Finally my trip to Side at the Turkish Riviera came alive. I’ve been dreaming about this for months.

From winter to early summer

We took off in the middle of a Norwegian winter night and arrived for lunch in the beautiful Turkish early summer. What a joy to get to know the surroundings and my fellow travellers. 

8 days filled with joy

The 8 day trip is like a double Kinderegg: 

Tai Chi practice (twice a day)

Summer feeling/ beach life in between

Exploring ancient city, history, culture

Good food and wine

Hanging out with my Tai Chi Tribe

Art workshop

Daily Tai Chi practice

Truth be told, I really enjoyed our daily morning and evening practice. It felt so refreshing doing Tai Chi outside in the open air overlooking the ocean, watching the sun orbit until nightfall. Think I could have doubled the Tai Chi hours, but on the other side; doing yoga on the beach was not bad at all.

Summer feeling

In between Tai Chi and wonderful meals we enjoyed the summer feeling at the beach (or by the pool) every day. Sunny days and swimming in the ocean felt super energising this time of year. Think I could have doubled the 8 days without getting homesick. No problem!

Exploring the city of Side 

One day we took the local bus to explore the ancient city of Side with its old town and the historical Temple of Apollo. And of course we enjoyed a tasty lunch with some deep glasses of wine at one of the best restaurants in the harbour. What a wonderful day!

Workshop and vernissage

When booking my trip I made plans to join a local art workshop. But after some research, I decided to scale down my initial plans and go for a private workshop on my own. 

Therefore I packed just enough art supplies to make one painting a day. I also brought some pre-prepared layered paintings from my home studio (specifically made for this very project) hoping to finish the top layers with my Poscas whenever I had some spare time, as it turned out mostly before bed time.

Painting as contemplation

Painting resembles Tai Chi when it comes to body movements. I often practice Tai Chi when in my studio. I see both disciplines as energy work.

For me painting is a mindful way to contemplate today’s lesson.

The topic of my 8 days in Side series of paintings was, of course, the Tai Chi classes and the energy we’ve been practicing each day. 

Vernissage

Last evening before dinner the whole Tai Chi Tribe was invited to an informal vernissage and to my big surprise 6 out of 7 paintings found a new home within minutes. Sometimes it’s really nice to say yes! when someone pops a question. 

Thank you for showing such enthusiasm, dear Tai Chi Tribe!

Some key takeaways

A key takeaway from my trip to Side is that doing research and making plans in advance brings success. The decision to downsize my initial idea of joining a local workshop and instead make my own turned out to be both realistic and fun. 

Launching the idea of vernissage was never in my initial plans. The workshop was designed for me to contemplate the energies we had been working on. When I mentioned I was creating artworks before bedtime someone asked me to share a snapshot and thereafter the idea of vernissage arose. Don’t be shy: Go with the flow! 

Another important lesson is to bring more summer clothes and make sure the thick books are interesting enough to read (or you might as well leave them at home)!!

Imagine having so much fun in 8 days. Such a refreshing trip!