Crete: Spinalonga

Spinalonga was formerly a leprosy island, untill 1950 or so (when medicine came available). The area is a well known tourist attraction, and quite nice to visit. We had to wait for the return ferry, which gave me the opportunity to make this sketch of the entrance gate. I couldn't finish the paintwork, as the boat arrived.

Crete: views from the terrace

Two quick sketches I made while enjoying coffee at a terrace, somewhere in Crete. Top one: the Lassithi plateau, fields with windmills and far away mountains. Bottom one, Piskopiano, from our appartment to the other side of the valley. The idea was strong inkwork and toned down watercolour.

Crete: Windmills

A row of windmills on the edge of the Lassithi plateau, in the center of Crete (Greece).
 

Crete: sunday morning in Mochos

 

Last Sunday (our last day in Greece) we were driving to the Lassithi plateau, in the middle of Crete. It was Sunday morning, and we were sitting on a sunny terrace. Across were a few men enjoying coffee and Raki after Mass.

Crete: Agios Nikolaos harbour

 

Another drawing from Greece, I spotted this little boat under repair in the harbour of Agios Nikolaos. Pencil and ink on location, watercolour and some hatching in our appartment.

Crete, Greece: Piskopiano

 

Just returned from Crete, Greece. We had a great week with lovely weather. This is the view from our appartment, overlooking the hills, the sea and the sun, from our own private swimming pool.

The appartment was really nice, brandnew and very well detailed (architecturally speaking).

Longing for Greece

 

The weather is horrible lately. Frost, mist, rain, cold. I am longing for better weather. I made this drawing based on a picture I took during our summer 2017 holiday, in Georgiopolis, Crete. I wish I was there instead of here.

Rhodos Askiplio

 

Askiplio is in the middle of the island. Just two weeks ago they had huge forest fires, 10% of the island was burned. This village was in the middle of that area, luckily the houses were not destroyed, but all the hills were black and charred. We saw several burned out cars and sheds, only a few burnt houses. Depressing.

Rhodos, Rhodos city

Rhodos city, a lovely city, even though there are a lot of tourists, it is still very much a living city. This is a view from the walled city towards the harbour.

Rhodos, Faliraki (3): Family house

 View of the swimming pool of our appartment complex "Family house" in Faliraki.

Rhodos, Faliraki

 

Rhodos. VIew from the balcony of our appartment, "Family house". We enjoyed the small size complex, the owners were very friendly.

Rhodos, Faliraki.

Just returned from a nce holiday in Greece, the island of Rhodos. We had a great holiday.

This is the view on the little harbour of Faliraki, as seen from the terraces on the beach. Lying ojn the beach is not our thing, but drinking coffee and eating ice on the terraces with this view certainly is.

Zakynthos, Olive tree

 

Zakynthos, a 2000 year old olive tree, in a village called Exo Chora. Well, loosely based on a picture that we made on holiday a few years ago, in 2018. Actually, I had already sketched it back then, see my post https://renefijten.blogspot.com/2018/10/exo-chora.html. The chair and table were actually there.

Oia, Santorini

 

A little more working on my watercolour skills. Oia, Santorini at sunset. Not on location, onfortunatly, but based on a picture I found on the Internet, by Tom Archer.

Spinalonga, Greece

 

Watercolour painting of a tree. I made the reference picture on the Spinalonga island, last summer during our visit to Crete, in Greece.

Schmincke watercolour on Fabriano paper (about A4).

I want to develop my watercolour skills further.

Agios Nikolaos

 Agois Nikolaos, as seen from a terrace overlooking the harbour.

Asterias apartments

 

We had an apartment in the Asterias village complex in Piskopiano. Actually very good 10/10. THis is the view from our balcony, over the hills towards the harbour and beaches of Chersonissos.

Chersonissos

View on the central square of the old village of Chersonissos (better known from the tourist trap at the seaside, the original older village is a few kilometers to the inner lands). View from the terrace of "the village Inn".

Crete: Spinalonga

On one of our holydays we made a trip to Spinalonga, an island on the coast of Crete, which served as lepercolony. Untill 1950 or so, not even that long ago, It was very interesting, there were still a lot of remains of the colony there. I made the drawing on the boat returning to the nearest port, Elounda. I had only 10 minutes to make the drawing, before the island was invisible fron the boat. There were a few other tourists next to me, watching me making the drawing. They were completely in awe how I made the drawing, and were filming it all the time. It made my day. :)

Crete, Jimny 4x4

 

Crete, Greece. We rented a small open 4x4, a Suzuki Jimny, so much fun to drive. We used it to cross the inner lands, the mountains and higher grounds of Crete. At times we would drive for an hour and not meet another car or living soul in these deserted villages. This was drawn from a terrace in Kastelli, sipping on a good coffee with a bottle of cool water next to it.