I love exploring the Isle of Skye and have spent quite a bit of time on the North end of the Island. It has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, with dramatic coastlines, coral beaches and rugged mountains. There's always whales, seals and an abundance of birds to spot and as it's known as the Misty Isle, you have to be patient and may get wet, which is all part of the fun! Here's a few of my favourite places to visit...

Some historical high lights and facts about this small market town

Aurora, Illinois has the distinction of being the first city in the United States to install electric streetlights in 1881 and is also home to the most excellent Wayne and Garth. But as anyone with young children at home knows, none of that stuff matters much to them. Instead, I created this map of my hometown from my kids' point of view and included all their important landmarks: ice cream, giant dogs, construction equipment, cows, corn dogs, eagles/seagulls (to anyone under 5, they're the same thing), helicopters, chickens, and most importantly, playgrounds.

Seafront and attractions!

This map was created for Mike Lowery's class "Illustration Markets", at SCAD Atlanta.

Here is a map of Honduras, the country where I was born, featuring my favorite cities to visit.

This map was created as part of a California Road Trip book. To see the whole book, visit my website: www.marielcartin.com

This map was created as part of a California Road Trip book. To see the whole book visit my website: www.marielcartin.com

This map is divided into three; the left hand side is of the South of Mahé, highlighting my favorite part of the South, which is Anse Royal – where you’d to snorkel and free dive and surf and watch turtles hatch, see a lot of stars and eat good pizza from Kaz Kreole, the middle part of the map is Victoria, which is the hub of Seychelles – where you’d go if you needed fresh produce and seafood from Selwyn Selwyn market, bus terminal, shopping centers, and the right hand side of the map is of Beau Vallon, which is one of the main social grounds of Mahé – where you’d go to hang out, scuba dive with Blue Sea Divers, meet interesting people and make new friends.

Two years ago from today, in February 2013, it was time for a new adventure. I landed in a part of the world that I didn’t even know existed up until I was making plans to fly there and make it my home for a while. I found myself in the Seychelles islands, Mahé city, and settling into my new home in Anse Royal. I had never seen anything like it before; the ocean was everywhere, crystal clear waters, laid back and friendly people selling their fresh catch of the day on the street side stands. What a great place to start out. Many ‘firsts’ followed: first time snorkeling, first time seeing a full moon by the ocean surrounded by palm trees and coconuts, first time laying on the perfect sand to watch stars with the love of my life.

After a month and a half of getting to know the south side of the island, it was time for us to find a more permanent place to lay our heads. We landed in Glacis, just down the road from Beau Vallon on the northwest side of the island. Even though the distance between the two areas is fairly long, it didn’t change the beautiful scenery and positive vibes at all and our home was a stone throw away from the beach. After 2 months there, we finally ended up settling in the mountainous, rainforest area of Sans Souci…where the days are sunny but cool and breezy and the starry nights are just plain amazing. No matter where you end up on this island, there is always beauty to be found close by.

Spring Lake is a town where you can walk to get to almost everything, and when you walk everywhere, you pass a lot of houses and have a lot of time to think things about them. Some of them you think about more than others. Whether it's a house I've lived in, a house that a funny thing happened in front of, or a house that I always thought was abandoned but was, in fact, a library, these are the houses that are "important", at least for me.

Boonsboro, Maryland is without-a-doubt a very charming town. It has everything from the shops to the trees and a carnival in-between! Truly, you could not ask for anything more.

Guanajuato is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico... and I am going to visit it in February. This is my way of doing research before my trip! I have included the Pipila monument and the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato... I can't wait to go!

Beautiful area of North Hampshire; lovely green English countryside with lots of interesting walks.