Villa Florida Malcesine

... keep up the espresso lifestyle, but if I can, watch out world. I will be the next Picasso. Although I can't paint. Well. I'll be the next something.

I don't have major news to report. It's sad when the 'same ol, same ol' is "I had one of the best pizzas of my life, I went to one of the most fascinating wine bars of my life, I wandered around and was as happy as I've been in my life..." It starts getting old to hear, I'm sure. But to ...

... on Mondays. I promised myself that if I stayed longer in Verona I would go back. They also have live music tonight, so it should be fun. Don't worry, I'll bring Lucy's alarm for when I take the bus home at night. :)

OH! And because I have a washing machine I have washed everything I have. It is SO nice to have clean clothes and not do the sniff test each morning and go, "Nyeah, I think I can get away with that ...

So much so, that it is about to take the title of 'longest stay' while in Italy. I will spend 5 total nights here. Woohoo! I'm about to leave my fabulous hotel that I love to go to an apartment in the city, where I can live like a local with my own kitchen and everything. I am psyched! The only drawback is that it doesn't have internet. So I will do my best to bring my laptop with me and post updates while I'm in town picking up produce. EEEE! :)

Verona may just give you a run for your money.

I'm in a glorious hotel, drinking German beer -- courtesy Olga at the front desk. And I am right in the very heart of Valpolicella country.

I've decided that in Paris and Rome I was touristing (though I recognize I didn't see nearly enough in either) but Verona is going to be relaxing time. Which I also recognize is ridiculous since I go on a cruise in less than a week. But whatever, it's my trip, I get to decide what I'm doing. :)

... but, shocker, Luisa's cousin!) and oh my goodness, the food was incredible. I sat in silence, slowly enjoying the pasta, vegetables so soft I could cut them with my fork, and some sort of meat that melted in my mouth. I was in my own little world, only coming back occassionally to listen to all the happy Italian golfers enjoying their own dinners. It's a good thing food can bring me out of a funk, and that I'm in Italy where the food is always ...

Verona is a lovely city. How could it not be when it is the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet? Vince and I took a day trip and saw the sights.

My favorite was the Gusti Gardens, I could have spent hours there walking around. There was a small house on the left side of the garden that housed a dance studio. While we were there a little ...

... quick visit to a local doctor. After playing charades and being translated by his daughter over speaker phone, he diagnosed me with Bronchitis and gave me a prescription for a few different things to make sure I got rid of it for the cruise. We stayed in Verona for 3 nights, much of which I took it easy trying to get better. We did have a look around the city one day, seeing Juliet's balcony and a few other sights.

... feel nauseous half way through and we stopped at a little stream so I could stop my head from twisting and turning. I drove the second half of the way through the little towns in the flatter lands nearer to Verona! Driving on the Right side feels weird!

We arrived in Verona at 6pm and got a cozy little campsite right in the city. Its on a hill looking over the city and the view is once again breathtaking. We went to the lookout just in ...

Today the morning started our cloudy and rainy and we headed north to Lago Di Garda (Lake Garda). It is that largest lake and considered one of the most beautiful. Artistically the region was greatly influenced by the Venetian Republic which ruled the region from 15C to 18C. We were headed to a peninsula that is at the southern part of the lake a town called Sirmione. They have a 13th C castle call Scaligers’ Castle that we paid 4 euros to be able to walk ...

... a bit disappointed to find out it was booked so far in advance. The church next door had some amazing paintings, though, and looking around the Milan area was nice. Our parking spot started to worry us, though, and both of us were pretty much over walking around in the rain, so we decided to give some of the sites a miss and head back to Fred. It was right at peak hour traffic so we avoided driving into the main city and left for Verona instead.

It was a ...