GARDA TO VENICE

Ciao,

Mostly snaps this week as we complete our stint on Lake Garda and move on to Venice.
In answer to 'Little Sis' it is well worth a visit and if you stick to pizza and wine it is not too pricey. It will be good, I hope, to stop being spoken to in German. If I try to speak Italian it would be nice to get a reply in Italian rather than German. I'm wondering whether I've missed some vital news in the last few weeks and the price of the Euro bailout is for signs to be in both languages and natives to be bi-lingual. Also while I'm on the subject I wonder if I would want to lend money to a country which shuts all its' shops and businesses from 12 - 4. A nice lunch hour if you can get it!
Lets try some photos:

A view along the Lake down to Garda.

The old town of Lasize.

One of the many expensive ferries which run between various towns on the lake.

Garda town.

A long hike up in the hills behind Garda offered some great views.
We took a bus (cheap - 8 Euros return) into Verona which is a really lovely city. Beautiful piazzas and narrow cobbled streets and some great food on a splashout meal.

The Romanesque church of San Zeno which was plainer inside and much more to my taste than the Baroque. Below the man himself.

Dante had many things to ponder during his exile in Verona;

but choosing between the Margerita and the Quattro Staggione was probably his toughest decision.
We have now travelled the 150km or so to Cavallino outside Venice. More next week. Thanks for reading.
Arrivederci J&P

STILL HERE

Hi,
I will be leaving photos till next week when I hope I get a better signal. The problem is that we are in an old fashioned campsite, no wi-fi, very small pitches packed together not really catering for the larger vans. We are surrounded by lemon trees, pomegranites and olives (hooray!) but these all serve to block our satellite signal (boo!) so no TV. We are right between Garda and Bardolino on the eastern Lake Garda and the lake is warrm enough to swim in. I am writing this in a so-called wi-fi zone overlooking the lake in the afternoon sun but the signal comes and goes. I have tried to use my roaming profile but the rascals at 3G charge around £1 per minute!
Unlike our last European jaunt there is no question about the winner of the Motorhome Country of Origin League. Germany have got the title sewn up after 3 weeks. Out of nearly 300 pitches probably 270 are German, 15 Dutch, 5 Danish, 2 Austrians, 1 Belgian, 1 Czech, 1 Swede, 1 Norwegian and 2 GB. We have not seen any French or Spanish on all our travels. But in the immortal words of Barry Davies, frankly, who cares?
We will move on to Venice next week having spent this week walking, cycling and visiting Verona. everything here is very expensive which probably accounts for the number of Germans who are the only people who can afford to come. Because of their dominance we are addressed everywhere in German by Italian and German alike. I try to reply in bad Italian which throws them a bit as Germans speak to the Italians in German and expect them to understand. Actually I try to reply in good Italian, it's just I can't speak it.
All the towns on the lake are very pretty and pretty packed but the season is drawing to a close. We've been to a couple of markets with hundreds of stalls packed with things you don't need which seems to mirror ourist markets all over Europe. How many handbags and leather goods can people want!
Ciao
J&P

LAKE GARDA

Ciao,
The latest leg of our journey takes us to a campsite between Bardolino and Garda on Lake Garda. This post may be curtailed because my laptop keeps crashing. I'll try a few pictures.
No I won't - not working.
The site is packed, mostly with Germans, and the area is amok with tourists and prices to match.
I think this fascinating post will have to wait for another day!
Arrivederci
J&P

REGENSBERG TO INNSBRUCK

Guten Tag,

Our guide book (up to date this time) describes Regensberg as having the only intact medieval centre in Europe (which it has) and is ignored by tourists (which it is not). This is probably because it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site which means the town is now overrun by tourists and has all that involves. It is rarely uncluttered and most of the major sights haves buses, vans and cars parked in front. The 1000 year old bridge offered a fairly clear view although you will see that the famous sausage restaurant in the foreground is full and was every time we visited.

We enjoyed the town though as it was a nice bike ride along the Danube from our campsite, the sausages we bought from the local butcher were great, we found the local brewery (hooray!) and the town is now free of plague and leprosy. So onwards into Austria and one of the many examples of Baroque, in this case the tomb of Maximillian 1 in Innsbruck.

I wouldn't go as far as Cyrille Regis (I think) on a pre-season tour of China was asked why he didn't join the team visiting the Great Wall replies if you've seen one wall you've seen them all. However, I have now had my fill of Baroque.
We are staying at a great mountain campsite in Nattersee high above Innsbruck which can be reached by free bus or on foot.

The city is lively and the people regard themselves very much as Tyrollean rather than Austrian. All the museums we visited emphasised this each with a history of the Tyrol on audio guide. Each museum, five in total, was huge and the audio guide for each museum lasted (should we have let them) over 5 hours! Tyrollean history 1600 to the present day would now be my Mastermind specialist subject.

The famous Golden Dachl above was one of the many sites we took in although, surprise, surprise we also found the local brewery during Happy Hour, twice! German and Austrian beer is pretty average should you choose the ubiquitous pilsener but the wheat beer has been decent wherever we have been.

A bit more Baroque in case you're getting withdrawal symptoms.
Innsbruck is another city we visited on our 1988 trip and we shall compare our old photos when we get home but I reckon it is much the same.
Our time here is now up and tomorrow we move to the banks of Lake Garda. Not bad, this retirement lark!
Auf Wiedersehen until next week and trust this post finds you all hale and hearty.

J & P

GHENT & HEIDELBERG

Hi Everybody,

Our adventure continues in Ghent, including the interesting Psychiatry Museum which we now learn is still a working mental hospital. There were plenty of worrying exhibits including treatments of (I hope) a previous age and, as one might expect some fairly scary paintings and sculptures completed by the patients. There was also a strange cubicle which I could not resist. I answered a series of questions and performed various tasks as requested. At the end the very least I expected was some fairground printout saying I was bonkers but instead the screen simply said "your data has been recorded. If you are concerned please consult a doctor." If I wasn't concerned then....
Otherwise Ghent was a delightful city with plenty of historic sites and interesting bars with beers seldom seen outside the country. As Andy pointed out in his comment it is not just in Belgium where changes of usage exist but at least here we had plenty here to choose from.
A last view of Ghent:

before making the longish motorway journey into Germany and down to Heidelberg. We had been here 24 years ago in our rather basic motorhome on our 88/89 sabbatical. We will have to look back at our old photos to see what might have changed. Some things remembered, others not but we both seem to recall bad weather last time we went whereas this last few days has allowed us to see the city at its best.

We stayed on the banks of the Neckar  which was only a 5km cycle ride into town and a slow 15 minute walk up to the castle.

Considering the amount of travelling we do, my grasp of German is pretty shoddy, i understand about 50 words excluding numbers and greetings. This is however 48 words more than my knowledge of Flemish. The two words I retain for future use are for shop (winkel) and chicken (kip). Should there be a sudden explosion of the number of chicken shops in Belgium I will have no problem identifying them. Otherwise, I will continue to speak loudly in English.
Our cycle route back from Heidelberg took in a pretty riverside 'biergarten' where we quenched our thirst with the local Heidelberger Weisebier:

 before going home for a well earned soak.

I'll have to trim my beard again!
Next post will see us in Regensberg before heading south into Austria.
Toodle Pip.
J&P

A NEW TRIP

Hi Everybody,

So we're off on our travels again. Scarcely been at home this last year. This time we are taking a couple of months going through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, France and home. We arrived yesterday in Ghent. Driving the van is becoming second nature as is living in it. You will notice our satellite is finally working.

Enjoying the sights of Ghent as well as the beer. Yesterday, we looked at our Belgium beer guide and headed for 2 bars in the suburbs. Must remember to buy up-to-date guide! First bar was shuttered when we arrived after 2 hour walk and second bar appeared to be derelict. Looking through the grimy windows the inside was gutted. As indeed were we! Finally an hour later - beer.

A bit of sightseeing today including the old fishmarket

and various canals

followed by some truly excellent Trappist beers. Boon Oude Gueze being particularly special for those interested in that sort of thing. Tomorrow, we will try to find the Museum of Psychiatry housed in the country's first lunatic asylum. If they let me out, more news next week.
Please feel free to join the blog and comments are always welcome.
Cheers
J&P