THE VIEW FROM A LAKE

It's been a good long while since I have blogged about anything except my own fiction. And -- okay -- there has been quite a bit to talk about in that regard. But I sometimes do do other things than write. I even manage to snag the occasional vacation. And Louise and I are just back from ten days in the Italian Alps, beside Lake Garda. It was scorching hot. The food ranged from pretty good to utterly fantastic. The views were amazing, and this has to count as the first time that either of us have regularly swum in a freshwater lake.

But -- using local transport and the excellent bus boats -- we managed to visit a good few other towns as well than Desenzano (the one that we were staying in).

Here's the tiny but beautiful Garda:

Here is Sirmione, out on a long peninsula that juts into the lake:

One of the favorite towns we visited was Bardolino, home of the world famous wine of the same name. A charming, airy place with very much a Venetian feel to its architecture.

Another quite small town here, but very historic, Lazise:

And last but not least, we spent a great afternoon in the famous and very beautiful city of Verona:

Hope that you enjoyed these photos. Until next time, ciao!

OH, WHAT A LOVELY BAY!

I already sang the praises of Ibiza Town -- capital of the Balearic island of Ibiza -- in an earlier posting on this blog (A Sight for Tired Eyes, 8th May). But Louise and myself got the chance to return to the island for a four-day break just recently, and found ourselves in a great location, in the next bay along from the town. I just thought I'd share a couple of the views with you.

And here's what the place looked like at sunset.