On site drawing in Venice, Italy

Stayed in a Venezian apartment, and made use of the early morning hours to draw on site. What a good feeling it was.

Sketch of Melaka

This place brings back fond memories... chendol by the roadside, eating cockles at the backstreet alley, Jonker Street, chicken rice balls, Assam Laksa, Muah Chee :)

Souvenir Coin - Mona Lisa from Musee de Louvre, France

I am not a magnet person, as I think that they are rather fragile and take up quite a bit of space.

I am a coin person, meaning that I collect souvenir coins and pressed pennies from the places I visit. I love coins as they are hardy - they will not break and be destroyed by a clumsy person like me. Plus, souvenir coins are shiny and usually gold or silver in colour, much like real gold and silver coins. And they do not take up much space hence easy to take along during travels and to store as well. And the coins tend to be cheaper than magnets. And it is such fun to work the coin machines :)

This is one of my favorite coins which I obtained from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

Back view:
Picture of Mona Lisa and the words "Mona Lisa" and "Musee de Louvre" indicating the place where I had gotten the coin.

Front view:
The words "Reunion des Musees Nationaux" and "Grand Palais"

I googled and found out that Réunion des Musées Nationaux is a French organization, uniting 35 national museums. Founded in 1895, it's a very prestigious establishment, and one of the main cultural institutes in France. It was founded to raise and administer the funds required for the acquisition of works of art by national collections. 

The museums range from the immense, with the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Château de Versailles, through medium-sized institutions such as the Musée Picasso, Paris, the Musée de la Renaissance at the Château d’Ecouen and the Musée Message Biblique Marc Chagall, Nice to small entities such as the Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris, and the Musée Magnin, Dijon. The exhibition venues are the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais and the Palais de la Porte Dorée. 

The coin costs 2 euros and may be obtained from the museum shop in Louvre.