MADAME GPS AND SHORTCUTS

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Being at the Garda Lake in Italy, which is not that far from Venice (+- 200 km, 124 miles) we decided to go there on Wednesday. Everything went smooth, we had a wonderful day and walked through Venice. But about Venice I will write a special post.

When we left the park house, my son put the adress of the main street of Rovereto, where our friend lives into Madame GPS. As his GPS has a female voice, (mine too) we call it Madame GPS.

Madame GPS directed us to the highway we had already taken, but then suddenly she told us to turn right, which we did and suddenly we were on another highway with of course no way to turn.

Ileana my Italian friend, got nervous : We are wrong, we are wrong ! she claimed, "turn around" ! Suddenly the highway ended and after having payed we found ourselves on a national street (that's how they call streets which are not highways) Madame GPS told us to go ahead for X km. We did. Then we had to turn left or right I don't remember, my son drove, my friend got more and more excited, she thought we were lost. She wasn't used to a GPS.

The street led us higher and higher into the mountains, from 30°C we suddenly found ourselves at 9 or 10° and had to put the heating on. No car was around we were completely alone on this street which looked like a rolled up snake on Madame GPS' screen. At some time the turns were so narrow that we could only see a mass, it really was a mess. Deep gores and rocks on the left and right side of the narrow street. Suddenly we were more then 2000 m (6562 ft) high ! and besides one mountain shelter, we didn't even see a cow. But we saw snow ! a big block of snow.

Poor Ileana saw herself already dying in the mountains of a terrible death and being in the newspapers the next day "Tourists lost in the Little Dolomites " that's were we were !

But after the 14th turn, the street went down and down and then we saw houses and cows and we all laughed and laughed (except Ileana who still was under shock) and bravely Madame GPS conducted us to Corso Rosmini the street my son had asked for, only instead of directing us there through the highway, she gently took us over the Dolomites directly into this street. Just like we had asked for !

I had never been in the Dolomites, it was a wonderful sightseeing !



Snow block we saw



This picture is not from me, it's just to show you the kind of streets we had to drive through.

******

Michael Jackson
was a great artist. I saw him life together with my son in 1988 in Brussels.
I am really sad that he died so young.

SHOW & TELL

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Some of you know that I am actually in Italy at the Garda Lake. As the weather is not so nice, I was happy to find a nice "office" with Internet connection just in front of our appartment in a camping. There is a nice bar surrounded with flowers and palm trees, where I can sit, write and chat !

Here is the view from outside





The entrance


the terrace with tables


and myself with my "Ordino" which means little computer in Italian. It is really very practical for travelling.

Yesterday we went to Venice and also to Murano which is famous for its glass blowing. Of course I will show pictures of it later when I am home again.





Meanwhile I show you what I bought. A mom cat with 3 kittens in Murano glass. It's very cute !

******

I heard about Michael Jacksons death this morning.
He was a great artist. I saw him life together with my son in 1988 in Brussels.
I am really sad that he died so young.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

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As you may know I am actually in Northern Italy on holidays. Yesterday I visited Venice.

13 things I noticed in Venice

1. Last time I had been in Venice was in 1971. The Piazza San Marco was full of tourists



2. Yesterday I was standing on the same place and even in June it was still full of tourists

3. The place didn't look so nice because there were lots of advertising pannels from


Casanova's prison renovated by Sisly

4. even the prison where Casanova was was surrounded by advertising. I couldn't see very much

5. The prices on this place are more for people with a big bank account. One small little Italian espresso only for 10 to 15 € ! Imagine you are 4 like we were.

5. You are not allowed to eat or drink on the place. (you could have brought your own pic nic)

6. Everywhere you go you have to use your feet or a boat.



7. For everything we use a motor vehicle here you use boats. Ambulance,taxi, police, garbadge, transport of food, bus boats etc.



8. If ever you intend to be romantic and use the Gondola, the "Gondoliere" who paddles you through the canals is not romantic at all. You pay 15 to 20 € per person. It all depends how luxious outfit of the boat.



9. But this is the tourist staff. We did it different, thanks to my Italian friend who knows Venice lilke her purse

10. We walked through little side streets, over little bridges, saw the beautiful old houses with a lot of flower decorations

11. We found a very cute little restaurant where you could eat in the garden. The food was delicious and the price very democratic, for a whole menu we only payed 14 € (1$ is a little more)

12. We had sphagettis with seafood, in a delicious sauce, grilled different fish with salad and an Espresso.

13. All in all we had a wonderful day, but you really have to be very careful, sometimes they try to cheat on "stupid" tourists. With us they didn't dare, because we spoke Italian.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

PS. Today I am in Venice together with my son, dil and my best Italian friend since 40 years ! Of course I will report about it. Last time I saw Venice must have been more then 25 years ago _

MY WORLD - Northern Italy

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Even in Northern Italy you should never be in a hurry. We arrived on saturday and on sunday morning I was looking for internet connection and hurrah ! I found a cheap connection just in the next door camping ! Instead of 5 € for an hour he only asked 1 €. Good news. So armed with my baby computer I crossed the little path from our flat to the camping and found the reception open but with a lady at the counter who didn't know anything about a computer. It was as if I had asked for a space shuttle to rent.

Finally after half an hour her son showed up just to tell me that I had to come back in the afternoon, because there was no paper in the printer to print out my code. Apparently it's a special thing and he had to go to the next big town to buy it. In the afternoon, he had forgotten to buy the paper so I came back in the evening and now I am finally here this morning ! The weather is so and so, it's hot then cold then cloudy then blue sky. Definitively not the heat of Morocco, I even had to buy a cardigan.

So for the moment my world is here in northern Italy at the Garda Lake. As I have been here the last three years I wrote already about this beautiful lake in my Countries and Cities blog. I know this part of Italy very well because I have been here 23 times ! Mr. Gattino is from here.

Internet connection can be very moody because of the high mountains around the lake, so I am very sorry if I can't vist a lot of blogs. My time is also limited.

Here are a few new pictures I took since we arrived.

During our trip we really had bad weather and it often rained. But as soon as we arrived at the border between Austria and Italy, we had to pleasure to see this :





weather at the entrance of the Italian highway just after leaving Austria
and wonderful sunshine in Italy just behind the border ! We had left Germany at 7°C in the morning and suddenly had 30°C in Italyin the afternoon !


My home for 10 days


The beach, empty early morning




The river Sarca enters the lake coming from the high mountains


Riva cute little town




PS. Please also visit WW tomorrow, because I am in Venice and had to schedule the post.