Our Italian Holiday 2016 - Part 3

Day 5 - Wednesday 21st September

So we've reached day 5 and we are halfway through already! Today is a rest day for us, no coach trip - although those with a head for heights and a desire to spend another day on board the coach could travel to the Grand Dolomites. Mountains to you and me. We, instead plumped for a lie-in and then a walk into Arco and then walk up a mountain!!


What?


OK, not quite a mountain, but the Castello di Arco is situated atop a very tall outcrop of mountain, nestled some 100m above the town itself. To reach it you need to wind your way up a very zig-zag path that crosses back and forth beyond and above the town, rising slowly through the olive groves. Stunning views, become even more stunning as you rise slowly above the town of Arco, with views out towards Riva del Garda and the lake beyond.


Sounds idyllic doesn't it? Well yes, it was and is. And at one point, they decided to build a viewing platform jutting out from the side of the rock, high above the town below. Not that bad you would think, but then some bright spark came up with the idea to make the last 3 feet and the end wall out of glass!! Totally unnecessary and for those who don't like heights, totally frightening! Now I like heights, it's the drops I cannot stand, so I declined to venture out onto some glass shelf, which would, knowing my luck, shatter into a million pieces, as soon as my little toe got near to it.

We carried on up and eventually reached the castle ruins. You do have to pay to walk around, but there is video presentation, plus display boards detailing the history and don't forget the views from the very top. Absolutely stunning morning spent up there and all done under our own steam.

The rest of the day was taken up by lunch back down in the town, followed by the short walk back to the hotel, where we took full advantage of the sunshine and the pool, well I did a few lengths whilst Mrs Dave dangled her legs in the pool and Little Miss Dave read whilst lying out on a bean bag. Unfortunately, that late afternoon sunshine didn't last long, but another enjoyable Italian holiday day ticked off.


Day 6 - Thursday 22nd September

Today is another included excursion, this time to the southern end of the lake, so it's all aboard the coach for journey down to Garda town. Garda town is another quaint picturesque town, nestled into the lake side. With it's Italianate styles of architecture, dusky beige and pink houses, with open campaniles, exposing the swinging bells, striking the hour. Although the early start meant that the sun hadn't fully burnt off the cloud, so Garda was slightly overcast.

Lazise

We then took the short coach journey further south, to Lazise where the sun was starting to shine. Lazise again is stuck on the side of the lake, with open promenades and wide piazzas beyond the city walls. A nice little stop to taste the delights of the hotel's packed lunch, or feed it to the ducks!

Sirmione

The third and final stop on our southern lake tour is the stunningly beautiful Sirmione. Set on a thin peninsula jutting northwards up into the lake, Sirmione is the epitome of Lake Garda tourist towns. It mixes ancient architecture, with modern buildings but the two do not encroach on one another. You stop in the modern and walk through to the old, like some time travelling tourist. However, in our case we first took a boat trip to discover Sirmione and it's differing architectural styles from the lake. We picked up our boat, at the side of the coach park. Only room for around 20 people, with no top, but a massive outboard engine, which was only tickled into life as we gently cruised around the peninsula. Taking in the views of the Scaliger Castle and the various churches dotted around. We then drifted out into the lake to see the bubbling thermal springs that feed warm water into the lake, a natural phenomenon not lost on the people of Sirmione, as they used the thermal springs to run their spas and bath houses, where visitors could come and take advantage of the healing powers of the waters. Anyway back to the boat, after seeing the thermal springs, our captain told us to sit down and hold tight, as we began our very quick journey back to the dock.

I say very quick, because he whacked the engine on full throttle and gunned the boat back to shore! The pointy end, (nautical term), where we were sat, raised up in the water and the stern sat low down, spewing foamy water streams out of the back as we haired along. If you've never seen a boat full of pensioners screaming with joy, you've never lived! Our trusty and somewhat mental captain started swinging the boat around in great arcs, flicking the wheel from side to side. Enormous fun and a great end to our little boat trip.

We settled ourselves after the boat ride, with a few drinks down on the lake side, sitting in the glorious sunshine, sipping wine and eating the olives, nuts and snacks, which the bars regularly provide, for free, if you buy drinks. Just perfection!

And obviously, our trip would not be complete without the regular purchase from the local gelateria!


Travellers Tips, For Your Coach Trips

Another thing to be wary of on a coach trip is technology. Do you know how annoying the key tones on a mobile phone are? On a sleepy coach, in the middle of the night, with some chap behind, tapping away, the answer is; very! We did suffer, with strange screen glows and beeps and whistles and diverse ringtones. Just be careful. If you don't think your ringtone is annoying, then somebody else will.
However, I must confess to falling foul of my own guidelines. I have bluetooth headphones, ideal to hook up to your smartphone and listen to music. Unfortunately, my bluetooth headphones have a bright little blue LED that flashes gentle every second when it is connected. During the day, it would probably go unnoticed, but at 2am on a very dark and quiet coach, travelling through France it can be very bright! I expect the people sat behind me were thinking that the Gendarmerie were chasing the coach!


Click for Part 4