BACK HOME AND FREEZING

I am back home to Waterloo/Brussels and am freezing ! From 30 °C (86 F) to 17° (62 F) it is quite a difference ! Even on our way back through Austria and Germany it was hot and we were happy to have an aircondionned car ! As soon as we came into Belgium, first thing I thought was putting on the heating ! The house was quite cool and apparently we escaped to the sunshine in the right moment, because it had mostly rained over here.

Now I am busy to put everything in place, we have bought a lot of Italian cheese which is delicious and also some cold meat and ham. That's the only things which were cheaper then here. Italy has become very expensive for everything. Fruits are more expensive then home and general food too. The only thing which has remained cheap is wine !

Every spot you could park a car you had to pay for and a lot ! For one hour parking sometimes the price was 2 € (4.77 $ !) or more and if you add this to a drink on a nice terrace, there are easily min 15 € (24 $) gone ! When I think that 30 years ago we almost stopped at every Café to have a drink with friends !

As soon as I am updated with my household stuff, I will tell you a little more about what I have seen.


The peace bell, hanging in the moutains overlooking Rovereto (Mr. Gattino's home town)



Tremosine and the part of the Garda Lake where the last James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace" was shot. This here is the hotel situated high above the lake where the crew was staying and all these famous cars parked.



an excursion to the Monte Baldo (1800 m high - 5906 ft) with a stunning view over the lake and mountains



A roundtrip through Verona, home town of Romeo and Julia



and the Lago di Ledro above the Garda Lake in the mountains

SHOW & TELL

More participants are here at Kelly's Show and tell Friday

Of course I have to show and tell you about my 65 birthday we celebrated here at the Garda Lake ! I was really very spoiled !


These are me with the gifts I got from Mr. Gattino, of course all cats ! little wooden once a big one and another wooden one and of course the Venice Carnival mask !





We then went to a nearby beautiful little town Malcesine, which is called The pearl of the Garda Lake and had a glass there.






We sat just in front of the harbour where you can take a boat to make a roundtrip around the lake.


In the evening we went in a beautiful restaurant just under a mountain, with palm trees and cypresses and a lot of flowers around together with friends and a cousin and his wife.






Today I am back home and in the rain ! as soon as we crossed the Belgian border it started to rain. That was our welcome.

To all of you who wished me a happy birthday, I thank very much I was really touched.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - ITALY

This is my last post from Italy. We are on the way home and Blogger will post it for me today.

13 Things which happened during our holidays at the Garda Lake in Italy


1. 3 terrible thunderstorms ! I am not used to at all, with fist thick hail (fortunately not in our little town) overfloading and little tornados which blew roofs away !

2. Our appartment was overfloaded, the water came out of the shower. We just had time to put our stuff on beds, sofa and tables.

3. The lightening was scaring and the thunder in the mountains so loud !

4. Mr. Gattino got a stiff neck, I suspect he looked too much at young girls !

5. While visiting the "Bell of Peace" above Rovereto (Mr. Gattino's home town) he discovered a picture of his father from 1945 being part of UNPA (which was a group helping against airforce attacks) who after eight years of silence made the bell ringing by their arms force.

6. The two ladies working there turned out to be friends of my SIL and knew the family very well !

7. While we had our picnic up in the mountains at another beautiful lake and we watched a rescue by helicopter. Next day we read in the newspaper it was a cyclist who will remain paralized.

8. I went with my girlfriend to the concert of peace which was helt in Rovereto. There were more than 3000 people listening to the music of different singers or groups from Europe.

9. People are protesting against a new American base project. The Bush governemnt wants 1200 soldiers here to protect them. Everybody is for peace but not with armed American soldiers and don't want any protection. Therefore they are very anti American. For American soldiers it would be very nice, because the base would be in very beautiful holiday place ! But I doubt very much that Bush has thought about that !

10. I saw twice a swan family, mom, dad and 4 babies crossing the beach amongst the tourists to join the lake !

11. We went to a beautiful restaurant up in the mountains, looking very austrian, specialized in spare ribs and roasted chicken.

12. I have never seen so many surfers in my whole life !

13. I will miss my lake !




The swan family on their way to the lake






The Austrian looking restaurant




The bell of peace and my father in law in 1945


Helicopter rescue



Protest everywhere : Peace yes, but not with a war base. No to the base of Dimattarello



The peace concert

WORDLESS WEDENESDAY

These are parts of the scenery put up in the Arena in Verona (Italy) for the Opera Aida !

NO COMPILED NEWS BUT BIRTHDAY

Today is my birthday and we will celebrate tonight in a beautiful restaurant in the mountains. They have fresh trouts right away out of a trout culture of which there are a lot around here.

It is a quite round birthday, 65, and it sounds very old to me. There must be a mistake in my birth certificate, I am sure !

I have got this beautiful Venice mask this morning, handmade with a certificate of origin ! A cat of course which made me very happy !

Tomorrow we will leave and drive home. Of course I have many pictures to show and a lot of stories to tell !

And here are some drinks for you



Salute (eh) !



Isn't that a beautiful mask ?



and some drinks for you ! They have an enormous choice with or without alcohol !

FUN MONDAY - FISHING NO FISHES

Odd shots is here Love message graffitis at Romeo and Julia's house !



More participants here at Ur Olive

Ur Olive would like to hear about our *whopper* of a fishing story. She wants to hear a fishing story from us.

I don't like fishing at all ! at least not for fishes. Sitting there with a Angel in your hand and starring in the water until a tiny fish finally eats the poor worm, I really cannot call a sport. And fishing with nets is even worse because there are so many other poor creatures captured too. I recognize it is necessary for us to eat fish sometimes at least, so I better don't think about how it was catched.

Besides this kind of fishing, I never fished for compliments, but I did twice a nice catch with my personal net. The first fish I catched became rotten after a while so I had to throw it in the garbadge or I would have gotten an indigestion. The second catch was a success ! I still have this fish in my acquarium now, I couldn't eat it because I felt in love with it. So I gave up fishing completely until this day.



My personal fish in its acquarium

WEEKLY WINNERS

More participants here at Sarcastic Mom Weekly winners


As you know or not, I am spending my holidays at the Garda Lake in Italy. I show you some pictures I took this week.





A Swan family crosses the beach without hesitation and the tourists had just to jump aside !


The Arena in Verona where mostly operas are shown. Singers like Pavarotti, the Callas etc. have song here. It is the same arena, where roman gladiators fought.


a restaurant stuck at the rocks



a street painter






Next week I will have much more of this beautiful place where Mr. Gattino was born and lived here until he was 24.