Saturday

Back in the city after a busy morning. Rode on the East side of Lake Garda again today. Didn't try to do any big hills, but had a good 2.5 hour workout. Great weather.

Following lunch at a lakeside cafe, we tried hard to chaeck out the vineyards, but were only successful at one tasting. We saw a lot of vineyards, and some one lane roads that weren't pretty, but the second shop was closed and the third we never found. 2 is back in the room to come down from the excitement of the tour!

I would guess that during my ride that I saw 200-300 riders, maybe more. Several clubs out in force with 15+ riders or more. One group of five American couples from Denver on a guided tour. Cycling is definetly a way of life here.

Saturday here is like Saturday in the States, traffic in the downtown area very light, many shops off the beaten path closed, and the touristy spots very busy.

Lake Garda has many similarities to Tahoe, including the over-commercialization of different areas. Pretty clear water that I could see. A couple of topless sunbathers close enough to the road that a less-focussed rider could have been distracted. (Glad I wasn't tail-gating bcbison!) But no sand on the small beaches that I saw. Just gravel of some sort.

I'm a little lost without my daily papers and cell phone. And I miss the familiarity of my regular SB's. If I had an international/Internet set-up, I would Twitter some updates. I don't think we'll get a phone at this point.

Hope the weekend in IC is good for 3 and 4. Sorry I don't get to see you this trip. Go Hawks!

We wrap up our stay in Verona tonight, leaving in the late morning for Turin. I'm guessing that it will be a four hour drive. I may check in here before departure.

Thanks for reading. It's all good in Italia!

BCOT