Lago di Garda

A friend suggested that I get to Lake Garda before I leave. It seemed like a bit too far, but once I did some research, I knew I needed to go.

Of course, to get enough time in at the lake, I had to get up at 6 in the morning to catch a 7 o'clock train that had two connections. Well, it might be hard to see from this picture, but the first train was 30 minutes late, blowing both connections.

Thank you Italian train system.

I was supposed to get a train from Verona to Peschiera del Garda at 9:30, but since I missed it, I had to wait until 12:00 for the next train.

Only bonus--this awesome fruit cup from Verona's center.

Fresh coconut!

In the center of Verona I got to see the usual street performers.

BUT. I have never seen this one. I was so frightened and not entertained by this guy. These performers paint their faces like an animal, put it in a travel case, and hold little stuffed-animal legs. Then they make weird winy squeaky noises at the audience.

Terrifying.

I finally made it to the lake around 12:30.

It was incredibly beautiful, as expected.

These are all pictures from my walk from Peschiera del Garda to Lazise (about 6 or 7 miles away).

They had a bunch of these boats for sale. I was very tempted even though I didn't even have a bathing suit.

About 3 1/2 hours later, I arrived in Lazise, which turned out to be one of the most adorable towns of all time.

They had a free art exhibit up.

I saw pictures of animals and immediately went inside.

I got gelato before I left--I needed some energy before the long walk back. Dark chocolate and Baci di Dama. Mmmmmmmmm.

On the road back I came across this restaurant. I've always been amused by Italians adding "eria" to the end of each word to make it a store name (piadineria, panineria, macelleria, salumeria, etc.). Well, this was my favorite yet: Hamburgheria. Brilliant.

I should open a Hot Dogheria when I get home...

The road back was beautiful, but very solitary.

Had I been in the United States, I may have been afraid of being attacked.

Just me and the wine vineyards.

Eh, I made it back, didn't I?

-Meri

Amanda's Here!

YAY!

Amanda's here and we've been running around for the past couple of days, but here's a quick run-down.

First, we started with a cappuccino at a cafe right by Amanda's hostel.

For dinner, we hit up Embassy for aperitivo. It's the best aperitivo I've ever had.

And Amanda experienced warmed gnocco fritto stuffed with prosciutto crudo for the first time. It was a happy moment.

Oh, and the giant shards of parmigiano that appear everywhere here. She was a happy gal.

The next day we discovered an awesome market in town. We bought a bunch of souvenirs for people, and then got some pizza as well.

For dinner, pasta! Amanda had gnocchi with four cheeses.

I had penne with tomatoes, mozzarella, balsamic, and shards of parmigiano.

Next, we went out for a drink. It took a good 5 minutes to get the bar tender to understand that Amanda wanted a grasshopper.

We finally got the message through.

Yesterday, we went to Verona!!!!!!!!

I had to take a picture of this sign. It reminded me of my mommy.

Obligatory picture of horse statue.

Trying to take a self-y with my iPhone.

Looking at the outside of the stadium.

Tower!

We climbed to the top! 368 steps.

Juliet's balcony.

Late lunch time! Classic Margherita Pizza.

Panino with prosciutto crudo, tabasco, and a olive spread.

Hot chocolate.

It started to rain, but we managed to see a couple more sights.

Our bangs are struggling in the precipitation.

I got lots of candy on the way to the train. These cookies are called kisses of Juliet and kisses of Romeo.

Quite delicious.

We are super attractive.

More to come!

-Meri