A coastal city with a lot of history and a great place to live!

Hand drawn map of Santa's home

Hand drawn map of my neighborhood.

While living in the same street for 26 years, I've changed my country 5 times.
Sometimes in Balkans, we love to forget our history. Luckily, monuments of the past stay and they remind us of grandiose times, better tomorrows and fight our grandparents fought. This is the map of some of the most significant (personal and no so) places of the former Yugoslavia found in its capital - Belgrade.

After a busy and stressful stretch of work and school in Nairobi we love to drive up to Samburu National Park. We go to see the elephants, lions, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Grevy’s zebra and bird life. The views are incredible and change from tree lined river banks, rocky outcrops and to grassland savannah with acacia trees. This map features Ololokwe – the Samburu Sacred mountain.

My absolute favourite place on earth is the island where I grew up; Engeløya. The island is located in the north of Norway, in-between Bodø and Lofoten.

The map I have illustrated only covers a fraction of the history and sites Engeløya contains. I've chosen an area on the south-west end of the island, where the majority of sites and landmarks are datet to the iron and viking era, when Engeløya was an important site of power. Whenever we have visitors coming to the island, they all have to join on a mandatory sightseeing drive around the island. And Stegen/Laskestad(the place I have illustrated)are some of the most important stops. On a normally 30 minute drive, the sightseeing trip will take up to 2 hours with my family behind the wheel.

If you ask me, Engeløya is the best place to grow up. The island is packed to the brim with historical attractions, mixed with medium tall mountains, long white beaches, midnight sun and some pretty typical Norwegian residents.

MAPPING SPECIAL PLACES - A walk along London's Southbank! There is nothing quite like sitting down on a bench after a stroll along the south bank.
It’s such a whimsical place perfect for both Londoners and tourists alike.
And yes going to the South Bank is a touristy thing I still do after so many years of living in London. This space is special to me. In 2006 arrived in Waterloo Station on the Eurostar from Germany via Brussels with only one bag and the idea of staying here for one year. Everything about London and South Bank was new and exciting to me. Fast forward it was the beginning of many years of adventures in this special town. There are so many great places in London that I love and where I go to off the touristy beaten tracks, but for some reason, I always come back to this lively stretch of the river and its surrounding area. This is is one of the most vibrant parts of the city for me and such a great place to soak up London and it's fast-paced rhythm even if it is just watching busy people walk passing by. Whenever I cross the Golden Jubilee bridge at night after meeting up with friends in a bar on the South Bank, I think “This is London. I can’t believe I live here” when I look at the city skyline.

This map shows a selection of the spots you can discover when taking a walk along the Southbank - a perfect spot for a wander along the Thames or a drink with a view of the city skyline.

This place is special to me because... of it's beautiful architectural artistic history. I've always found Rome to be such an inspiring place as an artist, and I've been wanting to create something that would portray that very serene and almost surreal feeling I get from seeing and visiting Rome. The goal of this piece was to show Rome as a courtyard full of marble statues depicting my favorite Roman monuments and various tourists in ancient Roman garb!

This place is special to me because...it's out of a dream - you won't believe your eyes or your senses, it is magical. Once having visited Hydra, you will 'visit' there twice, once in your physical experience, and again and again in your dreams...until you return again. A captivating island only 47 miles from Athens, cruise over to Hydra and be prepared to hoof it - either on a donkey or foot - because there are no cars and no transportation on the island requiring wheels. Only 19 square miles in size, Hydra will certainly require a huge piece of your heart, for once you visit you will always long to return. Swimsuits and sandals are proper attire for anything on island. Enjoy!

This place is special to me because I now call it home. Two years ago we moved from the city of Bordeaux, to this golden sweet wine producing region of France where the fall morning mist causes the grapes to have “noble rot”, creating a high concentration of sugar in the grapes before they’re picked and made into wine. The landscapes are beautiful here. Sauternes is home to Chateau Yquem, a wine so special, that it’s the only Premier Grand Cru classé “Superior” in the world.

The I-17 corridor is full of fun things to see and do. Many hiking trails, ancient ruins and artifacts. Swimming holes and great off-roading paths. Remember to stop for lunch and a slice of pie!

A map of some of my favorite places to see around New York City's famous High Line park, including places to eat, art galleries, bookshops, and more.

This place is special to me because my girlfriend and I visited the island during a milestone birthday. It was my first time visiting the Keys and I was blown away by the lush trees and flowers, the intriguing history, the abundant sunshine, tropical birds and marine life...and the delicious fish and fritters! There's simply no better place to celebrate a birthday, Key West is truly a paradise! This map is now a cherished keepsake of my vacation, but it can also be used as a guide for anyone planning their first-time visit!