Saturday: The alarm goes at 2.00am and we spring into action. The journey to Garda goes smoothly apart from half an hour flight delay and an even longer delay at baggage reclaim. Even so, the afternoon has only just begun when we arrive at the Hotel La Perla. We walk into Garda and explore the narrow old streets and the open and pleasant lakeside. It is sunny at first, but the lake mists over and there are a few spots of rain as we return to the hotel.

Evening meal was pleasant, then back to the room for the Eurovision Song Contest! I really tried to stay awake, but the early morning start caught up with me and I fell asleep, Sparing me from some of the songs and all of the voting. Siran loved it all as usual.

Sunday: Breakfast was OK. Then down for the welcome meeting. We book trips to Venice and the Lake Tour. Then we follow directions to Punta St. Virgilio. A pleasant walk along the lakeside promenade, then a track uphill and into some woods. We finally decided that we had gone wrong and made our way back. Later we discovered that we were probably on the right path. Never mind! We had a good walk in the sunshine and arrived back just in time to avoid the rain.

In the evening there was a gala dinner. This began with a drink of pink stuff, followed by a really nice meal. Afterwards we went for a walk round town, taking in the lively nighttime atmosphere.

Monday: Venice trip today. Early start then a straightforward journey to the Venice coach park. From there we take a boat ride into the centre, getting a commentry and fantastic views of this amazing city. We spend time soaking up the atmosphere and music in St. Mark's Square and then wander round winding streets to the Rialto bridge. Siran popped into many Murano glass shops on the way. Then we explore the Rialto area before getting a meal, finished with a gorgeous almond cake. Then we explore further before returning to St. Mark's Square. The queue for St. Mark's Cathedral was short so we only had to wait a couple of minutes to enter. The domed ceilings were covered in gold and mosaics. The floor was also tiles in art/mathematical designs. We then said prayers before leaving. When we were back outside the queue had grown to gigantic proportions. Just time for another walk round before returning to our boat to start the journey back to Garda.

After dinner we go for a walk round town. We there is a lot of pleasant music to listen to on the lake front, but we could also hear a band playing 'Roll Out the Barrel'. As we wander, we later hear 'Colonel Bogey' and this leads us to the band. There we sit and listen to 'New York, New York' and other tunes.

Tuesday: A lovely sunny day for the Lake Tour. First stop Sirmione. A charming town on the end of a long thin peninsula (a (tiny) bit like Llandudno). We enter by crossing the moat and enter the city walls under the shadow of the castle. A mixture of old cobbled streets, souvenir shops and lakeside pathways kept us occupied for a couple of hours. Then we drove on to Limone through a series of attractive towns on the western side of the lake. Limone was at the foot of steep and impressive mountains and again had a lovely lakeside promenade overlooking the narrow northern part of the lake with high mountains on both sides. Two hours, a slice of pizza and some icecream later and we were ready to board the boat to Riva ... THEN a drama unfolded:

The rope holding the boat to the pier snapped as a lady was boarding and the boat drifted away with the gangplank suspended over open water and the lady still standing on it. A crewman reached over, grabbed her and pulled her onto the pier. She hadn't realised what had happened. Then a spectacularly scenic boat ride between the mountains to Riva. A bit disappointing that we did not have time in Riva, but the coach took us straight to Malcesine. Here on the hillside sloping down into the lake and looking upwards to the heights of Monte Baldo we explore the streets of Malcesine. A similar blend to the other towns and with just as much charm. We also wander the old streets to the castle. Then back onto the coach to return to Garda. In the evening we walk into Garda and again enjoy the atmosphere and the music.

Wednesday: Today we catch the bus to Verona. There we start at the impressive Arena and make our way to Juliet's house, pushing through the crowd to photograph the famous balcony where Romeo wooed her (and I thought they were only fictional characters). Then we explore further making our way to the river, then high up some steps to a castle with magnificent views of Verona and the surrounding plain. Here we listen to a harpist playing beautiful music (we think she was playing to greet guests to a wedding reception).

In the afternoon we spend time round the pool, reading, swimming and relaxing. After dinner we walk to Bardolino along the promenade. The nighttime atmosphere here was even livelier than in Garda. The smell of the jasmine and other flowers along the path to and from Bardolino was very pleasant.

Thursday: Today we return to Bardolino for the morning market. It is raining as we set off so I buy an umbrella. Immediately the rain stops and we have bright sunshine as we explore the market. After we walk on to Lazise. This time it's harder going; one hour in hot sunshine and the lakeside path is rougher. Worth it though, because Lazise is a quiet, but pleasant walled town. More relaxing than the hustle and bustle of Bardolino street market. After, we return to Garda by ferry.

In the afternoon we go for a swim and relax by the pool. After dinner we again walk to Bardolino. This time I do need the umbrella! But fortunately, only for some of the time.

Friday: The umbrella gets full use today. We catch the bus to Riva del Garda. This is a lovely little town sloping down the hillside into Lake Garda. Our exploration is hampered by the rain and eventually we have to take shelter. The ferry is due to Malcesine so we hop on. At Malcesine it is still raining heavily so we catch the bus back to Garda.

Saturday: A very early start this morning as we catch the bus to the airport to make our way back home.