A Look Back at the Daydream Tourist’s 2013

I hope everyone had a great 2013!  I’m looking over the Daydream Tourist and must say I’m pretty happy with my year!  My goal was 1-2 posts a week and I accomplished that (well, on average).  I wrote about a lot of cool things and saw even more amazing things in my travels, whether across the Atlantic or in my own hometown.  Here’s some of the highlights:

Most Popular Posts

It seems like we’ve all experienced the joy and pains of museum photography because I got a lot of feedback for my article, “Why you can’t take photos in museums”.  Personally, I still like taking pictures in museums but am trying to be more conscious of those around me and how those photos affect my experience while at the museum itself.

Van Gogh and the Olive Tree – I guess I’m not the only one who appreciates Vincent van Gogh and his brilliant renderings of heavy, twists olive trees.

Byzantine Fort City of Mystras, Greece – How can you not love a Byzantine fortress town forgotten by time?  This city was just beautiful and a thrill to wander through in Greece.

Urban Wildlife: Red-Tailed Hawk –  I definitely love watching nature and captured this very raw and majestic moment in my neighborhood.

Amsterdam, Belgium and Normandy

Since I moved back to DC this year, my big international trip of 2013 was to Normandy in March.  Despite the chilly weather (and a little snow), I had a wonderful time!  You can take a look for yourself with this photowalk through the Inside of Mont Saint Michel and a this look at Bruges in the Snow.

In Belgium I got to see two incredible works by Jan van Eyke.  Perhaps the most beautiful painting I have ever seen, I was blown away by The Madonna and Child with Canon van der Paele at the Groeningemuseum in Bruges.  Did I mention that I saw it and then came back to the museum to see it again later that day?  Well, I did and it was worth it.  It was also a big “Art Pilgrimage” accomplished to see the Ghent Altarpiece (or much of it) in person.

You can check out all my posts about this trip here: Normandy, Belgium & Netherlands.  There’s still a lot more I haven’t written about yet, so look for more adventures in 2014!

The ArtSmart Roundtable

“The Façade of La Salute” 1903, Private Collection

It was another great year for the ArtSmart Roundtable!  We added a few new members and published some really interesting stuff.  I really enjoyed discussing the ways Mary Magdalene is depicted for February’s iconography theme.  But nothing inspired travel daydreaming quite like the John Singer Sargent’s watercolors which I wrote about in September as “Travel Art”.

My Favorite Stories

Bernini’s terracotta model of the Louis XIV Equestrian Statue, Galleria Borghese, Rome

I really love working on this site.  I enjoy telling stories and sharing pictures of the places I’ve been, things I hope to see or work I find really interesting.  There were some two stories this year that were a delight to research.  A hope you enjoyed these little vignettes of “investigative art history” as much as I do: Royal Revisions in Assyrian Art and Bernini’s Rejected French Sculpture.

I saw lots of fantastic exhibits this year but must mention my incredible visit to the Cincinnati Art Museum! Besides the very cool summer party, I have to applaud there creative curators and their diverse but solid collection.

Thanks to you all for reading!  Here’s to new art and adventures in 2014!