Thursday, November 5

a walk along the lake

When you wander, without thinking too much or too much planning, you stumble on things. Things that you wouldn't go out of your way to do, things that do not make good brochure fodder. That is, perhaps, exactly why I wander.


Riva del Garda is just such a place. Oh, in the summer, it's bursting with tourists. Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, cupped in the palm of the Dolomites, dotted with cobblestone villages and medieval castles. And Riva is the crowning jewel offering everything from day spas to camping.

But in November, on a weekday, the streets are empty, the hotels are all closed, the paths at the lake shore are clear, save for the stray local that scurries silently by.


And I wandered into Riva on a day like this.


I'd never been in downtown Riva before. It had always been too full. But now it was perfect for wandering. Slowly, like toddlers finding new things. We wandered into an empty playground with a red rope web to climb. Then noticed a canal close by and went to see the boats. Random ducks and a single swan swam up to see if we had any stale bread to share. A sculpture catches the eye. We wander.


7 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:51 AM

    I love Lake Garda. We were in Verona in August and went to a few places on the east coast of the lake.

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  2. Looks like a ghost city - too empty!
    Too many people is not good either.
    Where do they live? I mean people who're working in those hotels etc.
    Nice pics! :)

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  3. Many of the people who work in the hotels come seasonally from Eastern Europe. Also, the surrounding area to the north has a huge skiing industry, so we suspect that many of the Italians leave to work the ski slopes for the winter.

    We were there to see the Dentist.

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  4. What a beautiful place. Mist in the blue mountains, a lake, a beautiful swan, a romantic bridge and picturesque scenery. Wow! Your pictures are great.

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  5. aah, similar happens in Finland: young ski addicts from southern Finland take a job for winter season as a waiter etc. in Lapland. All their free time they ski (slalom).

    Have a nice day!

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  6. Beautiful photos, Christine. I love it when busy places become quiet during the off season. They're quiet yet you can tell that the streets are waiting for the people and the bustle to return.

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  7. Woooooow. Beautiful pics. And I loved your comment about the value of wandering without too much planning. I think I've forgotten that recently.

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...and you may ask yourself, well...how did I get here?