Riva de Garda

Trip Start Sep 12, 2008
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Trip End Sep 29, 2008


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Flag of Italy  , Trentino-Alto Adige,
Saturday, September 27, 2008

Saturday -Up, and down to the breakfast in the hotel, the one we didn't know about yesterday. Filled with food and walked downtown to windowshop and about 10 Maria phoned us to meet them back at the hotel. A quick trip up to our room and then off with them, first stop was the supermarket that we really enjoyed, and I bought spices for Darlene, then off to the town of Arco, close by. This is a fantastic place, as are all the old towns we have been too- there is a huge castle/fortress high on a prominent point above the town. This is also a town the rock climbers come to for extreme climbing. We walked all over town trying to find a street fair Maria had read about, and finally did find it- very small, about 10 booths and a food booth where we ate a plate of LOTS of thin sliced beef and red beans - and red wine of course! Really good meat and we all cleaned our plates. Walked a bit more and then drove on further through several small towns to a church where Maria and GianPiero and Maria were married 40 years ago. We walked the grounds and spent some time in the church, then drove on to Castle Toblino, where a bishop lived many years ago, now a restaurant and bar. We were only able to peek inside the castle as there was a big wedding going on. We sat down by the lake for coffee - we had watched a demonstration of coffee substitute made from wheat, during the war when coffee was not available, back at the street fair - and we tried it with whip cream on top- very good. Then a long walk for a good view of the other side of the castle and headed back. GP drove us into Riva where he dropped the 3 of us off so we could look for our European FIRST cache this holiday! We walked about 1/3 mile UP and around the lake and looked for a long time and I finally spied it, a well hidden cache. Maria was excited!  She started asking-Now, where is the next one!! Now we have to walk back down the hill, and this is a very well used very narrow bicycle path so have to keep looking behind and in front of us for cyclists, through town and back to our hotel. Maria left us in town to go to her home to prepare us dinner. We are tired- A long day and we walked a lot so both very tired. We are relaxing before we have to walk about ¼ mile to their home. I would guess we have walked about 2 miles today!  After 7 we headed out to their house---and got lost. Not too bad though-just missed seeing the house though we had taken the correct side road. Called and she ran out and met us. They had dinner ready- fresh minestrone soup, chicken with spaghetti sauce, bread and some delicious potatoes, then some baked peaches with a chocolate on the top-very good. After dinner we a talked a bit, then walked out to a neighbors, Pina, another exchange student from 1956 like Maria, and husband Umberto. There we drank some Grappa, which is not just wine but a very potent drink similar to schnapps. Eventually they all walked us home and we were soooooo tired and sooooo glad to be back at our bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Italy, and they have a very full day planned again- we will be so ready to get on the plane and get some rest.
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