Buses, Boats and Coaches

#Sirmione #GrottediCatullo #malcesi​ne #bardolino #lazise

Not being happy just sunbathing nowadays on holiday, we like to explore the area as well. In this case choosing to visit Sirmione by the ferry. A relatively cheap option and a chance to see more of the coastline on the way. Compulsory mask wearing was a farce as everyone put them on to board then immediately removed them. 
We passed both Bardolino and Lazise on the way and decided if we would like to visit them as well another day. 
Sirmione was another pretty town and we enjoyed exploring the small streets with interesting shops and squares. One great photo stop was the house covered in Bougainvillea, which I decided to sketch on my iPad.

After exploring the town, we decided to explore the old ruined Roman villa on the headland, the Grotte di Catullo, although it would have been cheaper if we were still members of the EU!  An interesting site with a fascinating history and great views over the lake. 

After a hot afternoon exploring, it was back to the ferry which fortunately didn't have any stops on the way back, and we were soon back in Garda.

Bus to Malcesine

Having been told about the cable car up the mountain at Malcesnine, this was our next day out and we decided to go by bus as the bus station was near the hotel. Buying the ticket was easy and as soon as the bus arrived we decided to get on the bus. As Sue entered, the driver suddenly decided to close the door and she was lucky not to be hurt when it hit her. There was no apology!. The driver was quite aggressive threatening any one who removed their mask during the journey and generally unpleasant, but we arrived safely.
Deciding to go straight to the cable car, we saw there were huge queues. Buying our tickets we were told to join the line thirty minutes before our time slot although, most people seemed to ignore this. After refreshments, we joined the line and managed to get on the cable car after about forty minutes. We then played a game of squash to see how many would fit in. This seemed counter productive having worn a mask on the bus journey but not everyone wearing it here.
Arriving at the top, the views were excellent and we spent a couple of hours wandering around the area, before queuing to come down, just as the rain started. It was interesting, as the cable car descended, we noticed that the ones coming up were nearly empty- all about timing it seems.

Arriving at the bottom, we decided to have look around the town before heading back and with the sun out we soon dried off. The town was another typical lakeside one with more cobbled streets and shops etc. Another town well worth a visit as was the trip up the mountain.

Here I also found an interesting sketch to do on the iPad-One of the many restaurants

A nice walk and another bus trip

Having passed Bardolino on the ferry, we decided to walk there, as it  was only forty minutes away. The lakeside promenade made the walk easy and although hot there was some shade. With cafes along the route there was always somewhere to get a drink if needed. This was another typical town with lots of impressive buildings.


Bardolino was another interesting town with a large square. At the end of it was a large church and  wedding was taking place inside. We took a sneak peak and then met a couple from Yorkshire who wanted a photograph of them standing next to the bridal car! 

---

Another day we decided to visit Lazise,  further down the lake by bus. As it was a Sunday the ticket office was closed and you had to buy tickets at the machine which wasn't very easy. One young woman, who had four children with he,  put the children on the bus and tried to pay the driver by card but he would only take money. She then went to the machine to get tickets there, but this wouldn't work. The bus driver was then going to drive off without her but fortunately it was sorted with no help from the driver.

Three interesting days out. Although the towns have some similarities, they all have there own unique characters and are all worth a visit.