Painting Workshops

I did quite a lot of traveling after 1989. Almost every other year or so, I would take off and go to Hong Kong or London, England. 
I visited family and friends, and had my Fix of being in the Big Cities for a few days.
I would take in the sights. Shopping in Hong Kong. Going to the theater and museums in London. Yes, I was away from the ever demanding business of running a Real Estate Agency. 
I took time off. 
I was, however, still seeking out new sights, new sounds, new places, and perhaps new friends.

And my husband and I took some cruises in the mid nineties. We did the Panama Canal Cruise, the Alaska Inland Passage Cruise, and the Western Caribbean Cruise; during the last one, the ship hit a sand bar and we had to abandon ship, so to speak. That was that for cruising for us.

Did I enjoy them?. Yes, I did. It was great to be pampered for a week or two, with not a worry in the world. 
Good food. Great service. No housework. No phone calls . . .
Did I think it being the ultimate way of traveling? No.
There was something missing. 
I did not particularly like the many days on the water. I don't think it was that great to read a book on the deck. I could do that at home without paying $200 a day.
Did I enjoy seeing the sights? Definitely. But the stays were too short for my liking.
You might say that I was hard to please. 
Am I hard to please? Not really.

When I started to learn how to paint, in early 2000s I found what I had been looking for - Painting Workshops at home and abroad! Two glorious weeks in beautiful settings doing nothing but paint and sampling the local fare - nourishing my soul so to speak.  
I did not aim to produce master pieces, but I was totally happy.

Is this for everyone? No. Unless you are as crazy as we painters are, always struggling to capture the scene, or the essence of the scenes,- in blazing sun, whipping wind, sudden showers, and, sometimes, snow or blizzard. But you do come home with renewed energy and great memories. 
May be you made a new friend or two. 
And per chance, you did a couple of decent pictures.
And you would always have learned something.

That was reward enough for me.