We opted to discover more of northern Italy rather than stay in the paradise the Dolomites offered. Bad decision. You can’t win them all. Our drive down to Lake Garda felt hot and long.
We stopped in a really quaint wine town to find some lunch but everything was closed for a siesta–even restaurants! So then we were hot, sick of being in the car and hungry. We finally found a place only to discover their whole menu consisted of gelato. They had some other things but not on the menu. I was irritated and starving–bad combination for me. I ended up picking off of what everyone else got. They did have great gelato though.
Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) was really pretty and huge. There must be some great wind on it because there were a ton of people wind sailing and kite surfing. I saw one guy get some pretty serious air doing the kite surfing. We played “find a hotel” again on our way down the road. Places were pretty pricey and it was getting kind of late.
We ended up finding a pretty mediocre place but it was in a popular town called Malcesine. It had a pool and AC which we all demanded and a great view of the lake. We were so hot that after check in we all met down by the pool. We desperately needed to cool off. We played Durak until sunset and then went into town to find a place to eat. Over the course of our very short stay we were herded around by the hotel staff. Apparently they are running a tight ship. They packed up and put away the lawn chairs our things were on at the pool, while we were there. Then they wouldn’t allow us to sit on the adjoining outdoor patio for breakfast. Silly.
We found a fun place for dinner right on a dock. The water was splashing right under our feet. It was so nice to have a good relaxing dinner after our long hot day. As we walked back to our car there was a band on the street playing salsa music. People were dancing and it was so fun and lively. I love experiencing those types of things while traveling.
Five Stars and two thumbs up for the Italian Dolomites! After a short, very hot and uncomfortable afternoon in Verona we were all eager to find some place higher and cooler. Todd was really nice to research where we’d be comfortable. So the next morning we hopped into our rental car and drove up to the Dolomites. According to Julia, the Dolomites are ancient reefs. They look it. The are steep and craggly. We found a little place called Castelrotto where we had a wonderful lunch. The menu was small so I think we tried one of everything and it was all SO good. The culture there is very Tirolean and everyone spoke German. Lucky for us! Every town and street had both a German name and an Italian name. It made signs and advertisements so long.
We went roaming around in our rental car trying to find a fun bed and breakfast to stay in. The suggestions in our guide books were all full. We ended up going off in what seemed the middle of nowhere and stopped at a beautiful place called Hotel Plunger. No lie. It was better than perfect. We had three large beautiful rooms, they were new and smelled like the wood paneling. We each had a balcony facing the fantastic view of the valley and a very impressive mountain peak and they were all adjoining! The place had a great breakfast and an inexpensive and tasty 3-course dinner. It also had a new wellness center that had two saunas, a hot tub, a steam bath and quiet sun room. It was really something else! It was run by a young couple with a 3 month old. They were so nice and very helpful. We loved it and would go back in a heartbeat!
After checking into our awesome place we went on a chair lift up to a plateau and hiked down. It was really nice out. It was a blast to be with the girls again. We have so much fun together. Elisa and her cousins get along together like sisters. At one point Linda asked Morgan if she felt like a middle child because of me. I was shocked and pleased that they would think of me as that connected to their family. They are great!
We arrived back in time for dinner and more Durak out on the patio as the sun went down. What an incredible stay. Now I only wish we had stayed there longer so we could have taken more advantage of the great facility.
The next morning, before getting on the road again we took a cable car up to the Alpe di Siusi. It is a huge alpine meadow with tons of trails and hikes all over. We got a great view of more of the huge peaks and cliffs of the Dolomites all around the meadow.
We left Zermatt early Sunday morning on a train to Verona, Italy. We weren’t able to get tickets on the same trains as everyone else so we met up with them in Verona. Verona was hot and muggy! I do not think any of us enjoyed it much. We saw the Roman arena which is now used for Verona’s upscale operas. We grabbed something to eat in the shade of a cafe on the main plaza. We got to see a guy lay his scooter under a taxi because he couldn’t drive. Then he tried to blame the taxi. Fun times. I was really glad that Chad went and asked him if he was okay. The taxi had stopped for us to cross the street so I didn’t know who the guy would take his anger (and embarrassment) out on first.
We walked through the winding streets and found where “Juliette’s” home and balcony are. It was hardly romantic. The place was all grungy and covered with graffiti. Our hopes weren’t soaring to begin with since the place is just a fictional location. The farmer’s market would have been fun, but it was so hot that we were just melting away and irritable. The best part about Verona was the Italian gelato. You cannot go wrong with Italian ice cream!
