Blog: Traveling Artist

Inspired by: Tokyo, Japan

Japan was so so amazing – I am back now for a couple weeks and still so full of all the inspiration and impressions of this trip. I want to share some with you in a couple upcoming posts- this one is from our time in Tokyo. We were there a couple days in the beginning of our trip and a couple of days at the end.

This is a corner of the area where the Imperial Palace is located -you can only get into the palace if you apply for tickets way in advance for a certain day and time -but just walking through the park surrounding it was just beautiful.

Love those trees!

Koi everywhere – gigantic buggers- and to be honest, I am not actually a fish-person- LOL- I love their marks and colors- very cool!

Beautiful bridge iron work.

We were a couple days too early for a full cherry blossom bloom – Sakura -but some cherry blossoms and also as above magnolia were already out -so beautiful!

One of the many beautiful temple we saw. This one is the Hie Temple in Akasaka – I love the colors and all the details- the beautiful roofs.

Subway art – so beautiful!

Little electric cars zipping around at the Tsukiji Fish Market, which is one  of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. Watching those cars cruising around at the market is watching like a little ballet – it was fun …btw at 6am in the morning because jet lag said- hey- just get up and going ;)

The Meiji Shrine is located in a beautiful forest – the Torii (gate above) is leading to the Shrine.

Colorful Sake Barrels on the way to the shrine, which are offered every year to the enshrined deities by nationwide brewers.

The Shrine – very empty as it was again early in the morning – see jet lag has some perks- ;)

We were actually witnesses a traditional Japanese wedding. At a Shinto reception, the bride will get married in a long white kimono. Then she may come to the reception in a colorful, embroidered kimono, then change into a Western-style white wedding dress, and then into an evening gown or a party dress. phew I get tired just reading all this- but hey it was sure really beautiful to look at.

Such a beautiful door at the Shrine! We visited even more Shrines and Temples- but hey- before you get Temple Fatigue I am saving more pictures of those for my special post from Nara for later :)

Did I mention that jet lag was a real troublemaker this time? Well 14 hours time difference were just not easy to deal with…but …well…you can actually see the busiest pedestrian crossing  of the world – Shibuya Crossing –  from a cafe window without ANY people on a Sunday morning- LOL. You might know it also from a scene in “Lost in Translation” – and boy I experienced the totally crowded crossing during rush hour in the middle of the week- woot what an adrenalin kick :)

There is actually a life camera of the crossing- check out if you are watching at actual rush hour- LOL otherwise it is boring ;)

Total nuts- telling you ;)

My husband was at a conference for a couple days and on one of the days I was on my own I actually took a Japanese Cooking Class. It was so much fun! I will tell you more about it in a different post- but I can highly recommend doing it through Airbnb Experiences with Yukari- From Market to Meal . It was a highlight of the trip and I already cooked several of the things I learned back home.

This man making water drawings was so cool – I loved this – he would ask people what their favorite animal is and then start drawing. And no…he did not want any money although he deserved it – he just did it for fun …so delightful!!!

a little walk over to the Asahi Brewery – not really for the beer but for the view and definitely a cheaper view than from the sky tree. The brewery building with the golden thing on top designed by Philippe Starck is supposed to be a flame. Well…it  is also know as “Golden Turd” or the “Poo Building” …go figure- lol

And I cannot resist showing those signs  – when do you usually see a “NO Rickshaws” sign?

It was awesome in Tokyo -I am still trying to get a grip of all the inspiration. I am sure some of it will resurface in one form of the other in the future ;) Next stop is Kyoto, I hope you will join me :)

Nat

Comments (6)

  • Judi Vreeland

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    I love the photos of your trip to Japan. In less than 30 days we will be in Tokyo for one night before getting on the NCL Jewel. Did you have any problems obtaining cash, yen? Did you have any problems using a credit card. Thanks for your help. We are staying at the Keio Hotel just one night.
    Judi Vreeland

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Judi, you will have such a great time :) There are ATM’s at the airport for the first money change and throughout the city of course as well. Credit cards were accepted in big department stores but cash is a better option for most restaurants etc. So I would advice getting a yen at the airport when you arrive to be save. Have a great time.

      Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    The door at the Shrine!!! The trees! Awesome inspiration all around you in Japan for sure.

    Reply

  • Jean Goza

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    Loved your photos. The sights and colors look amazing! Thanks for sharing.

    Jean

    Reply

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Art-On-The-Go Kit

I am so excited, because I am going to Japan and I thought I would bring a little Art-On-The-Go Kit and I hope I will be doing a lot of sketching, and that I will also write a bit about my adventures. We will see how much I used it when I am back ;) But I thought I would share with you what I packed.

The bag was a gift from a friend many years ago and I use it a lot- some of you might have seen it in as part of my bags I bring supplies with me to workshops. The bag is waterproof and is made from one of those old maps the used to used in school – anyone remember those being carried in with a stand by the teacher? Here is what it is packed with

  1. 1. small 4×6.5 inch Sketchbook – it is the right format for me to do sketches and at some days just take it by itself with a pencil to fit in a small handbag but still big enough to also do some travel journaling in it.
  2. 2. a Travel watercolor box -this one is actually filled with colors I love to use but I just love the format of this old box I bought a long time ago in Germany. They are a wild variety of different company’s colors.
  3. 3. a Fude pen – I love to sketch with it but I also love writing with it. I am actually hoping to buy a lot more of those in Japan :)
  4. 4. a Micron fine pen for sketching
  5. 5. a technical pencil that also has a small eraster
  6. 6. my Bamboo Sketching Pen – I don’t usually bring it but I am so into it right now and somehow I feel there might be a lot of inspiration on sketching with it in Japan
  7. 7. a bigger Travel Watercolor Brush and
  8. 8. a small Watercolor Brush . I used to only bring a brush with a water tank but I love those little brushes and also bring a small 1oz cup with a lid which I can easily use with water or the ink if I need to.
  9. 9. a Stamp Pad – there is so much that can be turned into stamps, but I also heard that a lot of temples and train stations in Japan have their own stamps called Eki and that it is a good idea to have an ink pad with you as those at the location might be dried out. I hope to fill some beautiful stamp images to go along with my sketches and journaling.
  10. 10. a small container with ink. I like that this one is super small and it will go well with my Bamboo Sketching Pen.
  11. 11. not pictured a small piece of a rag and a glue stick

Here is a little glimpse at my colors in my watercolor set and the travel brushes being screwed together. Now cross your fingers I am a good girl and use all items while traveling ;) I will share of course share with you


Nat

Comments (4)

  • stephanie

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    Lucky you! Have a great time. Can’t wait to see your posts.

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    Have fun in Japan.
    I’ve never seen travel brushes…super compact.
    I love FUDE pens and order them in bulk on Amazon.

    Reply

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Inspired By: Birmingham, England Part I

Before teaching in Coventry, my sweet friend Birgit Koopsen and I met in Birmingham to spend a couple days there and hash out some fun plans :)

We had rented an airBnB in China Town and we made good use of being so close to many wonderful restaurants.

Some fun street art around on our way to the Birmingham Art Museum

I loved the statues in front of the museum

It was an interesting museum for sure – small section with different themes and we were looking for things that would inspire us.I mostly saw patterns and texture that day -but see yourself

Loved the black and white drawing of the city.

And those little Pharao figurines as well

as the remains of this beading- how cool is that.

The hieroglyphs  – I am thinking of incorporating some of those symbols into my art journaling and then

check out this amazing frame! Isn’t it a piece of art by itself?

This was from a wooden wall- if I recall right -loved the bright and happy painting on it.

The industrial part of the museum – look at those chandelier fixtures- so cool.

The museum has a wonderful tearoom in which we enjoyed a really yummie High Tea

Wonderful tea, sandwiches etc. and we spent quite some time in there

Look at the funky modern High Tea display- loved that going along the industrial theme.

The mosaic on the floor was gorgeous but

looking up revealed a not so shabby view as well.

We walked to the Birmingham Library and we loved the facade –

Can you say stencil?

We also loved the inside of the library

and spent some time in the so called “Knowledge Lounge” in which you could hang out and read papers etc.

But look at this foyer

I thought it was beautifully done

We also followed this advice below…

although when walking downstairs ;)

On the top floor we found the Shakespeare room, which was lovely

and we enjoyed some modern architecture views of the city as well.

This is such a cool facade as well. Hope you enjoyed the little stint to Birmingham – more to come soon :)

 

Nat

Comments (2)

  • Joanne Howard

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    Wow! What inspiration! Every picture had something to drool over! Speaking of drooling, love the red Coach saddle bag! Lol Excellent choice!

    Hmmm high tea, one of my favorite things. Thank you for sharing your journey!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      LOL- it is my fave bag…well- besides a small floral bag that I just got- Love bags :)

      Reply

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Tour of the American Ancients Part #3

This is part #3 of our road trip through mostly the South West of the U.S driving about 2,300 Miles which called Tour of the American Ancients because we visited many historical sites. Now this part is leading through some newer …not so ancient sights, but it was still super fun. I am sharing some highlights,You can find Part #1 here. And Part #2 here.

Coming from Petrified Forrest National Park we drove to Sedona where we stayed two days in a beautiful airBnB.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is one of the most beautiful modern chapels I have ever seen. It was completed in 1956.

On the way up to the chapel in the garden – Love this!

We continued our ride often times on the old Route 66

I am loving those old motel signs and of course the Roadkill cafe always makes me laugh with their slogan “you kill it, we grill it”

We took a little detour to this ghost town …well…is it still a ghost town if 10 people seem to live there?…and

how often do they get their mail? I know, I know but these are the questions that run through your mind when you see this.

As we were on our way to Joshua Tree National Park we decided to stop at Roy’s cafe again – we were there 10 years ago and this abandoned motel with the gas station in the middle of nowhere is just too cool.

The old lobby is still intact, preserved….

Played a lot with my camera – and really love this shot.

We stayed in a nice cottage near Joshua Tree National Park – we had a good time sitting in these chairs outside, until one morning a Tarantula Hawk came flying by like on a mission and I knew this bugger was dangerous and then I looked it up and got even more scared about it. It has the second most painful sting in the world …ahhh- no thank you.

Loved hiking around in Joshua Tree NP although everything screamed “yow , I survived here and that means I am able to kill you if you are not careful and watch your step”

An abandoned car in the park

And then the trip was almost over

And we finished in Santa Monica, had a nice last dinner together and then my husband dropped me off for my workshops in West Village. It was an amazing trip – so inspiring, relaxing, educational and beautiful. I am still processing a lot of the things I saw there and I cannot wait to turn it into my artwork. I hope you enjoyed the little trip :) Thank you for joining me!

 

Nat

Comments (4)

  • Karen Bearse

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    Wow the pics and story make me want to check out the SW! Looks like you had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing your adventure!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Oh Karen, I hope you get to go to the SW- I really loved it and I think you would find it as inspiring!

      Reply

  • Janet

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    So glad you were able to cover so much of the Southwest (my neck of the woods) in one trip! And you shared it so beautifully. I’m looking forward to new stamps and stencils from inspiration gained on this trip (hint hint ;) ). You remind me that I must visit Chaco…I will put it on the calendar NOW! We are fortunate to have history of the Ancients all around us here in Arizona…even in the Phoenix area. I am constantly inspired by the beauty. Btw…I have your husband’s hat, but in turquoise.Thank you again for sharing. Come back when you can stay awhile (and when it is cooler!)

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Janet – it was so amazing- you live in an amazing area! Chaco Canyon was just mind blowing! HA- I think I would like my husband’s hat in Turquoise- my favorite color. Thank you so much for joining me :) Have a a wonderful weekend!

      Reply

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Tour of the American Ancients Part #2

This part #2 of our road trip through mostly the South West of the U.S driving about 2,300 Miles which called Tour of the American Ancients because we visited many historical sites. It was awesome and so inspiring and I am sharing some highlights, spread out over the next couple weeks in three parts :) You can find Part #1 here.

After Hovenweep we drove up to Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado where we already stayed 7 years ago. We took again the ranger lead hiking tour to one of the cliff dwellings- the Cliff Palace and it was yet again awesome. Sometime during the late 1190s, after primarily living on the mesa top for 600 years, many Ancestral Pueblo people began living in pueblos they built beneath the overhanging cliffs .Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas and had a population of approximately 100 people. By the late 1270s, the population began migrating south into present-day New Mexico and Arizona. By 1300, the Ancestral Puebloan occupation of Mesa Verde ended.

Our Ranger was a Native American and I loved hearing his perspective on archeology and view of history in North America. Even though it was our second time doing this little hike- it was a different experience and opened a different view point.

After two days in Mesa Verde we drove a bit- seeing the most fun Motel signs

and after leaving the Highway at some point we drove a 16 mile long dirt road to get to one of the most amazing park: Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico. This valley was the center of a thriving culture a thousand years ago. Chaco is central to the origins of several Navajo clans and ceremonies. Many Southwest Indian people look upon Chaco as an important stop along their clans’ sacred migration paths-a spiritual place to be honored and respected.

The remains of Pueblo Bonito are just stunning and breathtaking. Researchers found out that the huge city used to be white and was occupied by Ancestral Puebloans between AD 828 and 1126. It must have been an amazing view upon arrival and they found traded goods that came from far south of South America.

some of those structures soared to four or five stories.

They had an air conditioning system and evidence suggests that the Chacoans were expert skywatchers, with a clear knowledge of the cyclic and seasonal patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. This knowledge is reflected over and over again in the architecture of the great houses, and in various observational and ceremonial sites around the canyon.

It is a magic place and I am so glad we went. It is so worth the visit. I can see why this is a sacred place and I am kind of glad it is so out of the way – maybe that will keep it from being destroyed.

A huge Kiva

and of course we saw more petroglyphs while hiking.

and this little dude – smartly staying in the shadow…it was HOT. We drank so much water and basically it all just evaporated right away.

Our next stop was Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Above a photo of the so called painted desert.

The one hundred year old Painted Desert Inn in the park hosts a museum and the skylights in the building were painted by the Civilian Conservation Corps around 1933. So cool!

Beautiful place and scattered all around are those petrified former tree logs- now stones.

Look how gorgeous some of those logs are up close!

Every corner revealed a new look and great area to hike- we liked it a lot.

I feel like some of the textures and colors will make their way into some future artwork. One more post from our trip to come – hope you enjoyed this little adventure so far.

Nat

Comments (4)

  • Jan Hill

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    Wow, love your journey. I feel lots of stamp inspiration from your photos! Have you been to Monteza Castle? Sedona {My spiritual home} and Phoenix? The ancient homes are cut into a rockface almost as a modern apartment block. The Red Rock canyons and walks around the hippy chic are beautiful x

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Hi Jan, yeah- I think there might be some inspiration coming for new stuff from this trip :) I have not been to Monteza Castle- I have to check it out -sounds amazing. thank you for the tip! Have a gorgeous day!

      Reply

  • Denise Spillane

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    Beautiful, makes mr want to be there

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      I know, right Denise! Thanks for checking in and coming along on the trip :) Have a great day!

      Reply

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Tour of the American Ancients Part #1

Last month my husband and I set out for our vacation – a road trip through mostly the South West of the U.S. We drove about 2,300 Miles and had an amazing time hitting many spots we went to before and a lot of new ones. We called it the Tour of the American Ancients because we visited many historical sites. It was awesome and so inspiring and I would love to share with you some highlights, spread out over the next couple weeks in three parts :) Join me on this Artful Adventure – Here is Part #1

This little guy was crossing the street in Nevada. The Desert Tortoise of the Mojave Desert is endangered and we have not seen one the two times before we were here- but this time we were lucky. We saw two Jack Rabbits right before, so maybe they were on a race. Needless to say we named the tortoise “Cecil” ;)

We visited Bryce Canyon, Utah yet again only for a short stint – we promised ourselves next time to really spent some time here and hike- it is so beautiful.

Those hoodoos had the most interesting gradated coloration – love it.

We drove on Highway 12 which is located near the north end of the Grand Staircase – Escalante in southern Utah. The views are breathtaking (and so is the driving- LOL).  Highway 12 is the 2nd on the list of “Most Beautiful Highways in the World“. Apparently the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is planned to be stripped of it’s Monument status and protection.

We had a great time at Capital Reefs National Park , Utah last time and planned a day of hiking there.  We stayed for two nights. We started the early morning off with a Ranger talk about Geology and it was super interesting and made us unterstand the area and different layers better.

While hiking I make sure to take a lot of photos so that I can take a breath ….eh I mean..for inspiration of course ;) Gnarled bent tree trunks- the texture and movement- so beautiful.

We hiked up to a natural bridge and then through a Canyon.

Look at the rock texture and doesn’t the hole look like a heart?

This formation looks like a nice layered chocolate cake …or maybe I just started to hallucinate as it was SOOOoooooo hot ;)

I just couldn’t get over the different layers and texture and the colors. I am not very well known for using a lot of earth tones in my work -but this trip definitely made me want to try it out.

We drove on and stoped at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. We had a lunch picnic under this natural bridge – one of our – so it felt – 200 hundred sandwiches on the trip ;) There is something so serene and wonderful to eat outside in nature and just be silent (well…besides the crunch of the salad) while taking it all in.

Our next stop was Hovenweep National Monument in Colorado and Utah- which was a new one for us. In the area are six prehistoric villages built by ancestral Puebloans between A.D. 1200 and 1300 and it was stunning to see those buildings at their locations. This tower building above reminded me a lot of some of the old castles of the time you see in Europe and I find it fascinating that at the same time on different continents the same structures were erected.

What a part of the history of this country – and ….this park was almost empty – nada nothing …and a lot of people did not seem to know about it.

It is a magic place  and I am so happy we went. I wish we could have stayed over night – it is supposed to be pitch black and the perfect place for star gazing. I took lot’s of notes, and sketched- just as I describe in my book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media and I cannot wait to see what parts of this trip might make its way into my artwork. More from our trip to come – hope you enjoyed this little adventure.

Nat

Comments (6)

  • Jan Hill

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    Wow great photos! We loved the Fairyland feel of Bryce Canyon too x

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    I just love that gnarled wood and yes, it’s a heart!
    Stopping to take pics (and breathe)…funny.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Tehehehe- Sue – you gotta do what you gotta do to convince the other half that you are not really out of breath ;)

      Reply

  • Deb

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    AMAZING and inspirational photos! Thanks so much for sharing. Just like you I don’t usually use a wealth of earth tones in my artwork, but these photos have me planning to in the near future. Thanks.

    Reply

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Art Stroll: Museum of Pre Columbian Art in Santiago, Chile

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While I was in Santiago de Chile I went to the Museum of Pre Columbian Art, which is dedicated to the study and display of pre-Columbian artworks and artifacts from Central and South America. I was surprised and happy how inspiring this visit was. It reminded me that things that were done thousands of years ago have inspired art, fabrics and patterns over and over again …

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Cultura Chorrera 1800-300 AC. These bottles are very sophisticated and just amazing.  I will take the fish bottle – thank you :)

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I loved all the details and different materials used by different cultures.

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Cultura pre-mapuche ca. 1300-1500 DC. The first Spanish observers saw Mapuche chiefs holding beautiful stone pieces in the shape of axes as symbols of the power of the war leaders. Love how this simple hatch cross pattern makes such a beautiful piece.

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San Augustin Culture 1-1500 AD – Anthropomorphic Stone Sculpture

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such a gorgeous piece!

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Figurines from ancient Ecuador. The production of clay figurines and small statues was a long pre-Columbian tradition that began 5thousand years ago on the coast of Ecuador.

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500 AC- 200 AC – those three figurines were funky cool!

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Musician, 500 AC – 500 DC – reminded me a little bit of Pinocchio

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And a lot of the artwork reminded me of the home decor of the 60s and also of course artists like Picasso come to mind.

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1-700 DC – not sure if it was a mask or what it was used

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Bottle – 300-600DC – I love this so so much!!!!

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This one was eerie and beautiful at the same time. It had no real information – not even for the time it was made.

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Diaguita Ceramics – characteristic is the minimalistic design. I love this pattern.

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This was the room with the Exhibition called Chile before Chile.

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some headgear – the fabrics were just incredible and intricate – It was breath taking actually.

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This is a Quipu also called talking knots. “Quipu were recording devices and for the Inca, the system aided in collecting data and keeping records, ranging from monitoring tax obligations, properly collecting census records, calendrical information, and military organization. The cords contained numeric and other values encoded by knots in a base ten positional system. A quipu could have only a few or up to 2,000 cords.

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Isn’t this amazing?

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More fabric- gorgeous colors.

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These wooden statues were placed on top of tombs in ancient Mapuche cemeteries. They reflect the spirit of those buried there and are to intended to assist them in their journey o the afterlife. Chiefs and great warriors were sent to the East after death to roam among the volcanoes of Kalfumapu, the “blue land” . All others went to the West, to eat bitter potatoes beyond the sea. mhhh- you sure wanted to be a great warrior- doesn’t sound like a fun outlook to have to eat bitter potatoes for afterlife to me ;)

Hope you enjoyed this pretty different art stroll ! Have a wonderful day

Nat

Comments (4)

  • Sassy

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    What fun! We visited Santiago two years ago and I took photos (not nearly as well done) as several of the items you did — great memories.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      How wonderful to hear you were there too – wasn’t it an amazing museum?! Have wonderful week!

      Reply

  • Linda Faber

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    Thanks for the gorgeous tour! What an inspiring exhibit! Those colors and designs. Loved it and guess you will add some stamps to your collection from those patterns. Yes?
    Thank you for posting your tour…I’m home recovering from a painful broken rib and have no energy to even create art…so this tour was uplifting for me. :)
    Linda

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Linda, I am so sorry to hear you broke a rib, I hope you are feeling better soon!!! Glad you enjoyed the tour – and maybe ;) there will be some inspiration for future stamps or stencils. Have a wonderful week and sending you big healing hugs! Nat

      Reply

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Inspired by… Valparaiso, Chile – Exploring Street Art & Colors

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Valparaiso was definitely my favorite while in Chile. Big seaport city, a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site, colorful and fun to explore. Did you hear: Colorful?!

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An amazing amount of street art and painted houses along the winded streets of the hills.

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The cables are kind of as crazy as in the U.S.  lol – – but I was smitten by the colorful stairs.

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There was just so much to see and take in

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Valparaiso was once called “Little San Francisco” and streets like these made me understand why :) As you stop every 2 seconds too look at something colorful and amazing you make your way way up there – good workout to walk off some of the delicious empanadas we had for lunch.

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How fun is this lady?

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and I so so so loved the colors and imagery and patterns here

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And some fun mark making patterns

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swoon

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More beautiful flowers set next to a beautiful blue house – BAM like color explosion

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I loved that the hydrants were yellow and not red.

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Look at this row of houses all in different colors

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and a door bell plate

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and the mixture of corrogated metal, wooden door and graphity – I love the texture, the colors and the feel

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Some interesting houses – loads of balconies

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Amazing!

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Inspiration EVERYWHERE

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and it was so green too

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but I did feel for the gas cartridge delivery guy – ouch!

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And so slowly we made our way down – had some seafood close to the harbor and went back to Santiago.

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This day in Valparaiso made me super happy – I am smiling writing the post and looking at those photos again. Hope you enjoyed the photos as much :)

Nat

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Inspired by… Santiago de Chile

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My husband was invited to give a talk and a workshop at a conference in Chile. So I went and met him in Santiago de Chile for a little vacation. A day later than planned, as my trip wasn’t starting off very pleasantly. I missed my connecting flight in Houston after sitting three hours due to insane thunderstorms on the runway here in Newark, had to go back home after watching an entire movie on the plane and arrived 24 hours later than planned at my destination.

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But …I was determined to not let this start ruin the trip and as soon as I woke up after a 16 hour flight at 8am in the morning and crossed along the Andes to land in Chile I was super excited and ready for new adventures for the next five days.

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It is spring in Santiago right now and the temperature reached already about 91 F (33C). The flowers and colors everywhere were just so beautiful!

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This is a gorgeous door of the main cathedral in Chile – I just love how modern and happy this looks.

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We climbed up the Santa Lucia Hill from which you can see the snow covered Andes far away and have a beautiful view over the city

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Found a beautiful little church on top of the hill too – which made us feel as if we were in a small village and not in a big and buzzing city.

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I loved this broken tile pavement near an artisan market.

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And there was a lot of street art too.

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And more views from another hill in the city

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with this statue on top.

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And a lot of yummie good food – Ceviche – a fish salad with corn , cilantro, lime, red onions, and sweet potato – delicious and definitely something I will make next summer and Pisco Sour …a very delightful cocktail – and some Empanadas …nom nom nom.

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There were demonstrations on the street every day by government workers because of the privatization of pension funds and due to those strikes the museums and other public places were closed the whole week. I was able to go to some museums before our flight home on the last day- and will of course share an Art Stroll with you soon :) We also had a little earth quake which could be felt by the conference attendees and my husband in the university (it was a 6.4 magnitude earth quake about 50 miles away and shook the building quite a lot – luckily nothing bad happened) while I two blocks away stepped accidentally into the middle of the demonstration and if it shook- I must have thought it was the police tanks- LOL – I did not realize anything. And yes- I was safe – these were very peaceful demonstrations!

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This was my favorite graffiti not knowing that it had a deeper meaning too. I just loved this guy and the dimension and the shadow and then later in the museum I found photographs from the turn of the century of the last living members of a tribe called Selk’nam and in those photos one of the body paintings for ceremonies and head gear was like the one in the graffiti. One wasn’t allowed to take photos of the photos- but I found a pinterest board with some of the images if you are interested. It filled me with a lot of sadness that the Selk’nam tribe in these photos taken just a bit over a hundred years ago is now extinct.

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Here is more street art from Santiago

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These two were close to the Museum of Fine Art. I found them so unique and different in their colors, of course the symbols etc. and I wish I had the key to read the deeper meaning to those.

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Hope you liked the little trip to Santiago- there is more to come from my trip there – stay tuned .

have a gorgeous weekend!

Nat

Comments (9)

  • Judi

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    We went to Chile in 2007. Truthfully, I felt safer there than in my own country the USA! Several people reached out to help us without us asking for assistance. We had a wonderful time there visiting several cities including Santiago. It was memorable!!

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    • nathalie-kalbach

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      judi that sounds wonderful, which other cities were you at? Nat

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        • nathalie-kalbach

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          Thank you so much for sharing Judi! Valparaiso was my favorite. But that was all I saw- Santiago and Valparaiso – I guess I have to come back :)

          Reply

          • Judi

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            We hate flying long flights so I doubt we will go back but we have great memories of that trip. Chile was one of my all time favorite countries we have visited. We felt very safe and cared for by the very kind people living there. I hope you get a chance to return to see more. Take care.

            Reply

  • JoAnn

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    Thank you for sharing and I love your new website.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Thank you so much JoAnn- so glad you like it :) Have a wonderful weekend!

      Reply

  • Carolina Nicewarner

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    Natalie,

    Thank you so much for the window into Chile. That trip is on our bucket list, something we both want to do before we don’t have time left. Do you feel safe during your trip? We lived in Venezuela for 3 years, about 12 years ago, and the people were so so kind, and the country was gorgeous. Unfortunately, since we left, there have been many changes and travel there is not suggested, which is so sad.

    Cannot wait to see the rest of your pictures…

    Carolina

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Hi Carolina, glad you enjoyed the post. Yes- I felt safe- I mean of course as in every city you have to be aware to not flash your belongings around or keep your bag close to you etc. Pickpocketing is an issue. But other than that I did not feel more unsafe when being in NYC. Everyone was super helpful and nice and I had a very positive experience. Hope you will have a good time as well.

      Reply

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