Our train from Venice arrived
into Verona an hour late and we were greeted by a huge downpour. The rain
thundered down in a biblical fashion and would continue for the majority of the
three days we would spend in the city. After the glorious weather in Venice,
this came as somewhat of a surprise and no matter how hard we tried, we
couldn't stop it affecting your opinion of a place.
Verona seemed like a city that was elegant, rich, and beautiful, but also small, old, and quiet.
We didn't come across any clubs, dance floors, or loud bustling bars. Just quiet wine bars and a plethora of expensive restaurants that we were happy to try, but wouldn’t be happy to visit regularly.
We visited a castle for a bit of culture and it had a beautiful bridge. It also had a horse head fountain! But it is far too weird/wonderful to share in this post.
We spent the majority of our
time in Verona going between coffee shops and restaurants, trying to stay dry
and out of the rain. We saw the Arena but decided not to go inside (as it was
raining). The Piazza Bra was lovely and was even beautiful with the bad
weather. We saw several ornately decorated and interesting buildings and
churches and enjoyed the romantic feel to the city.
We walked under a whale bone that has hung from an arch for over a
hundred years. Legend has it that it will remain there until someone walks
under the bone that has never told a lie. I guess there has to be a minimum age
requirement as well otherwise it would have fallen down and crushed a baby by
now.
We went to
Juliet’s house and balcony and even got to touch her boob. This is the same
boob that Leo touched in Baz Lurhmann's remake of the classic Shakespearean
tragedy. There is a certain thrill to groping a statue in front of an audience.
It’s like a tamer form of streaking.
We met up with a GSK Super-Grad called Callum and drank wine and told stories. It was nice to have someone else in the fray as so much of our time had been spent drinking wine on our own on those rainy days. Callum made us feel less like alcoholics and more like social drinkers.
On the third day we awoke early and got on short train to Lake
Garda. As we left Verona in the rain, we seemed to pass through the clouds and
emerge on the other side into what turned out to be a beautiful day and one I
wish I hadn’t spent wearing jeans.
Lake Garda is
stunning. Clear water for miles with mountains on the horizon, it is truly one
of the nicest places I have been to. We set up camp in a cafeteria and I went
on a lone walk for a good few miles around this beautiful landmark. It was one
of those mornings that will live long in my memory. It was so relaxing and
chilled and the sun made a massive difference to both of our moods. We were
uplifted. It was either the sun and heat or the excuse to eat a delicious ice
cream.
We ordered a panino each and sat on a bench overlooking a lake
drinking a cheap fizzy wine and orange juice combo that got us quite giggly and
over-excited. It was a delightful way to spend a morning and one that will stay
with us for a long time.
