How to get to Lake Garda from Darwin….? Seriously? Since the captivating title of my blog drew you in I will reward you with these helpful details. Go to the airport, catch two planes (or more if you are unlucky), then drive a car to the mountains. Or use other transport options. The end.
My work colleague Kelly gave me one piece of specific advice on the drive to Lake Garda. Take the East side - the West side is full of cliff drops and “dicing with dead.” Dying is not high on my list of must do Italian experiences, so I was convinced. However, I foolishly used this exact quote when telling Karl which route to take. One hour later, we are driving up the west side. Despite having been in transit for 24 hours and him claiming not to have slept on the plane. I made him drink some of my coffee under the guise that “I didn’t want that whole cup of lactose rich milk.” Note my skills…. skills/manipulative tendencies.
We hit the road. I felt like I was having dejavu the entire time, and hoped this wasn’t a pre-death premonition. THEN I realised that it was because I was tracing the tread of James Bond in Quantum of Solace. Also, I am certain one of those car racing games from the Sega mega system or Playstation, or something like that was set on this route. There was a stirring of teenage Christmas holiday memories, deep from the vault, of split screen racing my cousin Kalen for days on end. Winston Churchill also described some road in this region as the 8th wonder of the world. And he has a lot of credibility after coining my favourite quote “the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter” - amongst other less noteworthy achievements. This is officially the world’s most bewildering paragraph to make the point that it was amazing. And we lived. Even if Karl does need some anti-anxiety medication to wind down from the unpredictable things that happened on the drive; like cars coming up behind us, or overtaking us, or lines between lanes of oncoming traffic disappearing, or cyclists sharing the narrow lanes.
I have worked with an Italian legend for close to eight years, and often have to shake my head when he refers to Darwin as a place that no one would live unless they were being paid to work there. With other more colourful adjectives if he is feeling passionate about the subject. After being in Italy for about 4 hours, I understand.
In another critical update, Imogen joined us in the airport and will be taking on the leading role of ‘mother’ in the documentary (and general existence) of this family holiday.
And. Lake Garda is a paradise. Here are some photos.
