Holiday on the Lake GARDA, Klaus Metzger [suggested reading .TXT] 📗

By bus to Lake Garda

After we had traveled in the spring of 2014 with the remote bus to Hamburg and had convinced us of this transport system, we were looking forward to the bus trip to Lake Garda. However, we had to spend a lot of patience.  

 

The bus picked us up on time on Wednesday evening, April 30, 2014 against 22.50 clock at the P + R car park at the Cafe del Sol (where we have our car parked) in Hildesheim. The first passengers were already boarded in Hannover (we were the only ones from Hildesheim). Then it was on to Bockenem, Seesen, Göttingen, Homburg (Efze) and Kirchheim (at junction) where more passengers walked in.

 

 At 4 clock in the morning all the passengers were on board and we had - from our starting point "Hildesheim" - about 200 km traveled. There were still about 800 km before us. This collection took a lot of time and thought on the way back we would need less time. However, this proved to be a fallacy.

 

 Well we arrived in light rain ahead very quickly and 6:30 clock's been on a rest area on the first cup of coffee and a way for the toilet or to stretch your legs. The weather had improved significantly on the way to the "South". Behind Kufstein (Austria), there was another break (against 10 clock) on a large parking lot with the Country Time Motor Hotel near Angath. Here I had the opportunity to get some information (eg, the bus company came south of Hamburg) from the first bus driver Thomas (there was also a second driver available) to learn.

 

 

  The author talks to the bus driver Thomas

 

 Just before the finish there was about 12 clock nor a "hearty" lunch (hot sausage, potato salad, beer or cola) from the bus galley and it tasted excellent. Nevertheless, it took up to 15 clock (total of 15 hours travel time) until our arrival at the hotel "La limonaia" in Limone on Lake Garda.

The slightly different hotel ...

 

View of Limone (from the balcony)

 

 This, too, was - as the duration of the arrival and departure - the secret of the travel agency: In the brochure were called four hotels to choose from. It was only on the way we learned the name of our three-star hotel. Why this is so, I still could not clarify. Upon arrival everything went relatively quickly. We got the room 6510, which was ideally located in a quiet part of the hotel complex. The luggage service worked great. From the balcony we shared with the Zimmmernachbarn in 6508, we had a magnificent view of Limone.

 

 

 

  Limone at night (from the balcony)

 

 For the dining room, there was a yellow card with our data. Maybe the color should be an omen for the coming problems "yellow"? It began with the access to the dining room! You could leave this at ground level though, you got admission but only after laborious climbing stairs or using the elevator. With a barrier of access to the wooden staircase was monitored over which one could get from the first floor to the ground floor dining room. Especially for older people, this was grueling! Why this difficult procedure? Book a table (see below) and set meal times could be the problem solved elegantly and the "Trepp to" and "from Trepp" - system could be abolished.  

 

All the tables were numbered - but only for the operating personnel. The guests had their respective seats actually "fight". There was no common law. We happened that we had reserved two seats and went to the buffet. When we came back, they were busy and we had to look for new seating.

 

 Before breakfast with long queues with entsprechenen waiting times. To get around this, we had become accustomed to us to make relatively early on the 1st floor in front of the barrier, to reserve the selected table downstairs clearly and to order the drinks. Then the "battle of the Cold Buffet" could begin. Also interesting was the treasurer operation of the operator. Even during the meal we were asked to pay. This appealed to us not at all, because we were used to pay the bill after a meal or to sign the settlement document for the reception. But: Complaining was pointless (maybe it was the Romanian operator?).

 

 We had fun with the mini market in the hotel where the drinks were offered at a reasonable price. Compared to buying the center of Limone we saved us transport. Since there was no fridge in the room, we could still serve us with Refrigerated from the mini market.

 

 A few remarks on the subject of "applications"! According to the prospectus of the tour operator a treatment program with 21 treatments (massage, mud baths, magnetic, electrical and ozone therapy) was offered at the hotel. The Polish staff and the places we did not find very convincing. We also felt reminded of our Spa in Swinemünde, of which we were very disappointed in 2010. Since we disrupted the waiting times before treatment, we did not participate in this program. We have not looked back.

The first impression of Limone

 

 

The hotel mini bus

 

Our first day out to the center of Limone was accompanied by a light rain shower. Due to these circumstances, we used the minibus. He took us 10 minutes to the bus station and cost 1 euro p. Person. From this stop, we came across the promenade to the center. Jutta bought interesting souvenirs and we provided us with drinks. The latter was not worth it, as you could in the mini market in the hotel shop at the same prices (as we later found out).

 

 Against 13.10 clock, the return trip was provided to the hotel. Since only 8 people could ride, we had to wait a round. We used the waiting time even for a bottle FORST beer (0.66 l) from South Tyrol and a Coke. After returning we ate at the pizza a little something for lunch. The first impression of our resort area was very positive and we already recognized that we would recover well.   

 

 

The pizzeria of the hotel complex

The panorama to the center

The May 3, 2014 was a glorious sunny day at the lake. Therefore, we decided (after breakfast at 8 clock), to wander over the panorama to the center. We took a lot of time for the magnificent view options and discovered some great pictures. On the stairs of an older house, we also found a reference to the church of San Rocco. After some climbing we found the entrance to this small church.

 

 

 

  The altar of the church of San Rocco

 

 

 

  The Holy Danielle Comboni

 

One picture showed an important personality, I only found out later from the information brochure of the community Limone their significance for him. Comboni was born on March 15, 1831 in Limone and died on 10 October 1881 in Khartoum / Sudan. He worked as a missionary in Africa and has done an excellent job there. For this he was blessed and canonized 1996 resp. 5 October 2003. The missionary center is still in Limone.

 

 

 View from the ponorama

 

  Shortly after the church we had already reached the center in less than an hour. Google+ has used our photo album to create under the title "Panorama" a very interesting collage.

 

 

  

lemon

"You know the land where the lemon trees bloom?" (J. W. von Goethe)

At this point I would like to contribute some historical information about our resort of Limone. The area was inhabited as early as 600 BC by Celtic tribes. During the Venetian Republic (early 15th century) Limone became the northernmost farming center for citrus fruit in Europe. There was an extremely favorable climate.

 

 

 

 

    Former lemon plantation (left) and hotel complex "La Limonaia"  

 

But this was not sufficient, since it lacked precious earth that was brought in by ship from the southern shore. Thick stone walls served to protect the fruits from the north-east winds. Even today, several meters high stone piles on the roof, which was installed in the winter (I first thought of building ruins, as I have met them in Turkey).

 

 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "The Italian Journey" described in his travel report (Sept. 1786 to May 1788), the citrus groves of Limone on the way from Torbole to Malcesine:

 

   "September 13, 1786 - The morning was glorious, though cloudy, but in the silent twilight. We drove in Limone over, created the mountain gardens, terrace manner, and planted with lemon trees, provide a rich and cleanly watch. The whole garden consists of rows of white square pillars that stand apart in a certain distance and move gradually looking to go up the mountain. About this pillar are set to cover the intervening