Florence to Peschiera Del Garda

Well, we’re definitely not in Florence anymore. We took the high-speed train here to Peschiera del Garda and were the only two who got off the train. At first we couldn’t figure out how to get off the train because the doors don’t open automatically. I think I’d still be on it if Joe hadn’t figured it out. As soon as we stepped onto the sidewalk, the train doors snapped shut and it zipped away leaving us standing alone with our bags. By the way, our bags have taken a beating on this trip. They rolled around the department store so smoothly, but cobblestone streets are a different story. We left a wheel somewhere along the way. Since then I’ve noticed several suitcase wheels abandoned in gutters.

Peschiera Del Garda is an ancient town at the southernmost tip of Garda Lake. It seems to be pretty, but it’s hard to say for sure because it’s raining all the time. We have clothes hanging about our apartment in varying degrees of dryness. It turns out our raincoats were not designed for continuous rain… maybe they’re just wind-breakers. I even treated mine with a water-proofing product before we left California. Part of the problem is, I picked an apartment about fifteen minutes from the shops and restaurants. The up side is it makes for great people-watching from the cafes while we wait for a break in the rain.

Our place is on the third floor and has a cute little balcony over looking the residential area. This morning, during a brief break in the rain, I could see a slice of the lake. We rushed out to get a dry walk in and got down to the lake, and it’s really pretty! All surrounded by mountains. It reminds me of the lakes in Northern California… when they have water in them.

It’s difficult to describe Peschiera (pesh-kee-era). It has two fortified islands side-by-side at the apex of the lake, so they give the appearance of being surrounded by moats. The giant walls rise straight out of the water. Bridges connect the islands to each other and the mainland. The action is on the second island (west). We are to the east, so we have to cross two bridges to get to the old town. Because we are so far north in Italy, two languages are spoken here; Italian and German. At least I assume it’s German. There’re so many dialects that sound like German, it’s hard to say. One of the signs describing the city said it’s been inhabited since ancient Roman times. Then it became part of the Austrian empire. Now it’s Italy.

But for daily issues, I’ve got a few comments about this region. First is the coffee. Their coffee tastes as good as everywhere else in Italy, but it’s a bit trickier to get coffee in your rental. Let me explain. I like espresso, so I’m content with the little stove-top device called a moka. It makes a couple of shots of espresso—or about a quarter of a cup of strong coffee. Joe likes regular coffee. Each place we’ve stayed in had a water kettle (it’s an electric pot for heating water). Joe uses the coffee filters from the store to make coffee in his thermos (he hooks the filter over the edge of the thermos and pours water over the grounds). In other words, we make it work. Why not just make espresso and add hot water?? Because the moka is very hot and it’s a little time consuming to take it apart and remake it after waiting for it to cool down. Not a problem in Lucca because they had 3 mokas, plus filters for the regular way. The Florence place had filters also, plus we bought some from the store… oh and they had an American coffee maker. But, alas, our place in Peschiera del Garda only has one little moka, no coffee pot, and no filters. None of the stores have coffee filters. None. Joe even carried a filter around with him to show the shop keepers. They were baffled. He has resorted to using paper-towels for filters— resourceful, huh?

The next issue is this area has different outlets then anywhere else we’ve been. The appliances, however, are just like everywhere else. In other words none of the plugs match the outlets. Can you see my problem? The host has one adapter in the whole place. Fortunately, we have an adapter with us. I thought it was comical that the hairdryer wouldn’t fit the outlet it was sitting next to. There was no explanation for this… we had to figure it out.

The bicycle culture is different here than elsewhere in Italy. In Lucca, everybody rode around on cute bikes. In Florence it was fairly common, but the scooter and vespas were more common. Here in Peschiera it’s the racing bikes. It’s apparently a tourist thing to ride around the lake on racing bicycles with racing outfits and bike cleats. I feel like we’re here for a race or something. They do have a nice cycling /walking trail along the lake.

This brings me to my last observation. Italians, and Europeans in general, still smoke cigarettes. I’ve seen some vape smokers, but not many. I’m just not accustomed to this. People smoke in the US, but not around other people in public. Here they smoke at all of the outdoor areas. A restaurant with outdoor seating (the vast majority are outdoor seating) will have three-quarters of the tables with smokers during their meal or drink. Honestly, for me it’s not that big of a deal. My folks smoked all my life—in the car with the windows rolled up! It’s just weird, especially because they’re so young. To see a girl who looks like a world-class model smoking a cigarette is sad.

The exciting news is the hubby found a pub that sells dark beer.