Around Lake Garda and back home via Ingolstadt (Italy Part 10)

The length of the queue for tickets was still bearable, but after a while, nothing was moving anymore. After we made some progress because others gave up waiting, we also saw why: The ticket sales had been halted due to the large crowds. Unfortunately, nobody informed those at the end of the queue about this...

We decided not to wait for several hours for tickets and the cable car and set off for a shorter hike to the viewpoint Rocchetta at an altitude of 353 meters.

The path was steep and passed by olive trees and forest.

Along the way, we took a break with a view of the fortress of Malcesine.

At La Rocchetta, there was an oversized statue of Mary, which was illuminated from behind by the sun.

From here, we could see Lake Garda and the village below us.

On the rest of the way, we walked through village streets back to the cable car station. Along the way, we saw many paragliders floating above Lake Garda.

Since our original plan had been thwarted, we decided to drive around Lake Garda once and make short stops along the way.

Our first longer stop was in Limone. The name is supposed to derive from the word "limes," but nevertheless, lemons can be seen everywhere on house walls and in souvenir shops.

Indeed, citrus fruits are said to have been cultivated here since the 13th century until the cultivation was halted in the 19th century. In autumn and winter, the frost-sensitive plants had to be covered. For this purpose, there were large wooden greenhouses. We saw a replica of one of them in the small public park right next to the town hall.

The promenade along the lake was much livelier, with numerous vacationers strolling and dining.

We also treated ourselves to an ice cream sundae, which looked like it does in Germany (usually just ice cream, maybe with whipped cream and sauce) and was richly decorated. Of course, the staff also spoke very good German - that was the language we heard most often.

To do some more hiking after all, we wanted to park in Toscolano and hike to the former paper mills through an idyllic valley.

The former proved difficult, the latter impossible: After a long search, we finally found a parking lot, but then had to turn back after about five minutes of walking. The path was closed for two days due to tree cutting (at least that's what we believe - our Italian knowledge failed us here)...

So we completed the circle around Lake Garda and returned to our accommodation, where we still had to pack everything for the journey home.

In Germany, we made two more stops in Ingolstadt, which in the old town also has some quite beautiful buildings, and at friends' in Hannover.

In Ingolstadt, we stayed in a hotel right next to the highway, but from which you could (especially nice after a long car drive) walk to the city center.

When we arrived, we were congratulated for being the "Lucky Guests" today - we had won a complimentary minibar refill and were allowed to help ourselves in the room. Every day, a guest is randomly selected to receive a gift. That was of course a very nice surprise at the end of the vacation for us.

On the way, we also made a stop in Hamburg to meet with a couple from Vienna that we had met in Egypt. After a nice afternoon in the Speicherstadt and Hafencity, we headed back home. The world of travelers is small...