 pages and 93 minutes of it.

The ‘women we burned’ part – the story that named six Irish women who were burned at the stake for witchcraft – was proving impossible to memorize. I just couldn’t get the words of those women into my body. I tried everything. I walked, I prayed, I asked… I did everything.

The Magical Power of Dreams

Eventually, I engaged in a dreaming session with a healer friend of mine. In the dream I saw myself as a birthing aid of sorts. I was in a hut smoothing clay like mud across a dying woman’s chest. She was taking her last breaths post-childbirth and I was placing lavender on her throat. Best as I could make sense, I was helping her transition to the other side. Because of this, the clergy and the officials of the town took me, and I was burned alongside a number of other women for witchcraft.

As dreams can do, I was able to step in and out of places in the story. I didn’t watch myself or the other women burn. Instead, I time jumped to the place where they were all ashes and I was on the outside.

I stood in front of the line of pyres in front of me, and I cried and cried and cried, saying over and over again…

’What happened to the ashes of these women? Who collected their ashes? Who laid them to rest?’

Finding the Story in a Tree

And then I stepped wayyyyyy out and started picking up pieces of wood and laying them in a circle, like a sacred line of acknowledgement of their life, and to mark their death.

A twisted tree on a lonely moor in Dartmoor, England, encountered by the author whle wjile on the medicine walk in Dartmoor National Park. — I see flesh on her – this tree with ravens for limbs. I encountered her while on the medicine walk in Dartmoor National Park.

Magical Moment #2: Exploring the Landscape of Place

The Tent of the Seven Doors program at The West Country School of Myth certainly wasn’t like any other writing class I’d taken. To be fair, it wasn’t a writing class. In fact, I’m not even sure it was a ‘class’, but rather an initiation into the realm of mythical storytelling.

We didn’t learn through cognitive lesson plans with hand-outs or PowerPoints. We didn’t learn through experiences and examples unpacked through journaling or reflections. The truth is, I’m still trying to figure out how we learned, but if I had to guess, I’d have to say that we learned through invitation.

We were invited to step from one world into another.
We were invited through the landscape of place.
We were invited through the imagining that happened with each story.

Each day we would experience a story, and each afternoon or evening we would experience the land.

Connecting with a Lush and Luxuriant Oak

On one such afternoon, I came across this beautiful tree.

A magnificent oak tree in Dartmoor, England — An oak tree in Dartmoor

She’s a gorgeous oak and unlike most of the scarred and barren trees of the moor, she is lush and radiant and there is more limb and branch to her than trunk. She has been reaching toward the sun for a very long time.

I spent some time with her and found myself collecting sticks. I was finishing a story that started with a dream a number of months ago. I acknowledged more women, and I collected more ashes. I placed a circle of sticks around her.

A line of sticks laid out in front of the truck of an enormous oak tree in Dartmoor, England. — Encircling the oak with sticks

And then that dreamscape story of OMYGOD felt complete. I don’t have much more to say about that other than I knew it was done.

But then…

Magical Moment #3: The Cork Tree Walks with Me

Have you ever seen a cork oak tree? Because I sure hadn’t.

There is a HUGE cork oak by the enormous fire pit at the back of the property where we gathered to close our summer school experience. Seeing that tree made me think that I had just stepped into The Shire from The Lord of the Rings. I had to talk myself out of believing it could walk.

You know when you’re walking down the street and a dog starts to follow you and if you look back he’ll keep following so you have to discipline yourself TO NOT LOOK BACK? Well, that was me.

I mean, how was it going to make it into the house with me? Okay, I know this tree can’t actually walk. But jeeeeeeeeeeez… I swear, this tree was magnificent.

It transported me to a place I have only ever made fun of: the land of affirmation people, the ones who only see the world through the lens of sunshine, rainbows and lollipops.

But there it was.

If Snow White was a real person, she would step out of a little apple-red door with the seven dwarfs following behind, singing Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho…

Check this out (you’ll even hear the cows!) :

The Magic of a Cork Tree

And to touch the bark? I mean the cork… I mean the bark. It is light, like the false front of a western town film set, except this isn’t a facade. It’s a whole damn tree and it has to be hundreds of years old.

She was the antithesis and antidote to all the gloom, grief and burning that had been my journey of mythic trees thus far.

I fully expected unicorns and fairies to pour out of its bark like a clown car filled with magic instead of red-shoed men.

Who knew?

Holding the Light and the Dark

As an artist, I’m comfortable in the darker shades of story. I easily walk the bottom of the ocean while holding hands with the harder emotions. I write pieces to look for hope. I write to discover the color that lives in the shadowy blend of things, but this time, I didn’t have to.

This gorgeous cork oak tree did all the heavy lifting for me.

Learning Community

“In troubled times we can create a culture of resistance and delight. The learning community that is the School of Myth believes that myth has something vital to say about the condition of both our lives and the earth. That certain stories we need right now arrived, perfectly on time, about five thousand years ago. Central to this is the notion that culture and wildness have experienced an artificial separation, and that both initiation and myth can create what Shaw calls a Culture of Wildness.” – West Country School of Myth.

Martin also says: ‘When the center is in crisis, it is only from the edge that the genius comes’. I believe him.

So while these days, there IS a lot to be troubled about…for sure, there is also much to be hopeful for.

Group shot of the participants in summer 2022 in the Tent of the Seven Doors experience at the West Country School of Myth. — This is the group of us from the Summer 2022 Tent of the Seven Doors experience at the West Country School of Myth.

Please meet this community of Bards, Storytellers, Eco-Romantics, land-as-church visionaries, fire-dwellers, academics, nurturers and fools.

There is a movement afoot.

And it’s coming from multiple directions.

These are mythic times.

Read about Tina Overbury on the Artsy Traveler Guest Posters page. Here are some other contributions from Tina and other guest posters to help you get the most of your artsy traveling.

Three Tips Every Writing Adventurer Needs to Buy The Damn Hat by Tina Overbury
The Joys of Exploring the World with Small Group Tours by Julie Ferguson
Top Tips for Walking the Camino of Santiago by Elizabeth Petrie

Three Tips Every Writing Adventurer Needs to Buy The Damn Hat by Guest Poster Tina Overbury

August 17, 2022October 15, 2024Artsy Sightseeing, Get Inspired, Ireland carolcram 2 Comments

Last updated on October 15th, 2024 at 03:49 am

How do you know you’re a writing adventurer? That’s what guest poster, writer, storyteller, performer (and fellow Bowen Islander!) Tina Overbury asked after venturing across the Atlantic to Ireland in July of 2022. Her experiences led her to share these three tips in the hopes that you, too, can become a writer adventurer!

Ready to find out? I know that I definitely want to be a writing adventurer!

How Do You Know You’re a Writing Adventurer?

You are drawn to lush landscapes that you swear are whispering your name.

To make room for more books, you roll your t-shirts and the one pair of jeans you packed rather than fold them.

The stories you might miss if you don’t go are already swirling through your head, and you haven’t even booked your flight yet.

The smell of city, forest, farm and pub grub takes you to all the places and unwritten scenes you’ve collected from around the world.

I just came back from a story-pilgrimage to Ireland, and I have a few tools to offer you from my journey.

What’s a Pilgrimage?

“A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life.” – so says Wiki.

That definition just sounds like a regular writing day. To me, the act of communication is more akin to a sacred practice. If you want to be a writing adventurer, throw in some travel to mythically rich places and hell, you might even call it church.

That brings me to TIP #1.

Tip #1: When you Travel, Don’t just Write, Myth-dive

As soon as you step off the plane and place your feet on new soil, you become a writing adventurer! You are entering a multilayered invitation to discover what you don’t know… not what you do know.

Arriving in Ireland

Everyone said to me, ‘Ireland is waiting for you… you will feel you are home… she is magical.’ And on the one hand, they were all totally right. She is undeniably magical.

But on the other, nope – she didn’t feel like home to me at all…not yet, anyway. She felt like a landscape of a zillion mysteries that I hadn’t earned the invitation to hear – yet.

Full disclosure, I work in myth and I have a passion for land-based stories, so for me being a writing adventurer means I spend a lot of time listening, waiting, and following impulses rather than making a list of destinations to check off as a ‘been there, done that.’

Ask Yourself: What’s This Country’s Origin Story?

So truly, and from my heart… the next time you land somewhere new, I invite you to myth-dive. As a writing adventurer, ask:

What is this country’s origin story?
What story does the land hold?
What are its symbols and emblems?
What are its stories?

Because believe me, the stories OF a place want to be heard, seen and known – just as much as you do.

It’s basic attachment theory, really. 😉

Going off the Beaten Track

The writing adventurer isn’t afraid to veer away from the usual tourist sites to find stories.

In our search of Ireland’s origin story, we were all set to visit Newgrange, a Neolithic monument from Boyne Valley, County Meath constructed 5,200 years ago (3,200 BC). It’s older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza.

But the idea of lining up, buying tickets, listening to experts and not being ‘free to roam’ didn’t jive with my adventurer’s heart, never mind my writing adventurer’s heart!

So instead, we went to Grianán of Aileach on the upper reaches of Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle.

View from Grianán of Aileach overlooking the neighbouring counties of Londonderry, Donegal and Tyrone in northern Ireland — Grianán of Aileach overlooks the neighbouring counties of Londonderry, Donegal and Tyrone in northern Ireland

Our visit to Grianán of Aileach

As we approached the monument at dusk, with nothing but our voices echoing back to us from the center, it’s like I could hear those whispers of Ireland’s story, and I cried.

The summit of the Grianán looks over the neighbouring counties of Londonderry, Donegal and Tyrone. While this is a restored site from the original which records its destruction in 1101, a tumulus (ancient burial mound) at the Grianán may date back to the Neolithic age, as evidenced by a covered well that was found near the cashel in the early nineteenth century.

Information kiosk for Grianán of Aileach in northern Ireland — Information about Grianán of Aileach in Northern Ireland

While I’d still like to visit Newgrange one of these days, I’m glad I followed my storyheart to Grianán of Aileach. You don’t hear the secrets of a place through the mouth of a tour guide. You hear it from the land.

TIP #2: Go to the Places that Haunt You

My trip to Ireland was a story-pilgrimage because I was trying to make sense of a story I had come across about the Bon Secour Mother and Baby Homes in Tuam, County Galway. The remains of 796 children were discovered buried in an abandoned septic tank under the ground where the home had stood.

I caught the news story that featured the public apology offered by the Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and it shook me hard enough to write about it. As I watched his statement, I was haunted by one question: Why is it so hard to say I’m sorry?

That question inspired me to write and film an entire performance piece called OMYGOD during the height of the pandemic.

And then something unplanned happened. On the evening prior to the global screening of OMYGOD, the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found outside the Kamloops Residential School in British Columbia, Canada, only a few hundred kilometers from where I live. The story had come very close to home.

Visit to the Children’s Burial Ground Memorial in Tuam, County Galway

When you write about what haunts you, you’ll find far more meaning beyond the words that actually hit the page.

The author Tina Overbury at the Children's Burial Ground Memorial in Tuam, County Galway — Saying sorry at the Children’s Burial Ground Memorial in Tuam, County Galway

We found the site, but it wasn’t easy. Google actually has a ‘pin’ dropped where it thinks it is but it’s not in exactly the right spot, and took us to a rather large cemetery. We walked for a while and couldn’t find what we assumed would be a large monument to the 796 children. But no. It wasn’t going to be that easy. Finally, we asked someone and she pointed us in an entirely different direction.

“Outside the graveyard. Down two blocks. Between two rows of houses. Within a blocked-off courtyard and taped-off playground. You’ll find it there.”

And we did.

Tip #3 – Buy The Damn Hat

Okay, so this is a silly one, but it’s legit. Buy the damn hat. It’s the one you think you can’t afford, but you want it just the same. That was me.

I picked up the hat and then put it down.

I walked away from the hat and then I walked back.

The little voice in my head told me it was ‘too much’ for my budget.

But then I saw myself heading back home on the plane without the hat…. And well, this is me and the hat guy at Beflast’s St. George’s Market.

Do it. Just buy the damn hat!

What Else Should a Writing Adventurer Do?

Well, after you buy the damn hat, here are some more tips!

Bonus Tip #1: Stay in the weird places you have to look for to find. Our favorite AirBNB stay was in County Roscommon with Fiona.

Bonus Tip #2: Wear the shoes that let you keep walking until you don’t feel lost anymore.

View over the beach with a wide, cloud-streaked sky in northern Ireland — The spectacular beaches of Ireland

Bonus Tip #3: Choose to talk to ALL the people, like, all of them (even the Irish Traveller who has just been released from prison and grew up in the circus – not even kidding a little bit).

Bonus Tip #4: Eat the caramel, shortbread crust, custardy gooey dessert thing made by the guy’s mom who owns the coffee stand, and then eat it again because it’s that damn good. (FiFi’s coffee in Donegal is da bomb!).

Sign for Fiffi's Coffee in County Donegal; the writing adventurer needs fuel — Fiffi’s Coffee in Donegal – just go!

Bonus Tip #5: Don’t settle for places that feel boring to you. Wait until you find that dark doorway that you can’t pass by – and then go in. It might be the ghosts of three Irish writers calling you in for a spot of whiskey (Go to Garavan’s Whiskey Bar and order the Irish Writer’s Tasting Platter).

Glasses of Irish whiskey lined up for a tasting — Enjoying a whiskey tasting

And I could go on and on… but all I’m really trying to say is:

The impulse that made you want to go on a trip is trying to tell you something, and you can’t hear it if you’re not listening.

So go.

Do the things.

Listen to the story of a place.

Follow the wild impulses you can’t ignore.

And buy the damn hat.

Read about Tina Overbury on the Artsy Traveler Guest Posters page. Here are some other contributions from guest posters to help you get the most of your artsy traveling.

The Joys of Exploring the World with Small Group Tours by Julie Ferguson
Top Tips for Walking the Camino of Santiago by Elizabeth Petrie
Take a Cooking Class in Paris by Liz Reding

The Joys of Exploring the World with Small Group Tours by Guest Poster Julie H. Ferguson

July 17, 2022October 26, 2022Get Inspired, Travel Smart carolcram 3 Comments

Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 06:20 pm

Small group tours, whether for a half-day or several weeks, have myriad benefits. The most profound is access to local expert guides who are able to customize the tour according to the interests of the participants. These experts heighten focussed travel experiences and almost always deliver a memorable experience.

Guest Poster Julie H. Ferguson shares her take on why small groups tours are the way to go, particularly for solo and older travelers.

Graphic showing the name of the post: The Joys of Exploring the World with Small Group Tours

The cover photo for this post shows the participants of Julie’s small group tour of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, with “favorite uncle” Thulani in front. Participants were from Australia, Switzerland, France, Holland, and Germany, with Julie being the sole Canadian (fourth from left).

Why I Recommend Small Group Tours

Many years ago, I went on a couple of regular sightseeing tours of local sites, which meant thirty-plus tourists. It was hopeless! Often, I couldn’t hear the guide or get close enough to the exhibits or even ask questions.

Small group tours are very different! I recommend them in these circumstances:

When you visit art museums and historic sites
When you have limited time in a location and want to see the highlights
When you travel in countries for an extended time where renting a car is unwise or destinations are unsafe to explore alone

Exploring Art Museums and Historic Sites

I learned the benefits of taking small group or private tours in art museums and historic sites the hard way. When my husband was alive, we toured Notre Dame in Paris in twenty minutes. This was not enough time for me, but he didn’t want to join any type of guided tour. As a result, we missed a lot!

Memorable Tours

A decade after that visit to Paris, I was eager to explore the Vatican Museums and told James how much we would gain from having a private guide. He finally agreed to try it mainly because we could jump the tedious entry lines. For five hours, our Italian guide from The Metropolitan Museum in New York thrilled us. James had to admit it was an incredible way to get the most out of the visit! After that, we often hired private guides and took many small-group day tours.

At the Prado in Madrid, we were two of five guests of a PhD in art history. At the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, one of only four mosques open to non-Muslims, a committee member who managed the building project showed my group around.

Hassan II Mosque built over the Atlantic in Casablanca, site of an excellent small group tour. — In Casablanca, Morocco, the Hassan II Mosque was built out over the Atlantic. The floor of the prayer hall is glass so the faithful can see the waves.

I also gained much from a hands-on photography workshop on the Isle of Arran with a professional. One of my favorite solo experiences was a one-on-one, day-long cooking school with an international chef in Fez, Morocco, that cost less than $80 CAD.

The author, Julie Ferguson, pictured in a kitchen in a private cooking class in Fez, Morrocco. — After shopping for ingredients in the food souk in the medina of Fez, I cooked a lunch with the chef’s help for four in a tiny kitchen in a riad or guest house.

For another perspective on taking cooking classes while traveling, check out Take a Cooking Class in Paris by Guest Poster Liz Reding and a post I wrote called Cooking Class in Rome with InRome Cooking.

Choosing Small Group and Private Day Tours

When I arrive with or without a car in a safe city for the first time, I often take a small group tour to get orientated.

On a free day in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, I spent a morning with a local university student visiting health clinics and schools.

While on a recent trip to Portugal, I took a ten-hour private tour of the Douro Valley that included port tastings, a three-course lunch in a chateau, and a short boat cruise. My driver frequently stopped so I could take photos. He also passed me over to the experts at each location and told me about the region as he drove.

The terraced vineyards of the Duoro Valley in Portugal. — The Douro Valley in northern Portugal is where the port grapes grow on terraced mountainsides. The raw wine is taken down river in casks to Porto to be made into port, matured, and shipped around the world.

Where to Find Small Group Day Tours

I seek tours that focus on history, art, and photography run by reputable companies. Sometimes, I find tours by researching online or by asking the advice of hotel concierges. When I wanted to visit textile factories in Delhi, the concierge wove all three of my interests into one marvelous day.

Yes, I pay a premium to enjoy these private or small group tours, but the value they provide is enormously worth the cost. They quadruple my enjoyment of art museums, castles, cathedrals, and cuisine.

I see much more than I could alone, my understanding and appreciation of the location soars, and I support the local economy.

Taking Extended Small Group Tours

Although I was an experienced solo traveler, after James died, I wanted to dig deeper into my A-list which included remoter regions where solo travel was challenging or downright unsafe.

I suspected that extended small group tours with twelve or fewer tourists would work for me, but I had concerns. Would I like my travel companions? Would I be the oldest? Would I get enough vital alone-time?

My First Extended Small Group Tour

My first experience on an extended small group tour was on a Majestic Line cruise of the Scottish Inner Hebrides. A micro-cruise in a converted Irish trawler meant I was trapped with twelve passengers for a week. I needn’t have worried. Everyone was respectful of others’ time, the captain listened to our pleas for unscheduled adventures, and the gourmet food was divine. Small vessels can reach places that bigger ships cannot, which meant I enjoyed wonderful shore excursions accompanied by a local expert.

A boat called the Glen Tarsen, a converted Irish trawler used to take small group tours of the Hebrides in Scotland. — Cruising the Inner Hebrides of Scotland on the Glen Tarsen, visiting Mull, Iona, and Staffa and exploring castles, remote bays, sea lochs, and enjoying a wildlife safari on land.

Favorite Benefits of Small Group Tours

Who takes small group tours? What is the transportation? What about transfers and baggage? These are all good questions, and the answers provide more reasons why I prefer small group tours.

Small Group Tour Participants

I find people who travel with extended small-group tours are well-educated, gracious, helpful, and fun. Almost all are well traveled, with the majority being retirees, often from different countries. Sixty to eighty percent are solo and most are female. I’m still in contact with friends I’ve made from around the world.

Transportation on Small Group Tours

Every extended tour I’ve done has used modern Mercedes Sprinter vans with fourteen seats. These vehicles have good air-conditioning, coolers for water (and gin!), and USB ports for charging cameras and laptops. In Africa, the all-terrain Sprinters easily handle the bad roads and trails in game parks.

During my last three-week safari, our Sprinter had two flat tires and a fuel leak (not unusual) that were all repaired on site by our amazing tour leader who was also our guide, expert ranger, driver, navigator, picnic chef, and favorite uncle.

Mercedes Sprinter van used to transport small group tours on safari in Africa. — The Mercedes Sprinter in Namibia as we prepared our daily picnic lunch in a remote spot; the trailer carried all our baggage, picnic kit, a folding table and camp chairs.

Access to Help

A significant bonus of taking a small group tour is access to help and on-call problem solving whenever I need it. I also appreciate having my baggage transported, my airport transfers organized, and accommodation in clean, well-run hotels.

Recommended Small Group Tour Companies

My two recommended tour companies are Explore! in the UK and Bestway Tours in Canada, which have focussed inventories of worldwide trips, often categorized into activity levels. These tour companies choose locally owned and regularly assessed hotels. I have visited China, India, and sub-Saharan African countries, among others, with them on many long tours and safaris.

Conclusion

If you’re not sure you’ll enjoy small group tours, I suggest trying a couple of half-day or full-day tours to see if you gain pleasure from them. I’m certain you will. While you likely won’t experience in an hour or two the friendships that accrue from longer tours, you’ll get a good idea if small group tours are for you. Then, perhaps, you’ll decide to take some extended tours.

Safe travels!

Read about Julie H. Ferguson on the Artsy Traveler Guest Posters page.

I’m a big fan of small group tours and have enjoyed them in New Zealand, Australia, and Iceland. Here is a post about my small group tour around Iceland:

Iceland in February : An Eight-Day Ring Road Tour

Have you taken small group tours? What did you think? Share your stories about the joys (and otherwise) of small group sightseeing.

How to Spend Three Fabulous Days in Venice

April 22, 2022October 10, 2024Artsy Sightseeing, Destinations, Get Inspired, Italy carolcram 1 Comment

Last updated on October 10th, 2024 at 11:51 pm

A three-day visit to Venice gives you a flavorful taste of this float-on-water, impossibly beautiful city.

I love Venice and go there as often as I can. In three days, you won’t see everything, but you’ll see a fair bit and, most importantly, you’ll whet your appetite (forgive the pun!) to return.

My suggestions for three days in Venice include plenty of time for slowing down and enjoying yourself. You can’t see everything, so don’t even try. Instead, focus on my suggested artsy highlights and still have plenty of energy left over for wandering.

Venice is probably the most “wanderable” city I’ve ever visited.

Definitely avoid popping into Venice for a day, or worse, an afternoon. It’s better not to visit at all than to end up being jostled around Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) with thousands of other sweaty, rushed tourists. You’ll come away with a negative view of Venice, and that would be a terrible shame!

Why I Love Venice

Of all the cities I’ve been to, Venice is my favorite. The first time I visited, I couldn’t stop laughing for the first fifteen minutes of our ride on the vaporetto (water bus) from the train station along the Grand Canal to our hotel. I just couldn’t believe that such a place existed on Earth, that Venice was real.

But Venice is real, and Venice is special.

Quiet side canals glimmer in the luminous Adriatic light, buildings with exotic facades slowly sink into the mud, world-class museums and art galleries abound, peaceful piazzas and bustling piazzas beckon, gondolas glide and water taxis and water busses churn up and down the Grand Canal, and the music of Vivaldi wafts into the night air.

Three days in Venice gives you plenty of time to enjoy quiet side canals like this one. — A quiet side canal in Venice

Can you tell that I adore Venice? Unfortunately, in the years before the pandemic, my favorite city was become horribly overcrowded. Massive cruise ships docked within sight of the Grand Canal and the cafés on the Piazza San Marco took rip-offs to a whole new level.

I wonder how things will change now that Venice is again starting to welcome back travelers. I personally hope that more regulations are put in place to handle the flow of visitors. I don’t mind paying a tourist tax to enjoy Venice (cafe rip-offs aside). We’ll see what the future holds!

When to Visit Venice

That said, go to Venice. Just be strategic about how and when you visit. Floods in winter are often a serious problem, and summers can be hot and crowded. I’ve stayed in Venice in both spring and autumn and recommend both seasons. You’ll still encounter crowds, but the weather will be bearable. Just bring lots of mosquito repellant!

A Three-Day Venice Itinerary

Here’s how I suggest you spend your time as an Artsy Traveler with two full days and three nights in Venice.

Day 1 in Venice

Arrival in Venice

Arrive around lunchtime and make your way to your hotel. If you’re driving, park in the Tronchetto Car Park. The rates are fairly reasonable and the car park has a station on the Venice People Mover, an automated tramway that takes you quickly into Venice.

People Mover station near Tronchetto Car Park in Venice

I wouldn’t waste time parking on the mainland. You’ll save a bit of money, but you’ll also waste a fair bit of time getting into Venice itself. Save your energy for sightseeing! Here’s a comprehensive overview of parking options in Venice.

If you’re taking the train, you’ll arrive at the train station and then, depending on where your hotel is located, hop on a vaporetto–the Venice version of a bus.

Getting Around Venice

The two main ways to get around Venice is by riding the vaporetto–a quintessentially Venetian experience–and walking. You could also take water taxis, but they are super expensive. I’ve only taken one once from our place near the Grand Canal back to the Tronchetto Car Park at the end of a week in Venice to attend one of Gregg’s art exhibitions. We had a large box of his paintings in addition to our luggage and did not want to wrangle everything on to and off of the people mover.

water taxi on the Grand Canal in Venice--sleek and expensive. — A sleek and stylish water taxi may be worth the splurge if you have lots of luggage

Sometimes, saving your legs and your sanity is worth the extra cost of a water taxi. But most of the time, you’ll get everywhere you need to go in Venice either by walking or by taking the vaporetto. Also, even when it’s packed to the gunnels, a ride on the vaporetto is fun!

Buy Tickets in Advance for the Vaporetto

A single ride on a vaporetto costs€7.5 Euros! That’s waterway robbery. Fortunately, you can buy a City Pass from the Venezia Unica website CityPass website that includes public transit and entrance to various Venice sites or you can just buy a transit pass for one, two, three, or seven days.

A Vaporetto on the Grand Canal in Venice — A *vaporetto* on the Grand Canal in Venice

I suggest buying the three-day pass and using it on Days 1, 2, and 3. On the morning of Day 4 when you’re making your way back to your car, either walk, depending on where you’re staying, or splash out for a single ticket. We bought a seven-day travel card for €60 each. Since our apartment was close to the Grand Canal, we used the vaporetto several times a day to get around and to travel to Burano and Murano. Buy the Venice Travel Card at the ticket-vending machines located at the largest vaporetto stops or online before you arrive (most convenient).

Areas to Stay in Venice

I suggest you stay in the Dosoduro area across the Grand Canal from Piazza San Marco or the area between the Rialto Bridge and the train station. I’ll talk more about hotels later. For now, drop your bags if your room isn’t ready and set out for your first stop.

Activities on Day 1 in Venice

Here’s what you’ll have time to do on your first afternoon and evening in Venice:

Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Walk to and cross the Rialto Bridge
Visit Piazza San Marco as the sun is setting and the crowds have thinned
Take a traghetto back across the Grand Canal
Dine at a small trattoria near your hotel

Here are the details!

Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum

I seriously love this museum. Located right on the Grand Canal and accessed from the Dosoduro district, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum is a must-see for modern art lovers. Peggy Guggenheim was quite the gal in her day. She knew just about every famous modern artist in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s and amassed an amazing collection of their art.

You’ll find works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Miró, Braque, Giacometti, Klee, Magritte, Dali, Pollock, de Chirico, Brancusi, Braque, Duchamp, and Mondrian.

The museum is located in Peggy’s renovated Venetian palazzo. Wander the cool halls to revel in the fabulous collection and then go outside to enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the Grand Canal. On your first day in Venice, this really is the place to come to get your first Venetian hit.

In front of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice

I include the Peggy Guggenheim museum in my post about the Top Ten Modern Art Museums in Europe. You can buy advance tickets (recommended in peak season) here.

Cross the Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge is one of Venice’s most iconic sites and as such it is often heaving with tourists. Avoid crossing it during the day, but definitely cross it at least once or twice during your visit to Venice. Since it’s one of the very few bridges across the Grand Canal, you can’t miss it!

Rialto bridge over the Grand Canal; you'll cross it once or twice during a three-day stay in Venice — The Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal is often very crowded

Visit Piazza San Marco

Take your time and wait until the sun is setting and the crowds have thinned, and then make your way to Piazza San Marco. Called the drawing room of Europe by Napoleon, the Piazza San Marco lives up to the hype, even when seething with tourists. But it’s better when it’s not too crowded.

Another option is to visit it very early in the morning (see my suggestions for Day 3) or late at night after dinner to really see and appreciate it.

In the evening, you can dance to the music coming from the posh cafés that line both sides of the piazza. Scare away a few pigeons and enjoy. I have occasionally splurged on a cup of coffee at one of the cafés (the prices are truly eye-watering), but the people-watching is worth the price and hey, you’re in Venice.

Take a Traghetto Back Across the Grand Canal

You have to ride a traghetto at least once while you’re in Venice. These fairly large and plain gondolas ferry people across the Grand Canal from various points. One option is to catch it from the Santa Sofia boat pier not far from Piazza San Marco and go across to the Rialto Fish Market. The ride is fast, cheap, and great fun. It’s not exactly a replacement for a “real” gondola ride, but it’s a great budget option, and at least you can say you rode in a gondola.

On the other hand, I do suggest you splurge on a gondola ride (see Day 3 suggestions).

Dine at a Small Trattoria

Check restaurant reviews and find a small restaurant near where you are staying. Avoid the more touristy restaurants at or near Piazza San Marco. My most memorable meal in Venice was at La Zucca, a small osteria on a side canal on the Dorsoduro side of the Grand Canal. Get reservations in advance (advisable everywhere in Venice) and enjoy!

Day 2 in Venice

On your first of two full days in Venice, use your morning energy for sightseeing (fewer crowds) and then spend the afternoon on Murano. Here’s what I suggest:

Visit the Accademia Gallery
Visit Murano for a glass-blowing demonstration and to shop for glass
Go to a concert of baroque music in the evening

Here are the details!

Activities on Day 2 in Venice

Visit the Accademia Gallery

You’ll find plenty of Renaissance and Baroque biggies in the Accademia in Venice (Gallerie Accademia). Works by such masters as Veronese, Tiepolo, Bellini, and Titian grace the walls of this very walkable and enjoyable museum. It’s not too big and in my experience isn’t usually that crowded.

That said, get tickets in advance to avoid line-ups, just in case. Check the gallery’s website for details.

Take the Vaporetto to Murano

Using your vaporetto pass, hop on the vaporetto for a trip across the lagoon to the lovely island of Murano. It’s quite a long voyage and the lagoon can be choppy. If you can, snag a seat outside to guard against seasickness.

Murano is the glass-blowing island and allegedly the best place to buy the distinctive Venetian blown glass. There are certainly plenty of shops there and the prices did seem to be a bit more reasonable than the prices at the tourist joints in Venice itself.

Enjoy a Glass-blowing Demonstration

Upon arival, head for a glass-blowing demonstration. It’s put on for the tourists, and our hand-scarred guy looked kind of bored as he dutifully blew, rotated, heated, and smashed a variety of glass ornaments. But I enjoyed the demonstration and recommend it to see how glass blowing is done.

Close up of a glass ornament being heated with an orange flame — Glass blowing is big business on the Venetian island of Murano

Browse the Shops

Make your way down some fairly nondescript streets to the main shopping street bisected with a small, straight canal arched over with several small bridges. On both sides of the canal, shop after shop after shop marched a good three blocks in both directions—each one crammed to the ceiling with glass.

Colorful main drag on the island of Murano - perfect stop on Day 2 of a three day visit to Venice — Colorful main drag on the island of Murano

Storefront after storefront twinkles with heaps of glittering, glaring, glinting glass—swoopy vases and finely spun figures, paperweights, pendants, chandeliers, glasses, earrings, pitchers, plates, bowls, beads. Every store advertised that their glass is authentic, made on Murano, not in China like 80% of all the other glass for sale in Venice.

Enjoy Lunch Along the Canal in Murano

After shopping, enjoy a leisurely lunch at one of the canalside restaurants in Murano and then hop back on the vaporetto to return to Venice.

After your trip to Murano, either relax in or near your hotel for the afternoon or just keep wandering. Venice is endlessly fascinating. I love strolling alongside the canals, never knowing what’s around the next corner. Sometimes, I find a bustling street, at other times, nothing is moving except a cat stretching on a boat moored in the canal.

Gregg loved our visit to Murano and created several pieces inspired by glass blowing. Here’s my favorite (also featured in our collaboration Pastel & Pen: Travels in Europe):

Colorful abstract painting in jewel tones by Gregg Simpson. — “Murano” inspired by Murano blown glass by Gregg Simpson

Attend a Concert of Italian Baroque Music

A highlight of a trip to Venice is attending a concert of Italian baroque music. Vivaldi is the hometown boy here and you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a concert featuring his Four Seasons. by Italian baroque

One concert we attended was held in a baroque church with a ceiling painted by Tiepolo.

Look online for concert schedules and purchase tickets in advance if you can. Afterwards, float out into the warm Venetian evening (depending on the time of year!) and find another small trattoria for dinner.

Get Lost in Venice After Dark

And after dinner, keep wandering. Getting lost after dark in Venice is one of Europe’s best travel experiences. In fact, I put getting lost in Venice at the top of my list of must-do activities because first, getting lost is unavoidable (even with GPS on your phone), and second, you’ll never be lost for long.

Some of my fondest Venice memories are of strolling alongside dark canals in the evening (violent crime is very rare in Venice), not knowing if I was going in the right direction and not caring.

Venice is an island; you can’t fall off. With the world asleep and the crowds long gone, Venice at night is one of the most magical places on Earth. Walk until you come to one of the ubiquitous signs pointing to San Marco or Rialto or Ferrovia (train station) and get your bearings. You could also ask someone for directions, but chances are they’re tourists and also lost.

Day 3 in Venice

Get going bright and early to take in two of the most iconic sites of Venice, again before the crowds start to gather. Here’s an overview of Day 3:

Tour the Duomo and the Doge’s Palace
Wander and get lost some more
Take a gondola ride after dark

Activities on Day 3 in Venice

Tour the Duomo and Doge’s Palace

Both are crowded, and both are must-sees. Get your tickets ahead of time and go early or late. Several times I’ve bypassed long lines of hot and tired tourists waiting to get into the Doge’s Palace. Breeze past them with your pre-purchased ticket.

The sumptuous public rooms of the Doge’s Palace will show you just how powerful Venice was back in the day. A more sobering attraction are the dungeons reached by crossing the Bridge of Sighs, so called because prisoners who crossed it got their last glimpse of the world before being shut away and usually executed. Cheerful stuff.

Bridge of Sighs at night in Venice, Italy.

Leave Piazza San Marco before it gets too crowded and spend the afternoon wandering the back streets. Shop for souvenirs if you haven’t already bought your quota in Murano, relax at a sidewalk cafe in a small piazza, watch the people go by, and enjoy life.

What’s the hurry? You’re in Venice!

Take a Gondola Ride at Dusk

Yes, it’s expensive and kinda touristy but it’s also super romantic and relaxing. You’ll be taken into canals you may not have seen from the street, and if you’re lucky, you’ll hear a few gondoliers break into song. Occasionally, I’ve seen gondola traffic jams. To avoid them (not at all romantic!), go later.

Gondolas bobbing on the Grand Canal in Venice at sunset — Gondolas bobbing on the Grand Canal in Venice

At the time of writing, a daytime gondola ride costs 80 Euros for 40 minutes. After dark, the price rises to 100 euros, but in my opinion, going at night is the best. Six people fit in a gondola so you could share, depending on who you are with and whether romance is on the cards!

Tours of Venice

Here’s a selection of artsy sightseeing options in Venice with links to fast-track tickets.

Walking Tours of Venice with GuruWalks

How about a walking tour of Venice? GuruWalks has some good options:

Staying in Venice

Venice deserves at least three nights and preferably more so you can settle in and enjoy being a temporary Venetian. If time allows, rent an apartment and stay for a week.

My most cherished memories of Venice are the ten days we spent there in September 2015 while Gregg had an exhibition of his paintings in a gallery overlooking the Grand Canal.

Poster for exhibition of Gregg Simpson's work in Venice — Poster for exhibition of Gregg Simpson’s work in Venice

Paintings featured in the exhibition by Gregg Simpson in Venice — Paintings featured in the exhibition by Gregg Simpson

I spent hours just wandering the city, staying well clear of the heaving masses in Piazza San Marco and taking my time getting to know this most extraordinary city. For our apartment stay, we chose a place just off the Grand Canal about a five-minute walk from the train station. The neighborhood was quiet and close to a piazza that every evening spilled over with local Venetians enjoying the air and watching their children play.

If you have the time, rent an apartment in Venice and stay for a week. Live like a local, not that you’ll see many locals these days. Venetians are moving out of the city at an alarming rate. But at least you’ll experience shopping in tiny local grocery stores and get to know your way around a neighborhood.

As mentioned earlier, consider staying in the Dorsoduro district across the Grand Canal from the Piazza San Marco. I recommend you avoid the area immediately adjacent to Piazza San Marco. Hotels there can be expensive, and the tiny streets in the area are wall-to-wall tourists during the day.

Accommodation Suggestions

Here are suggestions for hotels that we have stayed in–one in the Dorsoduro and one near the Rialto Bridge.

Hotel Canaletto: We stayed there a few years ago and loved it. The rooms were small, but that’s par for the course in Venice. The location, just 200 meters from Rialto Bridge, was fantastic as was its situation on a charming side canal.

Hotel Messner is a more modest option, located in the Dorsoduro neighborhood close to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. It was quiet, and the area was peaceful and uncrowded, particularly at night.

For other options in Venice, check the map below. Resist the temptation to stay on the mainland. The savings will be minimal once you take into account train fares and your time. Stay in the middle of Venice and enjoy this unique city.

Booking.com

Conclusion

Include Venice in your trip to Italy if at all possible. With a bit of planning and some strategic dodging, you can easily avoid the crowds and find plenty of peaceful areas to enjoy. Venice is a city for dreaming. Give her time and she’ll reward you.

Looking to travel elsewhere in Italy? Here are some more posts to check out:

What to See and Do on Kauai

April 19, 2022October 10, 2024Destinations, Get Inspired, North America, United States carolcram 2 Comments

Last updated on October 10th, 2024 at 12:37 am

You’ve decided to travel to Kauai. Good choice!

Known as the Garden Isle (and you’ll quickly find out why when you start exploring!), Kauai has so much to offer the artsy traveler. For one thing, it’s absolutely, irresistibly, awesomely gorgeous. Like, jaw-dropping-at-practically-every-turn gorgeous.

I felt like I was traveling through a work of art—one that has taken about five million years to create.

What’s In This Post

In this post, I provide suggestions for areas to explore on Kauai and then share my recommendations about how long to stay and where.

For more on traveling on Kauai, check out Ten Tips for Traveling Solo on Kauai, and Six Highlights of a Kauai Vacation.

Map of Kauai

Use the map below to orientate yourself to the destinations mentioned in this post.

Map from Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

Exploring the East Shore

The East Shore is where most residents live and is quite busy and often traffic-clogged. However, its proximity to the airport, shopping, and some good beaches makes it a smart stop for a few days, particularly when you first arrive.

Stocking Up at Big Box Stores

On my first full day on Kauai’s East Shore, I drove to Costco and Walmart in the town of Lihue to buy vacation essentials at reasonable prices. At Costco, I picked up a case of water, a large bag of macadamia nuts that lasted me the entire trip, a few bags of snacks, a hunk of cheese, and a box of salad.

At Walmart, I bought a mask and snorkel, a pair of water shoes, and a nice big beach bag. You can rent snorkel equipment at various places on Kauai, but it’s cheaper (and more hygienic) to pick up the gear at a store like Walmart.

Town of Kapa‘a

The town of Kapa‘a (#1 on the map) is over 125 years old and was once the hub of a sugar-growing and then pineapple-growing area. The old canneries are closed now, and tourism is the main industry. Restaurants and gift shops line about two blocks on either side of the highway with some of the structures retaining the architecture of a frontier town.

I stopped a few times in Kapa‘a to buy lunch at the various food trucks parked in lots convenient to the road and once to treat myself to a cup of lychee and pineapple ice cream (creamy and very yummy!).

One evening, I ventured a block from where I had parked in the main part of town to the bike and walking path that hugs the coast for about 4.5 miles north from Kapa‘a. Another 2.5-mile section of the path leads from Lydgate Park to Wailua Beach Park south of Kapa‘a. The path is mostly flat and traverses an appealing coastal landscape.

Coconut palms swaying in the wind on the beach on the East Shore of Kauai — Coconut Palms along the bike and walking path near Ka’apa

Lydgate Beach Park

One of the safest beaches on the East Shore for swimming and snorkeling, particularly with children, is Lydgate Beach Park (#2), a few miles south of Kapa‘a and close to Wailua right off the main road.

A reef protects two pools from the ocean waves. When I was there, the high winds made even the relatively calm pools too choppy for comfort. But the park would be a must-go-to on a less blustery day. Here’s a video in which you can clearly hear the wind!

Anahola Beach

This gorgeous beach north of Ka’apa is a great place to hang out while enjoying a breakfast acai (ah-sigh-EE) bowl, which is what I did on my second morning on Kauai. I suggest driving first to Kalalea Juice Hale on the road going north toward Anahola (#3), getting your acai bowl, and then eating it on the beach.

What is an acai bowl? Cool, smooth, and very purple mashed acai berries are topped with granola, hemp seeds, chia seeds, banana, and then drizzled with peanut butter. It’s a filling breakfast, but definitely worth trying a few times during a Kauai vacation.

What Else to See on the East Shore

There are many beautiful places to visit on the East Shore. Here’s a sampling:

Opaeka’a Falls (#4)
Wailua Falls (#5)
Nounou East Trail – ‘Sleeping Giant’ (#6)
Fern Grotto (#7)
Kauai Museum (#8)

For details, check out The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook by Andrew Doughty. This definitive guide to Kauai is a must-buy, along with Doughty’s very informative and amusing driving app. Check my post on traveling solo in Kauai for details.

Exploring the North Shore

The North Shore is wetter than other regions of Kauai, but has wonderful beaches, a more old-world, laid-back atmosphere and incredibly breathtaking scenery. Seriously, there are not enough superlatives in the thesaurus to describe the area’s sparkling beaches, lush greenery, and breathtaking mountains.

Here are a few recommended activities and sites on the North Shore of Kauai.

The Drive to Ha’ena State Park

You require a permit to enter Ha’ena State Park (#9), so if you didn’t get one several weeks in advance of your trip, you’re out of luck. Check the Haena State Park website for details.

Even if you can’t enter the park, the drive to the park, which is as far as you can drive on the North Shore before running into the impassable cliffs of Nāpali, is absolutely lovely and very relaxing because it’s impossible to drive too fast.

Every few minutes, you must navigate a one-lane bridge. After crossing the first few bridges, you quickly become an old hand, stopping at the start of the bridge, checking ahead to see if any cars are already waiting on the other side to cross, waiting for them to cross, and then when the coast is clear, crossing yourself.

Bridge on the road to Hanalei on the North Shore of Kauai. — Typical one-lane bridge on the road to Ha’ena State Park on the North Shore of Kauai

It is a bit like a dance. The etiquette is to allow about five to seven cars across at a time. Not everyone knows that so sometimes the wait to cross can take longer than it should, but who cares? You’re in paradise!

Hanalei and Hanalei Bay

A highlight on the North Shore is the charming little town of Hanalei (#10) on the world-famous Hanalei Bay. This broad, curving scimitar of sand lapped by turquoise waves and bulwarked by the first set of dramatic cliffs marching along the Nāpali Coast is an absolute must-see.

Aerial view of Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kauai — Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kauai

The town of Hanalei meanders along the road with touristy shops on each side. I poked around a bit and enjoyed a Hawaiian grilled cheese sandwich at Pink’s Creamery, but I can’t say there was much to see. More interesting was driving a block or two to Hanalei Bay itself, where I parked and spent a few afternoons on the beach. I did some swimming, but the waves were fairly rough.

One memorable evening, I drove to Hanalei pier to watch the sunset.

View of Hanalei Bay at sunset. — Hanalei Bay at sunset

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Hanalei Bay

Kīlauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge

At the town of Kīlauea on the North Shore, follow signs to the Kīlauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge (#11). Pay the $10 entrance fee and take a breezy stroll along the clifftops to the lighthouse. You’ll revel in dazzling views of the ocean waves crashing into the cliffs below and feel glad to be alive in the wonderfully fresh air.

Cliffs near the Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge

View from the lighthouse at the Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge

Kilauea Lighthouse in Kilauea on Kauai's North Shore — Kilauea Lighthouse

Kilauea Town

On the way to Kilauea Lighthouse, you’ll pass a few small shopping areas in the charming town of Kilauea (#12). I liked this area much better for shopping than the busier and more touristy Princeville area. There are some good take-out places (I enjoyed the offerings at Kilauea Fish Market and Sushi Girl Kauai) and the vibe is a lot more laid-back.

On the way back to the main highway, stop at the Healthy Hut Market & Cafe. A favorite of locals, this wonderful old health food store is chock full of health foods and organic produce and includes an excellent juice bar. I recommend the Kaupea Sundown organic fresh juice–carrots, fresh-squeezed (and local) orange juice, turmeric, and aloe. Wow!

Exterior of the Healthy Hut Market and Cafe near Kilauea on Kauai's North Shore. — The Healthy Hut Market and Cafe–great place to stop near Kilauea

A cup full of the Kaupea Sundown juice--carrot, organge, tumeric, and aloe. — The Kaupea Sundown

Hanalei Valley Lookout

Just after passing the mall at Princeville, you’ll see a pullout for the Hanalei Valley Lookout (#13). I stopped at it every time I passed because the magnificent view over the Hanalei Valley never got old. It’s, like, so gorgeous!

View from the Hanalei lookout on the road from Princeville to Hanalei

One time, I was lucky enough to stop when a rainbow was arcing across the valley. From the viewpoint (one of the most photographed lookouts in all Hawaii) you see taro fields, soaring mountains, and waterfalls. It is a truly magical site.

Limahuli Botanical Gardens

A stop here for either a self-guided or guided tour is a highlight of your North Shore exploration. Located just before the road along the North Shore ends at Ha’ena State Park, the marvelous Limahuli Gardens (#14) is a cool respite from crowded beaches and busy towns.

Its setting at the base of the “Bali Hai” mountain (yes, it’s the same mountain that stood in for Bali Hai in the movie South Pacific) makes it feel very remote and Hawaiian.

View of mountains from a lookout at Limahuli Gardens

I opted for the self-guided tour which I’d booked in advance. For more about Limahuli Gardens see the post Six Highlights of a Kauai Vacation.

Exploring the South Shore

The South Shore is much drier and has great beaches but with a more “resorty” feel. The other main attractions of this area are the drive up to Waimea Canyon and the Kalalau lookouts and the Allerton and McBryde Gardens.

The area is compact, with plenty of resorts occupying much of the oceanfront real estate. You’ll also find some attractive shopping malls and many options for eating.

Walking Trail

I stayed at the Point at Poipu (more below) which is steps from a trail that runs from Shipwreck Beach through the amazing poolside areas of the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa. Here are some shots taken along the pathway:

View of a portion of the swimming pool at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa showing palm trees. — Poolside at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa

Sunset from the Point at Poipu on Kauai's South Shore — Sunset from the Point at Poipu

A longer “out and back” trail is the Mala’ulepu Heritage Trail that goes from the southeast corner of Shipwreck Beach along sand-dune cliffs to Punahoa Point.

Poipu Beach Park

Considered one of the most accessible and largest beaches in the area, Poipu Beach Park (#15) is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. There is a fair bit of parking, the swimming area is protected, and the snorkeling right from the beach is pretty good.

Wear water shoes when wading into the ocean. I was surprised to discover rocky shelves underfoot rather than sand. You may be lucky and see basking monk seals and sea turtles on the sands at Poipu Beach Park.

I highly recommend making reservations at Brennecke’s, right across the street from Poipu Beach Park. Dine on really tasty food while enjoying a view of the ocean. My seafood risotto was divine.

Spouting Horn

The astonishing Spouting Horn (#16) blow hole is a must-see when you’re driving along the South Shore on your way to the Allerton and McBryde Gardens. The blow hole is one of the most visited and photographed sites on the island. In fact, the only time during my trip that I saw a tour bus was at Spouting Horn.

Wander over to the railings and enjoy the spectacle. Every few seconds, the waves are forced up through a hole in the rocks in a fair imitation of Old Faithful but with sea water.

Waimea Canyon and Kalalau Lookouts

Take a few hours on a sunny day (make sure it’s sunny!) to drive up to enjoy out-of-this-world views of the Waimea Canyon (#17) and the Nāpali Coast. For more about the trip, see my post Six Highlights of a Kauai Vacation.

Overlooking Waimea canyon on Kauai — At the Waimea Canyon lookout

Tours of Allerton and McBryde Gardens

Make reservations to tour one or both of these gardens. The tours are educational and a feast for all the senses. A highlight is a visit to the giant wavy trees made famous in Jurassic Park. But remember to take mosquito repellent.

Huge tree with large wavy roots made famous in Jurassic Park — Wavy tree made famous in Jurassic Park

For more about touring the Allerton (#18) and McBryde Gardens, see my post Six Highlights of a Kauai Vacation.

How Long to Stay

If you have the time and the funds, I suggest staying on Kauai for about two weeks. I stayed for ten days, which wasn’t quite long enough for me to explore Kauai as thoroughly as I would have liked.

When on Kauai, divide your time between the three main regions. On my ten-day trip, I stayed for four nights on the East Shore (known as the Coconut Coast), four nights on the North Shore, and two nights on the South Shore.

View of ocean and trees on Kauai — Beach on Kauai’s East Shore

For a two-week vacation, I suggest staying two or at most three nights on the East Shore and then a full week on the North Shore and the remaining days on the South Shore. I wished I’d spent longer on the South Shore during my trip, but I’d booked late, and accommodation had become very scarce—or at least accommodation in my price range.

Tours & Tickets on Kauai

Here are some options for tours and tickets on Kauai with Tiqets.com

Where to Stay on Kauai

Kauai has a variety of accommodation options and most of them are not inexpensive. You can find some hostels and a handful of budget hotels, but most places are going to put a large dent in your wallet.

Kauai is not the best choice if you are on a limited budget. But if you have the funds, you’ll find some beautiful places to stay.

Here are my recommendations for the three areas of Kauai I stayed in: the East Shore, North Shore, and South Shore.

Staying on the East Shore–the Coconut Coast

The East Shore of Kauai is where most Kauai residents live, primarily in Kaa’pa and Lihue which are quite close to the airport. Lihue has its fair share of malls and big box stores (convenient for stocking up).

The area is nicknamed the Coconut Coast or Royal Coconut Coast because of the many coconut palms growing along the coast and highways. Also, most of the resorts in the area feature coconut palms on their grounds.

Kauai Beach Villas

My flight from Vancouver arrived at 9:30 PM when the tropical darkness had well and truly fallen. I didn’t want to drive a long distance in the dark and so I chose a place that was close to the airport but still on the beach.

The Kauai Beach Villas perfectly fit the bill.

It’s about a seven-minute drive due north of Lihue Airport and just off the main highway. Even without GPS, I would have had a hard time getting lost.

The Kauai Beach Villas shares its location with the Kauai Beach Resort & Spa. Driving into the long, tree-lined driveway from the main road, you come first to the cluster of two-story buildings that make up the Kauai Beach Villas.

At 10:30 PM, the front desk for the Kauai Beach Villas—which is more of a condo development than a traditional hotel—was still open, thankfully. I checked in (very friendly staff!) and was given a bracelet to use to access the parking area and my suite. Within minutes, I was walking into a spacious one-bedroom unit on the ground floor.

View of the dining room, living room, and lanai at the Kauai Beach Villas — Dining room, living room, and lanai at the Kauai Beach Villas

View of a kitchen with marble counter tops and pillars at the Kauai Beach Villas on Kauai — Kitchen at the Kauai Beach Villas

My Suite at the Kauai Beach Villas

I faced the lagoon and gardens. When I woke up before dawn on my first full day in Kauai, I strolled for about five minutes through charmingly landscaped grounds to a wide and sandy beach. While not good for swimming (way too rough), the beach faced east which meant I was about to experience my very first Kauai sunrise.

Several people were already gathered on the beach, cameras in hand, to await the arrival of the sun. Coming from a wet and chilly Vancouver, I felt like I’d been teleported to paradise as the warm winds swirled my skirts and the sound of the waves whooshed away jet lag.

Sunrise near Kauai Beach Villas on my first day on Kauai

I liked the Kauai Beach Villas because it was an easy drive from the airport, it was close to the beach and the adjacent resort had a restaurant, convenience store, and swimming pools.

My cosy unit was a great place to watch the only big rainstorm I experienced during my ten days on the island. It was on the first day and I was worried that rain was going to be a feature of my trip. Fortunately, I had pretty much clear skies for the rest of the trip. Here’s a video of the rainstorm taken from my lanai at the Kauai Beach Villas.

Other Accommodation Options on the East Shore

Several other accommodation options are located on the East Shore. Check the map below.

Booking.com

Staying on the North Shore

After my four nights at Kauai Beach Villas, I drove north to Princeville on Kauai’s North Shore.

Princeville itself is not really my cup of tea, to be honest. Basically, it’s a collection of resorts and vacation condos scattered atop the cliffs between Kīlauea Lighthouse and Hanalei Bay. The whole area, with its sleek developments, golf courses, and one touristy mall, feels very buffed and over-landscaped, kind of like a Pacific Palm Springs.

But Princeville makes an excellent home base for exploring the North Shore. Also, most of the accommodation options on the North Shore are in the area. Fortunately, a quick and achingly scenic drive north takes you down a winding road to gorgeous Hanalei Bay.

Sealodge F6 at Princeville

I stayed at Unit F6 at SeaLodge. Unit F6 was on the second floor of one of the many building in the 3-story SeaLodge condo development. Each unit is privately owned, either by individuals or by a vacation rental company. SeaLodge F6 is owned by Vancasa Vacation Rentals, and I booked it through booking.com (my go-to site for accommodations whenever I travel).

From the outside, the SeaLodge development is not particularly attractive with its brown, weathered shingles and boxy architecture. However, the one-bedroom unit that I stayed in was perfect. I had an outstanding view of the ocean from both the comfortable living room and the bedroom. Each night, I was lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach below the cliffs.

I’ve read some reviews stating that not all the units at SeaLodge are as nice as Unit F6 so make sure you search for reviews of the specific unit you’re considering before you book.

Other Accommodation Options on the North Shore

Find other accommodation options in Princeville and Hanalei:

Booking.com

Staying on the South Shore

My last stop was Kauai’s South Shore for two nights. I definitely recommend you stay longer on the South Shore. This is probably the most resort-heavy area of Kauai with a wide range of accommodation and restaurant options, great beaches, reliably sunny weather, and proximity to one of the world’s great drives up to Waimea Canyon and the Kalalau lookouts.

The Point at Poipu

I stayed in the Point at Poipu, a large resort consisting of two-bedroom units with either garden or ocean views. As a solo traveler, a two-bedroom unit was overkill, but that was all that was available at the time I booked.

To save a few pennies, I’d booked a unit with a garden view rather than an ocean view. But, lucky me, I was given a fabulous ground floor unit that had both ocean and garden views. Score!

View of Shipwreck Beach steps from my room at the Point at Poipu

The Point at Poipu also has a large swimming pool which I only swam in once. But one of the best things about the Point at Poipu is its proximity to the ocean as well as the very, very swishy Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa right next door.

On my first morning, I walked out to the shoreline path in the direction of the Hyatt. As the sun rose, I snapped a ridiculous number of pictures of the lush, tropical grounds, fancifully landscaped swimming pools, and ponds brimming with fat koi.

Close-up of a mass of swimming koi — A lot of koi

Exterior of the Grand Hyatt Kauai. — The Grand Hyatt Kauai

I treated myself to the buffet breakfast at the Ilima Terrace restaurant. Big mistake! Over-priced and with mediocre and tasteless food, the buffet was, needless to say, a disappointment. However, service was friendly and efficient, and the view was nice, so that was some compensation. Skip the buffet and pick up a coffee and pastry at the Seaview Terrace after wandering through the magnificent lobby and admiring the orchid garden.

Find more accommodation options on the South Shore on booking.com.

Booking.com

All three of my accommodation choices on Kauai were condo units with kitchens. Food prices, like all prices on Kauai, are very high. You can save a little bit by occasionally cooking or at least heating up take-out. Also, having more room to stretch out is, well, nice!

Conclusion

In this post, I’ve touched on what to see on the East Shore, North Shore and South Shore of Kauai, and shared my accommodation suggestions.

But I’ve just scratched the surface! On Kauai, you can enjoy so many cool activities, from hiking to snorkeling to helicopter rides. Here are two more posts about Kauai on Artsy Traveler:

Have you visited Kauai? Share your tips and recommendations in the Comments below.