Provins, Ile de France, Unesco World Heritage

There are four UNESCO's World Heritage sites in Île-de-France. Provins is probably the most unknown.

This medieval city used to be a very important spot for trading. "Les foires the champagne" were very important and brought wealth to the city. You can still see part of their glorious past.

Pantin, Nearby Paris

I drew this view in Pantin, a few meters from the "peripherique", the highway that defines the limit of Paris.
The main building used to be the customs warehouse. It was built in the '30s.
It has been abandoned for decades, and now is a great playground for street artist.
The gentrification of this area today is obvious.
See some photos at this link

Aigues Mortes

Last weekend we went to the south of France, near Nîmes. We attended a friend's wedding and the following day we rented bikes and we spent the day visiting Aigues Mortes, in the Camarge area. This medieval town has a very well preserved city wall. 

We visited the Constantine tower and the walls, where I sketched this view. 

LA ROTONDE : a Ledoux building

This is one of the few buildings left that was designed by Nicolas Ledoux ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Nicolas_Ledoux ).

He was a prolific architect in the 18th century, and he worked mainly for the king. Unsurprisingly, after the French revolution there was not much work for him.

Many of his buildings, which represented the king's power, were destroyed.
La Rotonde did make it to our days, which quite incredible considering it was one of the 60 toll houses that the king ordered to be constructed.

Now it is a very trendy cafe.

Stockholm, 2014, Södermalm

This was sketched from Södermalm island. The main building on the left is Stockholm's Town Hall.

We stayed in Södermalm, which is maybe the most exciting neighborhood of the city.

Stockholm is one of my favorite European capitals : the topography, the skyline, the archipelago, the bike friendly culture, the summer energy you can breath here... just great.

Ryōan-ji, An iconic Zen Garden, Kyoto

This is, probably, the most world known and most iconic Zen Garden. It's located in a Zen temple in the northwest of Kyoto. 

Ryoan-ji means "the temple of the dragon at peace". The temple itself is great but the highlight for me was this garden : an image that I have seen so many times in the past as the ultimate example of sobriety, elegance and harmony.

It was a real delight to spend 30 minutes drawing this wonder.

Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto

Several temples are part of this big pilgrimage Buddhist complex in southern Kyoto. They are the 17th century reconstruction of the 8th century original temples. They are Unesco World Heritage listed.

The main building, which is represented in the sketch, is a massive wooden structure that supports a great veranda. The sight from the veranda is spectacular: Kyoto and the surrounding hills.

You can see some photos at this link : https://www.google.fr/search?q=kiyomizu-dera&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=xv3UU5uuF6e_0QXJ-4GQDg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1240&bih=664

Ninna-ji, Kyoto

This is Ninna-Ji, one of many temple complexes that Kyoto has.

The day we visited this temple complex, we also visited the Golden Pavillion (Kinkaku-ji), the Ryôan-ji which is famous for its zen garden.

This five storey pagoda was built in the 17th century. It is made of wood and it is hard to believe how high it is.

Imperial Palace, Kyoto

One of the highlights of our visit to Kyoto : the Imperial Palace.
A mix of a fortress, zen Japanese gardens and a monastery.

Mount Koya, Japan

These sketches were drawn in Mount Koya. We went there to see the location of the Shingon Buddhism, a sect founded by Kodo Daishi 1200 years ago. Since then, pilgrims have come from all over Japan  to visit his shrine. They believe that he is not dead, but in a state of deep meditation, and eventually, he will wake up at some stage.

The place is just amazing : temples, monasteries and graves  are spread all through a millenary forest. 

We stayed in one of these monasteries, a great way to get a little more into the local culture.

TAKAYAMA, JAPAN

This is a sketch of one of the wooden Buddhist temples in Takayama.  

Takayama is located in the Hida region. It is well know for the religious and folkloric festivities, and for its very well kept historical centre.

The shops in the traditional old center are a delight : row houses made of wood, sake shops, handcraft shops, and of course the always amazing Japanese food.

Tsumago, Japan

Tsumago, Japan

Tsumago is a small town in the Japanese Alps. It used to be one of the stations between Tokyo and Kyoto for the Official Post Service during the Edo period.

We made one section of this trail, starting from Magome, another beautiful small town.

The main street is composed of commercial row houses, which are still alive thanks to tourism.

Pont des arts, Paris

Pont des Arts

This is the "Pont des Arts" across the Seine river. It is a metallic pedestrian bridge. It is my favorite bridge in Paris.

In summer people have picnics here, and it turns into a public square with a great view over the "Ile de la cité",  the heart of Paris.

The Louxor Cinema, 10ème arrondissement Paris

This is a 20's classic cinema. The style is "Neo-Egyptian". The "neo-something" style was a very fashionable thing to do in architecture at the beginning of the XX century. Probably the most famous example of this trend is in Los Angeles, USA, with the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

The Louxor was about to be demolished, but French people are very attached to their cultural heritage, and they are not willing to give up these kinds of treasures. After 12 years of "combat" they got their cinema fully restored, with a great cafe and terrace, which has a nice view over Sacre Coeur.

Check out this website for more information : http://www.lesamisdulouxor.fr/historique/

Grand Moulins de Pantin

Pantin is nearby Paris, and is little by little being gentrified by what French people call "Bobos" (the bourgeois bohemian).

I did this sketch from the "canal de l'Ourcq", a pretty amazing 100 km-long canal, built in the XIX century by Napoleon, in order to bring supplies and fresh water to Paris.

The main building on the other side of the canal is the "Grand Moulin de Pantin", that has been recently renovated by a French bank : BNP.

Dubai

Dubai, UAE

Point Lonsdale, Victoria, Australia

The lighthouse

Melbourne Flinders St. Station

Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

Saint Kilda, Melbourne

The convent, Melbourne

Iran, Shiraz & Persepolis

Shiraz

Persepolis

Yadz 2, Iran

Yadz, Iran

Esfahan 2, Iran

Esfahan, Iran

Kashan, Iran