Sadly, the last day of the symposium has arrived. The last sketch walk was set up at the NEMO Museum, which is a great place to host more than 600 people sketching together. I sat at the very end of the platform facing the museum and had the view of both sides of the marina. At the left, you can see the large boat stationed at the Maritime Museum, and to the right, the bridge that connects the NEMO with the Central Library area. In the background, the city. It was a quiet afternoon, the temperature continue decreasing for several degrees during the following hours, and it was windy, so the spot was perfect for cooling down and sketching. There were sketchers in the four sides of the museum, I got to sketch just the few that were right in front of me, but believe me, behind the massive structure of the NEMO, there were a few hundreds penciling down, possibly, the last drawing of the day.
We took a break to take the "family picture" before heading to the closing reception. Look at this, we are quiet a few.
Sketchers were, of course, happy but also starting to comment on how sad it was that it ended so soon. After 10 symposiums, I still get that bittersweet feeling of something precious endind... but, it is good to know that just around the corner there is another symposium being organized.
I arrived in the middle of the raffle and the expectation to hear the confirmation of the next host city was rising. Over the weekend rumors were running around about Hong Kong being the next host. Guess what? All those sketchers were right!!! Between music and beer, everybody cheered for Hong Kong. Hoping to see you there in April.
Safe travels to everyone and keep sketching. This experience of being a correspondent for the symposium has been extremenly gratifying and I can't thank enough for getting this opportunity. I encourage you to give yourself the same opportunity, it's a different way of experiencing the symposium, one that I had enjoyed100%.
I also will like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who made this symposium possible. As a past host, I know how challenging it can be at times, but also, how rewarding it is when you see all the happy faces in the closing ceremony. It is worthy! Special thanks to our hosts, Gail, Ruud and the group of volunteers who worked diligently in making this symposium a positive experience. Last, but not least, I feel immense gratitude for my two teammates, Mark and Gwen, who made the corrrespondent job even easier, and Tina and Gabi for their tips and guidence. This is it!
Thank you, Amsterdam!
