I have mentioned the event in several other articles, so you can guess I am enthusiastic about Beaufort on the Belgian coast.
Every 3 years, international artists are commissioned to create a sculpture on that year’s theme, with the sea and the coast in mind. In addition to new work, work from previous editions is also present at the event.
Sometimes we go to the Netherlands to visit family and friends, making it easy to have a detour and enjoy this great event.
Years ago my husband and I were finally able to take a day off (we had the worst bosses ever – we were both solo entrepreneurs) and decided we wanted to have a combination of culture, nature, exercise and fun. Preferably all in one place.
We could have gone to Insel Hombroich just across the border of Germany, but another great place where you can have it all is National Park Hoge Veluwe. It’s located in the east of the Netherlands and even on that winter’s day it was beautiful.
Cars are allowed in the park but are strongly discouraged by an additional charge on the entrance fee. If you have no difficulty moving, it is better to park the car at one of the entrances and continue on foot or by bicycle. This way you save nature and you see more details of the park.
When Tom and I are visiting the Netherlands, we always frequent different museums. The Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven is regularly on our list.
The museum houses modern art in the form of paintings, drawings, sculpture and video art. The building is fantastic on the inside. There are quite a few different exhibitions, both short-term and long-term, so there is always something that really appeals to us.
I have an important criticism that I will address in this article, but it has little impact on my feelings. It is a fantastic museum that is well worth a visit.
We dislike the crowds in the big cities more and more, yet, if we want to see beautiful things we will have to go there. Our solution is to spend the night in small towns during the holidays and take a day trip to a city.
On one of those holidays, we wanted to see the modern art in Bilbao and we saw and experienced 3 amazing places. All 3 within walking distance of each other, unless you are not able to walk well.
There is definitely more to see in the city, but we went for modern art; architecture, paintings, and 3D work.
Our family lives in a suburb of Madrid with an excellent train connection to the city, so we can often be found there. Especially since there is hardly any modern culture in our own village.
Until recently I appreciated Barcelona and Valencia more than Madrid, but now that we are getting to know the city better, that is changing.
It is of course still the case that the distances to interesting places remain large, but public transport is good. There is also beautiful culture and modern art in Madrid beyond the large, overcrowded museums, which makes a visit pleasant.
A landscape is often beautiful in itself. Nevertheless, a conscious addition by an artist can be of great added value. It contributes to a different experience of the environment.
My travels have already taken me to several places with landscape art on display or as part of the collection, such as Insel Hombroich in Germany, Museum Kröller-Müller in the Netherlands, and the Beaufort event in Belgium.
In this article, I will tell you about another great location that is well worth visiting: the organic winery Chateau la Coste.
Several Modern Art museums in Valencia are so worthwhile to visit.
Valencia is one of my favourite cities for a midweek trip. It is only 3 hours by car from my village and offers a huge variety of art, culture, and nature. The latter, in the beautiful botanical garden or in the immediate vicinity with beaches and marshes.
There are all kinds of museums in Valencia, plenty of choices. However, we like modern art the most, so those are the museums we visit more than once.
Until now we went for architecture and art, but a chance conversation with a compatriot during our visit to Bombas Gens has made us aware of the opera and dance culture that can also be experienced in Valencia.