How did all this start?
In the summer of 2015, we hadn't even started dating and visited the city of Frankfurt. A few weeks later I send my (by then) girlfriend, who is now my wife, an illustrated postcard of the Frankfurter Römer (that's the town hall of Frankfurt). Illustrating the places we visited has since become a habit and these illustrations form the collection of Places We Have Been To.
But why?
Since then, the collection has grown significantly, simply because we love to travel – locally, nationally and internationally. You might recognise some of these cities and landmarks or you might be discovering them through Places We Have Been To for the first time!
I am a graphics and web-designer by the way (I've also built this website completely from scratch). This project just combines all my passions: illustrations, web design, coats of arms, fun facts, and last but not least travelling and seeing the world with my lovely wife. Oh and languages, since this is a multilingual website.
What will the future hold?
Something that breaks my heart is seeing people living on the streets. I don't understand why life is unfair and it makes me incredibly sad that we as a society are not able to deal with these things. That's why my goal is to start a shop for these illustrations and invest the profits into organisations that improve the livelihoods of the homeless.
And what's your favourite place?
Well, that's a tough question. I'll break it down into two answers. Our actual favourite place we've been to together might be Copenhagen. It's just such a lovely green space with so many things to see and even more amazing things to eat. My favourite illustration changes from time to time which is why I revisit them now and then and make small adjustments. At this very moment, it might be the Tower of London. Or Jerusalem. Or New York City. Well, I can't decide.
Why is there no illustration of my home?
Well, I am only doing illustrations of actual Places We Have Been To since this is a bit like a travel diary. If you need an illustration of your place you might want to get in contact with me and invite us over. Until then enjoy the illustrations.