What can I say about Michelangelo’s masterpiece? I was 10 when I first saw David, and it was truly a life-changing experience (as was visiting Florence).
That was, however, many moons ago, when tourists crowds were less, and queues did not stretch along the length of a street and around corners. Some 2 million people visit the Accademia yearly, yet it is still possible to see this masterpiece and not be overwhelmed simply getting there.
The temple was bedecked with lanterns for Buddha’s birthday (a date which varies with the lunar calendar, and also between countries).
I don’t think this soldier crab was too impressed by my presence. After all, he’d had the sunshine and waves all to himself before I came along with my camera.
Maybe I interrupted the morning changing of the guard. I wonder how it feels to have claws of different sizes?
Castles Along the Rhine
The day proved to be one of sunshine and castles. Between Bingen and Bonn, the Middle Rhine River is saturated with them, from impressive fortresses to decorative follies.
The river is dotted with towns along the water’s edge, many with a castle (or three) perched above them, and often one in the town itself. This is a lush landscape, with vineyards filling every spare pieces of land. Many of the vineyards border on the vertical as they stretch up the sides of the gorge, and many a Rhine River castle clings to a hilltop or sits surrounded by grape vines.
There’s something about signs as I travel. it’s just not the language. The imagery, the way a sign is displayed; all remind me that I’m in a far away place.
Such as the blue-eyed optometrist in Naples. The eyes followed me as I continued down the street.
