We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
The colourful and whimsical illustrations by artist Laura Amiss are so beautiful, even more so since her cityscapes are of some of my favourite cities! Artwork and illustrations are a great way to distill the quintessential elements of a city or country, something that can rarely be captured in a single photograph. Of course, the artist lends their own perspective, which makes the piece truly unique.
Prague is a medieval city in the Czech Republic, which we visited sometime in the mid-90s. I remember going to the main square, which was surrounded by little market stalls. Our little brother bought some steel gauntlets from a blacksmith, and I bought a marionette wiener dog. I proceeded to ‘walk’ my dog around Europe all summer. Fun times.
Helsinki is the capitol of Finland, home to one of my best friends and the design house Marimekko. The city is small but packed with culture and things to do. The last time I was there was in October a few years ago, and I bought several hundred grams of chanterelles, or Pfefferlinge, as I know them in German. These are expensive and highly seasonal mushrooms with a beautiful orange colour. That night, both my friend and I cooked the chanterelles different ways: sauteed in butter and pepper, or cooked with cream sauce. I was there for almost two weeks, so I insisted we eat these delicious mushrooms several more times. My friend’s husband’s only recommendation was that we make sure we take most of the ‘forest’ off the mushrooms – the bits of dirt and pine needles that invariably cling to the mushrooms.
Oh Berlin, almost like a third hometown to us. When we lived in Saudi Arabia, we would spend summer vacations visiting friends and family in Germany. Our family would fly into Berlin and always stay there a couple days, starting in the mid-90s, just a few years after the Wall came down. More recently, I visited a high school friend who is living and studying in Berlin, and I stayed with her and her family for almost a month. Berlin is grungy and full of character but not as touristy as other European capitols, which is one of the reasons we love it so much.
Tomiko and I have been to Amsterdam several times. The last time Tomiko visited was when she worked on the cruise ships, and me when I visited Tomiko on her cruise ship! The famous canals ring the downtown and main train station, and most of the city centre is a lovely walk along narrow paths and colourful houses. I love the low, narrow houseboats…I would love to live on one someday!
All photos from Laura Amiss’s Etsy store.
