My plane was a new Boeing 777/400! Love the pretty night 'sky' and the big screen. Plenty of leg room too!
Arriving in Italy...First stop the Franciacorta Outlet Village at Brescia, off Milan. Shopping here was not bad. You can find Iceberg, Fornarina, Guess, Calvin Klein and some other shops. Discounts at some select shops were wonderful, but most offered 30% off retail prices. No need to break the bank here.
Hippo posing on my Hotel Cadria balcony. We were in the Valle di Ledro, somewhere north of Lake Garda. Mountains and lakes everywhere. Spectacular landscape. It's really cold when the sun goes down though. The hotel is run by an old couple who can't speak English. They understand sign language very well though haha! The service here was great, especially breakfast. You can request for fried eggs or zuppa de verde (soup) in the morning! The Italian owner accedes to every request!
Driving around in the vicinity of Lago di Ledro. It's a small but scenic lake. You need to have a strong stomach to drive around here. Formula-One-worthy bends tests your driving skills.
Love my Made in Italy green boots, which incidentally was bought at the Brescia Outlet Village.
It's really warm but the glacier lake feels icy cold. Okay...I know privato means "private" and I trespassed. :P
Here we are at Riva del Garda, and here is Lake Garda, a HUGE lake that's a haven for windsurfers. The cool breezes never stop here, and the waves keep crashing onto the shore. It looked too scary to try windsurfing since the last time I took a course was about 10 years ago.
You'd have thought it was a sea except for the swans. I tasted the water...confirm it's not salty one. They seem to like me but they are scared of the hubby. Maybe they think I have food. I hope they don't think my fingers were little sticks of breadstick.
It was the first time I saw a family of swans. And also the first I saw a swan getting violent. You always think they are these serene, graceful creatures floating around in a lake. Wait till a dog walks past. I got to see the parent swan becoming all aggressive, making loud noises and stretching its neck to look very tall and stiff.
It was the first time I saw a family of swans. And also the first I saw a swan getting violent. You always think they are these serene, graceful creatures floating around in a lake. Wait till a dog walks past. I got to see the parent swan becoming all aggressive, making loud noises and stretching its neck to look very tall and stiff.
When this photo was taken, I felt really self-conscious. We were the only asians there and all these elderly retirees were eyeing us, some curiously, some indulgently. Like we were some exotic species from the other side of the world.
In the town Malcasine. I like this town. It's so Italian! There's a castle on the hill here you can get married in! And they sell quaint antiques and a lot of leather bags. I got a Francesca Biasia at half price! Yay!!
My own little truck. It really looks like a gigantic toy.
Cool respite under the shady leaves and foilage.
Mandarin ducks everywhere. My mom's favourite animals.
Here's my little pony. Remember those days where we had those My Little Pony toys? This looks exactly like one of them. She is soooo sweet!
Finally, we arrive at our destination at sunset. Made too many stops along the way. But anyhow, here's VERONA, the city of Romeo and Juliet. If you think about it, it's ironic that Shakespear is English and he has never visited this city. He only picked it because of its background of feuding families.
Ok, here's another castle. And me with my new bag. Couldn't wait to use it!
And here's what Verona is all about...the Roman amphitheatre that actually works and not in ruins like in Rome. They're having Puccini's opera Turandot at the moment and I could hear strains of soaring melodies from outside. The locals say that watching a performance here is an unforgettable experience.
This dear old man offered to sew my name for me free of charge! He was so nimble with his sewing machine it only took a minute. It was amazing to watch.
Interesting intricate paintings on the buildings in this piazza.
Back to Lago di Ledro...
Me going all hiao at Mezzolago.
They have a delicious pizzieria called Al Lago which is overrun with locals. My pasta was soooo very very tasty. Notice all the tiny colored flowers on it. I'm eating pretty flowers! Needless to say, all the Italian fare was not good on my waistline.
Went swimming in the lake. Actually, that was the intention. It looked fun when we saw all these families frolicking in the waters. Nah NOT fun at all...I dipped my toes into the icy water and chickened out instantly. I'm 100% tropical.
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