Dream journey days Lake Garda Day 8

Last day of vacation😩

So, what to do? We had a leisurely breakfast, discussed, and decided to take the ferry to Sirmione, the next town by the lake, more a small peninsula jutting into the lake. So, we headed down the 'hill' to the ferry terminal. The short ride to Sirmione was pleasant and calm.

Upon arrival, we were almost overwhelmed by a flood of ice cream shops; everywhere ice cream was offered for tasting, and the saleswomen tempted us with large scoops of the most unusual ice cream flavors, and of course, we couldn't resist. Here, I had the best pistachio ice cream of my life, but also the most expensive 😉.

The castle is quite worth seeing; however, I visited it many years ago during a vacation with my family, and so we weren't really in a cultural mood anymore, instead we strolled leisurely through the quaint town, admiring the countless souvenir shops that offered everything even remotely related to lemons—honestly, it wasn't really my thing, but it's a matter of taste.

We wandered through the town all the way to the villa of Maria Callas, there is also a very nice thermal bath with large park areas, but overall it wasn't that great for us, maybe we were also a bit oversaturated from the last days. So, we enjoyed an ice cream while waiting for the ferry and headed back to Desenzano on time—where a surprise awaited us.

We landed right in the middle of the biggest market, which takes place at Lake Garda in Desenzano every Tuesday. Definitely plan to visit if you're in this town. Huge, with countless stalls, it stretches along the entire waterfront promenade and through the city. We couldn't explore everything; there was everything you could think of to buy. Especially clothing for the 'normal citizens' who didn't shop in boutiques, stalls everywhere including fitting areas divided by a curtain or in sales vans. And fruit, vegetables, flowers—oh what a delight! So here's a hot tip: Tuesday market in Desenzano del Garda!!!

Then it was time to pack our bags. There wasn't much since we were traveling with small carry-on luggage, completely sufficient for a week in the sun. A little tip from a travel enthusiast: get foldable trekking poles that fit into carry-on luggage or a backpack; they are very useful and nearly indispensable on the streets and alleys of Italy. Personally, I always carry them—very helpful!

In the evening, I wandered over to the nearby castle, enjoyed the view over the night-time Lake Garda, where the lights of the distant towns shimmered, and was grateful to have had such a beautiful week here. We saw so much, experienced adventures, and enjoyed relaxation. We were fortunate enough to stay in an area where Italy is still Italy, to meet such nice people, and have such a lovely place to stay. I can only recommend this place and this apartment and would love to come here again.

The next early morning, we took a taxi to the train station, the train to Milano Centrale, the bus to Linate Airport, the flight to Hamburg, and were back home in the evening.

We had a wonderful week.

Italy is always worth a trip! Ciao, see you next time 🙋‍♀️