2004 Within These Walls - No Sleep Til Afternoon

Sometimes we have a day when nothing happens and this was one of those days. We were late getting ourselves motivated, thus getting down to the train station too late for a train to our intended destination as there were no trains between 09:25 and 12:25.
Having failed to catch the train we trouped off to the bank to change some travellers cheques, but the cashier could not do this in their branch so directed us to another bank. The second one however was closed due to industrial action. With no alternative but to use the hole in the wall approach even that took two attempts. Guzzisue and Ian both managed to draw out some euros, so at least they can pay for the hotel.
By now there was not enough time to go anywhere except to an ice cream parlor for a large alcoholic ice cream. It was then back to the hotel with the intention of picking up our books and heading down to the waterfront to read. I'm not sure if the sun got to us or we were just more tired than what we thought but we just fell asleep for some time. At least we got some sleep so that we were refreshed for tomorrows visit now that we knew the train times.
There is very little to say about Peschiera del Garda itself. It is situated on the bottom right hand side of Lake Garda and has a population of nearly 9,000. The old centre is surrounded by bastion walls some 2.3km in length first built in Venetian times, and later strengthened by Napoleon and the Austrians. With having a bus and train station it makes an ideal base for visiting other towns in the region, for example Sirmione. There is also a ferry service to transport you around the lake.

At this moment in time I would just like to send the Seasons Greetings to everyone out in blogland and I look forward to your continuing comments in the New Year.
I received a present from Lise in Norway and given permission to open it on Christmas Eve. I have however restrained myself and will open it tomorrow when Ian and Guzzisue open theirs.

2001 An Italian Odyssey - Head For The Hills

There is always a little excitement in the body as we hit the road again. Today we followed the west coast of Lake Garda from Lazise all the way north to Torbole and then onto Trento, where in the time honoured fashion we got lost.

Eventually finding the correct route we headed for the Dolomites and having done a couple of mountain passes and got through Predazzo without losing a rear light lens or bolt for the rear mudguard we decided to stay in Corvaria in Badia for a few days.

The first hotel that we tried was too expensive but we managed to find a time share apartment in a block that did bed and breakfast for less than half the price as they did discounts for bikers! We decided to stay for four nights.

During our stay in Corvaria we did the usual trips in cable cars up the mountains, once seeing a young girl with her wheelbarrow walking up to a rescue hut with her parents, much to many people’s amusement.

On another day we took the Guzzi out and rode some of the local passes and stopped outside a café at the summit of Passo Pordoi, where several people were surprised to find not only a Guzzi but one with GB plates. Talk about taking things easy, it took us three hours to do 60 miles – but that did include a coffee stop. Not all rides have to be fast to be enjoyable.

One morning they even brought out the band for us! Well I like to think that anyway.

2001 An Italian Odyssey - Garda and Entertainment

For our last full day on Lake Garda we caught the ferry back up to Garda town. Here we spent the day window shopping and writing postcards to friends and relatives.

In an ice cream parlour we got talking to a couple of old English ladies who were on a coach holiday and staying in Garda. Many of their fellow travellers had gone on an excursion to the Dolomites but having already been there they were relaxing in their favourite place. I wonder if they enjoyed the parlour because the owners spoke English, had menus in English and promised an evening of English music. We decided not to stay for this.

What do you think to this bike we found outside a shop in Garda? Perhaps it runs on creosote.

While having our evening pizza the storm clouds gathered over the lake. The waiters hurried to bring all the tables and chairs inside before the heavens opened. It was then that the evenings entertainment started when a local artist decided to draw a picture of a German family’s son. He kept on telling the boy to look at a glass bottle on the table as he drew the boy’s portrait. While doing the picture he kept on adding different animal features and showing these to the unsuspecting boy’s parents and younger brother. This kept on for over an hour as the artist was bought drinks and given cigarettes. When the portrait was finished the Germans tried to pay for the picture but the artist would have none of this even threatening to rip up the finished piece of work.

This was a perfect ending to our stay in Italy for this year. Tomorrow we head for the mountains.

2001 An Italian Odyssey - Water Trip

From the top to the bottom of Lake Garda is over forty miles of near stop-start traffic with the majority of the eastern side built on, making it appear to be one large conurbation. This means that the easiest way to travel is by boat and there are three different types available.

There is a car ferry,

a hydrofoil

and a paddle steamer.

Over the next couple of days we managed to use all three.

Our first boat trip took us down to Sirmione, a small town on a peninsula at the southern end of the lake. Sirmione boasts a castle and an old Roman Villa.

The castle we did not have time to visit as we spent a long time walking round the villa’s ruins. Guzzisue was busy with her camera taking shots of the villa and some of the original floors. There was also a museum with a lot of artifacts in glass cases. Ian got reprimanded for touching the glass cases! Well they were alarmed and he didn’t want to be shot so he decided to be more careful. The visit was marred as there was no detailed tourist guide to help us get more enjoyment, this may be different now but I’m unable to comment as we have not ventured back yet.

After our visit to the villa we spent a little time getting some souvenirs to take home for family and friends before catching the ferry up to Garda for a short while before finally arriving back at Lazise.

2001 An Italian Odyssey - Gardaland

Today after breakfast we travelled by the local bus service to Gardaland, the largest theme park in Italy. When it is considered that Alton Towers is possibly the best park in England then all I can say is get over to Europe and see what is on offer! Gardaland, although tacky in areas with a few older looking rides wins hands down. We managed to stay most of the day in the park with food and drinks being reasonably priced. Due to the heat in Italy there are several water mist areas to walk through to cool off. The queuing time for the rides was about 40 minutes. This may have been down to the fact that the schools had started back. Many of the queues being in the shade with areas selling ice cream if the queue was longer.

On waiting to return to Laize the bus appeared about half an hour late, but we have been there before.

2001 An Italian Odyssey - Lift Off

I will not dwell on the first couple of days of this years travel as it very similar to the previous adventures heading towards Italy. We stopped off at the Prunellia Hotel in Verdun again for the first night and then managed to get into Austria for the second before entering Italy on the Sunday. Having managed to work out how to use the automatic petrol pumps and battled to get off the motorway near our destination, Lazise on the shore of Lake Gada was reached.

Lazise is a small town that has some walls and a six-towered Scaligeri castle and was also the most important trading post and the first independent commune when under Venetian rule, so our guide book told us.

We struggled to find accomodiation as most hotels were fully booked or just had a room for one night and we wanted to stay in the area for a few days. Eventually we found a hotel not far from the lake and took the attic room, no balcony and sloping ceiling so we had to be careful where we walked.

2000 Déjà-vu - To The Top

The Guzzi was left in the hotel garage for a couple of days as we went riding the cable cars and hiking up the mountains. There was some fantastic views around but the signposts on the trail left a bit to be desired as we walked further than necessary.

In a souvenir shop Ian found a small sticker for the Sass Pordoi, the pass that we ventured up yesterday with the 34 hairpins.

We went on the cable car to get to La Terrazza Delle Dolomiti (The Panarama Terrace Of The Dolomites). Looking across the way it looked like there were hoards of ants heading to the summit of another mountain, but it was just a continuous line of climbers. The restaurant on the plateau had on the menu meat in a tomato sauce with pasta, which Ian decided to try having got a little tired of spaghetti bolognaise. The meal was prepared and out came a plate of spaghetti bolognaise! If only they had said that in the first place.

The whole area is a Mecca for bikes and with great roads it is easy to see why.

Next day we walked down to the next village and rode in another cable car and watched a group of hang gliders preparing their equipment and having to wait for the therms. To avoid being stuck on the mountain top until mid afternoon as the cable car stopped running at lunch time we descended at midday.

Back on ground level we got talking to fellow Guzzi riders, one from Austria and one from Slovakia.

That evening our pizzas were prepared by a Ducati rider who had parked his motorcycle outside the restaurant. It was well admired and we wanted to ride it away.

2000 Déjà-vu - Glass And Lace

The holiday officially starts today! We were up early and managed to get on the bus in good time to make the 9:30 ferry over to Venice. Having previously spent time in the main part of Venice we hurried across to the far end and bought 24 hour water bus tickets to take us out to the islands.

Our first port of call was Muranno. This island’s main industry is glass making and there are several small glass makers that cater for the tourist predominately making small glass animals and other assorted standard souvenirs. Right at the end of the Muranno, on the edge of the canal there is a large windowed warehouse that has 10 showrooms of quality glass sculptures. We were given the grand tour by a salesperson who tried his best to sell us a piece of work, one piece did take our fancy but with a selling price of £2,000 we decided it was well beyond our means. A sculpture on a large glass topped table on a rotating stand with bright lights shinning on it can look very inviting.

From Muranno we travelled across Venice Lagoon to Buranno, the home of Buranno Lace. On the island there is a museum dedicated to the lace style that was only open at certain times and a shop that had a display at the back with many old pieces dating back to Napoleonic times. We stopped for lunch on Buranno, not that we had much choice as we had quite a wait until the next water bus and it was also siesta time. Guzzisue went in search of some lace bobbins and finally tracked some down on our return to Venice.

As we returned to our hotel the wind picked up and a storm broke and the day finished with over an hour of thunder and rain.

1998 Guzzi Goes Home - Venice In A Day?

From where we were staying it was possible to purcase tickets to Venice from the local newsagents. All tickets for public transport have to be bought in advance and punched in a machine once aboard the vehicle. This was a double which meant that we first took a bus ride to a port and from there sailed over Laguna Véneta to St Mark’s Square.

On setting foot at the edge of St Mark’s Square, Ian decided to buy a “Venice in a day” guide. His idea was to see as much of Venice as he could, however, after half an hour of stopping at every corner to study the map his patience was wearing thin as so the guide ended up in his pocket for the rest of the day!

Once away from the tourist trail he began to enjoy exploring the back streets away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist trail. Turning a corner we came across a small courtyard with a café and a group of musicians playing, then a man with a sack truck came into sight singing away. He had a very strong voice that echoed off the buildings and that is the thing I enjoyed best about the day.

We did manage to fight our way across the Rialto Bridge as this was one big tourist trap and we also saw the Bridge of Sighs that runs between the palace and prison.

Around St Mark’s Square things are very expensive but once away from the main trails, as with any city, prices become lower. We also declined a gondola ride as this worked out at £60 for an hour! However we saw what must have been a honeymooning couple complete with a singer and a musician in one. The man looked pleased as punch but I’m not too sure about his partner. Have a look at their photo and make up your own mind. Perhaps My Way in Italian was not a good choice of song.

All three of us agreed that Venice could not be seen in a day and that we would have to return soon.

1998 Guzzi Goes Home - R & R (Repair & Rain)

Travelling south next day we left the mountains behind us and went round the suburbs of Treviso before following the signs for Venice. Ian saw a road sign for a tourist information centre so he pulled in and we asked about a campsite near Venice itself. The lady in the centre advised us to head for Lido di Jésolo as there are some sites in that region.

Unfortunately the information centre was on a duel carriageway so we had to go all the way to the bus station in Venice before we could get any further. Ian then proceeded to travel in circles close to Marco Polo Airport for half an hour before getting on the correct road once again.

Eventually we reached Jésolo Pineta and booked ourselves in to the Villaggio Turistico Adriatico for a few days camping. It was siesta time when we arrived so we could not ride the Guzzi onto the site, but Ian could push it round if he wanted! The offer was declined and we walked around to the swimming pool ares where there was a bar and sat in the shade with a beer instead.

After siesta time the tent was pitched and othen off to the camp shop where a tube of superglue was bought and then back to the bar and Ian had another beer while gluing the rear light lens back together to the puzzlement of other people.

Guzzisue found the laundry area and washed some clothes, however there was no tumble dryer and over our stay the clothes were put out to dry after the morning rain and put back into the tent before the rain came back in the evening, every day! This was because the rain would go inland, reach the Dolomites and bounce back to us later in the day.

The next day was spent exploring the local area. Jésolo Pineta is a small fishing area where the nets are on rigging and placed into the water and then lifted back out. The catch is then sold in the adjacent market.

Walking the opposite way Ian and Guzziesue spent sometime in an amusement arcade enjoying one of their pastimes – pinball. They also spotted these two vechiles hiding in the corners.

This was a laid back day before the onslaught of Venice the next day.