Six word Saturday

Looking back on those golden days

It’s been a dreary week weatherwise so I haven’t been out and about as much as usual.  I’ve used the time well though and written a couple of Italian guides.  The old albums came out and took me back down Memory Lane, and I thought that you might like to come too?

Malcesine from Monte Baldo

Lake Garda was a family favourite when James was small.  Icecream, pasta and pizza- need I say more?

He was quite keen on the Power Rangers too!  Remember them?

We stayed that first year in a small family run hotel in Bardolino.  Our welcome was warm and the food memorable.  A simple tomato sauce with the pasta was the best I have ever tasted.  The tureen went round and around the dining room, till everyone was stuffed full.  You just couldn’t refuse!

Our days were spent hopping on and off ferries to explore the lakeside towns.  James especially loved the hydrofoils and his face would light up whenever he saw one.

Gardone Riviera

Limone del Garda

Castello at Sirmione

From the battlements at Sirmione

And then there was Gardaland!  Not on a par with Disney, but it was a good old family romp, with pirates, parrots and sealions.  The day ended following the procession, led by the park mascot, Prezzemolo (Parsley), a friendly green dragon.

Sunset in Bardolino

We had so much fun in Bardolino and still had lots to see, so the following year we returned to the top end of the lake, staying at Torbole.  This time we had a pool but the water was FREEZING!  James ventured in with his blow up dinghy, but I much preferred the ferries.

Torbole sul Garda

Windsurfers on Garda

A much younger Michael, lakeside at Riva del Garda

The moat at Riva

Torbole is the windsurfing centre on Lake Garda and some days the wind was quite fierce.  The surrounding scenery was spectacular however, and one day we went on a walking trip to Arco.

Spectacular Arco

James was mostly just impressed with the icecream, and playing in fountains, of course.  Another firm favourite was a tabletop game, a bit like pinball but played with a cue.  We’d seen it before in Austria.  Anyone else played it?

The following year we couldn’t possibly return to Garda again, so we went to Lake Como and lovely Bellagio instead.  More ferries to ride.  Still in love with Italy, Sorrento came next…. but perhaps I should save those memories for another day.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my Six word Saturday.  It’s all down to Cate at Show my face, who had the idea to share your week in six words. (which often lead to many more)  Go  check out her page so you can join in?  Use the link or my header above.  The button below will take you to my previous 6WS posts.  I promise to be briefer next week!

44 comments

  1. Thanks for taking me with you down memory lane. It’s so great that you have such awesome memories with your loved ones. By the way, Power Rangers Rock! 😀

    Like

    Reply

  3. Amazing , beautiful pictures. It’s like looking at a dream we all hope to visit. I felt the joy you were feeling while making this post. You have a wonderful family…the words and images showed it all. Thanks….

    Like

    Reply

  10. Lovely holidays.. isn’t it amazing how photography has changed over the years? Your pictures now have a “retro” vibe that we now have to “add” back to our photos with software to get the look! Love it!

    Like

    Reply

  14. Born in your typical 1950s American suburb. Currently living in (very) rural Vermont (ie Heaven’s back yard garden) but, still, these photos remind me: I gotta sse more world.

    Thanx.

    Like

    Reply

  16. oooh lovely pictures! we should call this ‘six photo Saturday’ instead!
    PS – love the first photo – I can see a painting in there just waiting to come out … if you would let me ‘borrow’ the photo?!!
    have a lovely weekend

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hi Aly! I get a bit carried away sometimes. Should I start 16 photo Saturday d’you think? It might run!
      Feel free to borrow- I’d love to see your take on it.
      You too! Julie’s heading your way, isn’t she? I’m off to a 40s style tea party soon. Right about the time Rafa will be playing in Monte Carlo. (never been there!)

      Like

      Reply

  18. Love the Garda pics. It could be my childhood’s pics as well :). Have many dear memories of the Lago di Garda, it was a family favorite for us as well. I returned last year in summer and it was awesome to be back!!
    Thanks for sharing your pics, it makes my rainy Saturday morning a lot more dreamy 😉

    Like

    Reply

  20. Spectacular pictures. Thanks for sharing yours and your families memories with us. Is this a popular tourist destination? I’ve been to Italy once and I don’t recall coming across the name (let alone any pictures of it) during my research. If it’s OK with you I may want to reblog some of your material in the future on our small startup site (if you would like to review our site it’s wanderinggenie.wordpress.com). If that would be OK please let me know. Of note, by looking at your blog it appears that you may be the type of person we are trying to reach with our startup. If you’re interested please take a look at our site. As we are just starting up any feedback you give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Cheers

    Like

    Reply

    1. If they’re passing through many people concentrate on the cities, and rightly so, but Italy has some fabulous scenery as you can see. I love lakes and mountains and the 2 guides I was writing this week are for http://www.travelwkly.com. One was this area around Garda and just south of the Dolomites, the other the Amalfi coastline. Have a look if you’re interested. He’s needing more people to write for him too.
      http://www.travelwkly.com/2012/04/the-magic-of-the-italian-lakes/
      http://www.travelwkly.com/2012/04/top-ten-things-to-do-on-the-amalfi-coast/

      I had a quick look at your site and don’t mind if you reblog from mine. I’ll leave some comments later.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.