I’ve recently moved to Amsterdam from London and though I’ve adjusted to the constant stream of bikes, the unusual smells that emerge from “coffee shops” and navigating the criss crossing of canals, I’m still adjusting to living in an area where kids play happily on the street and bikes are left unlocked outside homes. These are nice things to adjust to, the former particularly and I’ve noticed many of the kids like to indulge in one activity in particular; drawing in chalk on the pavement or the sidewalk as our North American friends would say.

I’d all but forgotten doing this as a child but seeing the colourful markings of hopscotch grids, names being written and stick figures on the ground remind me how much fun using concrete as a canvas can be.

And then there are those who take it to a whole other level…

I stumbled upon these photos of some of the coolest side-chalk paintings around the world and had to share them with you. Have you ever seen chalk drawings like these on your travels?

One of the most renowned artists for this type of street art is UK born Julian Beever who has drawn on pavements and sidewalks of over 28 countries. He started out on the street as a busking artist who travelled the word thanks to the profits of his street art, which brightened up the streets of Europe Australia and USA. Fast forward a few years and he’s now regularly paid considerable amounts of money to travel for corporate and private commissions across the globe. So, is this the coolest job in which you get to travel the world? I’m off to buy some chalk and join the kids outside my new home and maybe I’ll find out!

Photos from JulianBeever.net, Huffington Post and Nick Cannon.

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This post was written by Frankie Thompson who was a Travelette from 2012 – 2015. Originally from London, UK, Frankie was nomadic for several years before settling in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where she lives with her Australian partner and baby boy. She spends her time buying vintage dresses, riding a rusty old bike around the canals and writing books inspired by her travels. Frankie blogs about travel, writing and motherhood at As the Bird flies blog.