Another glorious day today and the plan is to rent some bikes and explore a bit. Brandon and Marley targeted Lake Garda as a place where it would be possible to do some biking and they made a good choice. There are plenty of bike paths here and lots of people (young and old) riding. The paths that I have seen are paved and clearly marked. But, I believe that there are lots of trails in the mountains and I have seen a number of mountain bikers fully equipped with pads etc. If you wish, you can ride for distance by cycling to other towns as well.
Marley located a nearby bike shop and we rented bikes and helmets and a special infant seat for Payton. A path to the nearby town of Arco runs immediately behind our Air B & B so we set off on that path. It was a great ride – off the road (mostly), along the lake and then through rural countryside. We rode for about 7 kilometers and then stopped for lunch at a place called the “Bike Farm”
The Bike Farm was a nice restaurant (self serve) on about 1 acre with a play area for kids and lots of picnic tables and lounge chairs amidst s grove of olive trees. It was very civilized – cocktails, beer, wine, ice buckets in the shade of the olive trees. We had a leisurely lunch – eating our sandwiches and buying some treats – and then headed back.
i have not done a lot of biking in recent years (read none). So. I should not have been surprised when some little muscles (ones that I did not know that I had – and in strange places- started to cramp up). I have a hunch that my nether regions will be reminding me tomorrow that I should have accepted Brandon’s offer to loan me a pair of bicycle shorts. Oh well – I guess I will be walking like John Wayne tomorrow.
In the afternoon Marley wanted to walk with Payton in order to try to get her to sleep. We walked down into the old part of town to explore. It was very nice. A bit busy with lots of people enjoying the outdoor cafes. Lots of bicycles and quite a noticeable number of German tourists.
The lake itself is also the focus of a lot of activity. There is lots of swimming and lots of kayaks and pedal boats etc. I have never seen so many wind surfers in one place.
Ciao