Instead of searching for Easter eggs (we follow traditions very rarely anyway) we decided to spend the long weekend at Lake Garda, the place that always has a special place in our hearts. It’s because it (and Venice) was the destination of our very first vacation together, way back in 2011, the trip that changed the course of our lives and fate(s). Now I wonder why we’ve waited this long to come back here.
One thing you must know about Garda Lake is that it is immensly popular among Germans, especially those living in the South like we are. Coming down on Easter weekend we already knew we couldn’t possibly avoid the crowds, but I believe we managed to make the best out of it. We stayed in Gaino, a small village on the less popular side of the lake, rent a fast motorbike and headed uphills to the mountains, exactly the opposite of everybody else.
Italy is probably Europe’s most favourite country among tourists and they have very good reasons for it. The weather is usually nice, mild in the winter and always sunny all year around. The foods are always delicious and the scenery is more than dreamy. We’re not particularly fond of anything over popular but its charm is undeniable. Many Germans end up here after retirement, we won’t be surprised if we would, too ;-).
Downtown Torre del Benaco, on the east side of the lake
We had bread, prosciutto, salami and wine for a romantic Lake Garda picknick-dinner – but had no corkscrew 🙁
Sunset over Toscolano-Maderno while arriving by ferry from Torre del Benaco.Google translation gone wrong.: “Belästigung” means “sexual harassment” in German, surely the chef didn’t mean it this way…when in Italy…A perfectly pimped, 1962 VespaMy biker boy 😉The must-have selfie in front of Lago d’Idro in the mountains west of Lake Garda.Village life
Southern part of lake garda, overlooking Toscolano-MadernoNorthern part of lake GardaOlive trees from aboveThe old center of Gaino village.
2013 was the start of our life in Munich. Since we didn’t want to rush with the home-hunting, we decided to keep our apartment in Frankfurt until we found something we both really like. So J had to bear it all. It was a very busy and stressful time for him with starting a new job and looking for our new home at the same time. But the wait was worth it. One day, he whatsapped me some pictures of an apartment he was taking a look at like usual, this time, not like the other fifty or so previous places I always had tons of questions for, my only answer was “Take it!”. And we did. It was perfect: an independent loft in a very quiet corner in the middle of the bustling city, door-to-ceiling windows on all 4 sides, lots of sunshine, and a huge private roof terrace (!), no more than 2km from J’s office (and mine).
I could never forget the day I came down here with the train (the moving company packed all our stuffs in Frankfurt and delivered them the next day). It had been snowing the whole winter so everything was white like Christmas. He picked me up from the train station (I think with a rose in his hand), drove me through a city I only vaguely knew from occasional visits, and introduced me to our new home in the sweetest way possible. The staircase leading to our loft was lit up with candles and when I entered our new home for the first time, I fell in love. The whole place was empty ;-). An air mattress on one side, his beloved stereo equipment on the other (the only thing he didn’t trust the moving company with), one bottle of champagne and two glasses in the middle. That’s all we got. And all we needed.
