Mediterranean Travel Journal

I kept a journal of all the charming places and people

I met this past 2 weeks

My adventure began in Rome and continued through

some of the Mediterranean's

and Adriatic's most unique ports,

including Monaco in France, Portofino, Sorrento,

Corfu in Greece, Split in Croatia,

Slovenia, the island of Malta and my all time favorite Taormina.

The journey coming to an end with several days in Venice.

While visiting Corsica, France

I had an opportunity to do a water color of the Cathedral

Santa Maria Assunta in Ajaccio

I loved all the architectural details on this building in Portofino,

it is called Casa Dei Leoni

as there are 4 large concrete lions guarding the entrance.

Nearby the town of Monaco is the sheltered bay of Villefranche sur mer

where I painted this view from a shady town square.

The main square in Sorrento is the Piazzo Tasso.

This is my rendering of the statue of San Antonio Abate.

Directly behind the statue is the Corso Italia,

one of the most beautiful streets in Sorrento.

Welcome to Valletta,

Malta with the oldest free standing structures in the known world,

megalithic temples on Malta date from circa 3250B.C.

a mass of honey colored limestone with a history larger than life.

Marsaxlokk is Malta's main fishing village.

It is the best place to see the colorful traditional Maltese fishing boats,

the luzzo, with the mythical eye of Osiris

( Phoenicians' god of protection from evil ) painted on the prows.

With a latte and the waiters ball point pen

a rendering of an ancient cathedral located in Saint Trupiano Square,

Kotor becomes my subject matter.

This was a quick rendering of the coast as our ship was pulling out of port

and circling around slowly with one last glimpse of this ancient town

I step out side the crowded ancient Roman palace

built between 295 and 305 by the emperor Diocletian

as his place of retirement in Split, Croatia

and find a quiet place to paint in the large square

with the beautiful water fountain.

I stop for a respite and latte at a sidewalk cafe

and sketch a rendering of the architectural details

on the building across from the bustling square.

Just having fun with paints and adding the eye of Osiris in the sky...