A Thousand and One Arabian Nights

My adventures didn’t turn out to be in Wonderland but instead I was transported by fabulous A830 plane into the land of the Arabian Nights, Oman! Not planned, infact I only wanted a couple of days in Amsterdam but found myself in the blink of an eye in 30 degrees C in Oman. Fabulous, escaping the dreary grey March days of nothern Germany for glittering sunshine and sparkling sea, one of the first things I packed was my sketching bag; 2 Hahnemühle Watercolour Sketchbooks, one waterbrush, watercolours, 2 pencils and a pigment liner. I don’t tend to take pastels with me unless I'm travelling by car. 

On the plane from Munich to Dubai it was time to get out my sketching stuff to help pass the time. Don't know if I'll ever have the chance to travel in this huge plane again, it certainly was beautifully designed and well worth taking the time to draw. 

The cabin had some amazing curves quite different from the planes I'm used to and were a challenge. The stewardesses were snazzily dressed, beautifully made up and very friendly, I sketched one of them while waiting at the gate, before she and the rest of the team rushed off to plunder the cosmetic department of Duty Free! What with over 850 passengers on board they definitely need to keep freshening up that red lipstick. As I love keeping all my holiday bits and bobs, I left a space for my boarding cards on my page. Unfortunately, economy only, would have loved to have taken a peek at the business class, the chairs convert into beds but I comfort myself with the thought that sketching in bed is really tricky! 

Journey's end after a further flight from Dubai was Salalah and this spectacular beach with palm trees, turquoise waves and a water temperature of 28C! I had to pinch myself, but it was reality and not a mirage!