Ilaria and Om in Spain: Seville, with an Epilogue

So, the last day of our trip has come.

We gathered our last energies, we put a lid on the jar of sadness, and we went out to fulfil some important missions.

Mission #1.
The day before, we recovered a "traveling guitar": it is a guitar that travels the world, goes from hand to hand and plays always different music styles. A friend of Om left it in Seville some time before, so that we could take it, enjoy it and then hand it over to the next traveling guitarist.

So, the mission was to find this guitarist.


Mission #2.
To find the new sketchers that will keep the Flying Sketchbook flying!

We also didn't want to waive some tasteful touristic wandering, so first we went to a must-see of Seville: the Giralda tower - where the wind sang along with Om and the traveling guitar.

After that, we were ready for our missions. We first thought that we could try to attract the fated sketcher and guitarist just by sitting in the street, playing and drawing. Nearby, a flamenquero pinched the strings of his guitar. Listening to these notes, Ilaria began a new sketch - she finished it later, with Om playing and singing, both still thinking at the night before in La Carbonerìa.

Music and color: the former conveys the inspiration, the latter comes and creates the shape - so, colors came also on Om's "elephant" sketch, and finally completed it.

The drawings in the sketchbook sometime influence each other...

Eventually, the mission had to be accomplished, and we still didn't find neither sketchers nor guitarists. It was time to pass to the action - so we started to try to individuate the right people and ask them directly if they felt like to take part into the project.
It wasn't easy, because we needed someone who was enthusiast about the project, but also who was going to go on traveling. After some attempts, the fado decided to help us! Here is the result:

We met Sophie and Shiney near the Real Alcazar: they came from Germany, and they were going to travel to Morocco! When we first talked to them, probably they thought we were mad, but when they saw the sketchbook they got it, and their eyes smiled.
And they accepted! We were so happy and we felt that the fate was really watching us.

* * *

So, we separated from the Flying Sketchbook. It was both exciting and sad. The sketchbook had been part of our trip, it retained part of our emotions and of our impressions...but knowing that it will keep on flying was very intense! And knowing that it will reach places that we have never seen, and that it will be part of other travelers' experiences really made us feel amazed.

We wish the very best to Sophie and Shiney, and we're so thankful to them and to their will to participate.

Now, it's their turn to tell us about the neverending trip of the Flying Sketchbook!

Ilaria and Om Sharan

P.S.: the mission #1 was later accomplished too! We found Bruno, a Portuguese musician, who was going back from Morocco to Portugal together with his wife, and he accepted to help the traveling guitar to fulfil its destiny. But that's another story...
A big hug to him too, and the best wishes!