Anne's Short Musings

Once considered the unfashionable side of the Arno River, today Florence's Oltrarno retains a medieval air.



It is a place for wandering along empty side streets, and see artisans busy in their workshops, as they have been for centuries.




Trees and gardens are everywhere, so at times I felt as I were wandering a Tuscan hill town, not the heart of Florence.



Shops and restaurants are filled with locals, a perfect place to sit and reflect on the wonders of Florence.


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Just a happy, dancing samurai, greeting the boat as we sailed into Sado. Wherever our boat docked, there was always a greeting.




I feel like I've seen the opening ceremony for the upcoming Olympics. Dancing, singing, performances with coloured flags, bands, speeches, acrobats; it was all there.



I'm not quite sure who this fellow was. Something lost in translation, but he seemed to be enjoying himself as much as everyone else.



Not to mention the proud parents who couldn't help but join in.


From various ports I ventured to ancient forests, a village of canals or simply enjoyed walking through a garden in the rain; but everywhere, this fantastic greeting.

'Changing of the Guard' always has such a romantic tone, especially when the soldiers are dressed in their parade ground finest.


The guards at Prague Castle proved no exception. Once home to kings (such as Good King Wenceslas) and the heart of the Bohemia Empire, the area around Prague Castle is a delightful place to wander, especially first thing of a morning before the crowds arrive.


Pomp and ceremony, precisely pressed uniforms, the flash of cameras, and in ten minutes it was all over - but a perfect way to start a day of exploring in Prague.


Like my photos? - if you feel like contributing to my coffers, please click the link to buy my photos from my blog (still a work in progress, more photos to come) or else from the micro-stock sites 123RF or Shutterstock. These are affiliate links, as are some others in my blog.

I woke to a watery sun creeping through the window. Yesterday, I’d looked over terracotta rooftops and onto an Umbrian countryside so classic as to be breathtaking. Now Assisi lay hidden by mist. Spires and steeples appeared and disappeared at the whim of a cold breeze, and every noise came as if from far away. Water dripped from the roof and onto the windowsill beside my hand.

I knew I would love this place on seeing the sour-faced guards. It was late on a rainy afternoon, and they so obviously wanted to be elsewhere. Somewhere preferably involving beer.

I, however, wanted to be here. The Schwarzenberg Palace Museum is in the palace precinct in Prague, in a sgraffiti- decorated Renaissance palace on Hradčanské Square, beside Prague Palace. The gardens of the museum are a beautiful formal affair, an elegant introduction to the museum proper. The statues shimmered in the soft rain, ready to move as soon as I turned the other way.


I entered to marble staircases and elegant corridors. Beautiful blue and white pieces of Renaissance ceramics adorned the stairs. Even the windows offered amazing views over the city. I could have spent an hour walking up those stairs.

Schwarzenberg Palace Museum is part of the National Museum, which is housed not in one place but in a few buildings across Prague. The museum was virtually deserted, with many of the rooms empty. Comp…

Nothing quite prepared me for these giant trees. I've seen so many images of them (and yes, we've all seen the movie) but to actually wander through the temples and see trees sprouting from stones is an eerie site.