Two weeks well spent in Riva del Garda turned out to be a great summer getaway which came out for me surprisingly.We´ve been exploring Northern Italy last Summer and here I am wishing again to be back there.It´s not too early but I kinda feel that way. Well, a getaway like this is already a luxury for me, I mean at least I don´t need to cook for 2 weeks, we have a private beach and yes-the mountains.

See there´s the mountains, the beautiful Lake Garda, the charming little towns of Sirmione, Limone sur Garda, Malzecine, Arco , Torbole and so on,the lists are long, the beautiful nature, the food and everything what we need.For families,it´s surely a win win.

Ever been to a place and you fell in love with it instantly?

That´s what Riva does to me, to us. We came on a rainy afternoon from Milan and I wasn´t expecting the wet weather.But after a round of kilometers of driving along the coast of Lake Garda, the sun finally shone up and let me enjoy endless fanstastic views.The beautiful lake greets us with its glistening turquoise, blue waters–really stunning. I´ve never seen a lake that is so blue like that.Suddenly I am reminded of the azure blue tone of the waters of Eibsee near Zugspitze!The rows of Oleanders, Bougainvillas , Cactus , Lemons, Palm trees,and Olive groves made my heart skip a beat.I have written many times that I am shallow like that—-I am the kind of person that is mesmerized by beautiful colorful sunrises and sunsets, swayed by the sight of pretty flowers, stargazing, and standing in awe at the sight of a mountain in front of me.Those are my kind of natural drug. I prefer this type of natural forest than the stone forest in the cities!

I have been living here in Germany now for almost 8 years and it took me that long to discover this place. Many times I heard it from friends but never really managed to go to Riva. Having heard of it is really different from being actually there.My husband did the booking and he did actually a great job. We spent beautiful days everyday just admiring the mountains that surround Riva. As i opened our window, the mountains is in front of me. At night we watched the mountains with its pitch black beauty and still enchanted with it.It was such a great experience doing yoga with the mountains and the lake as my backdrop.That for me is a bliss, I practically did my morning run exploring the nature trails nearby Trentino and that for me is priceless.

Lake Garda is the biggest lake in Italy and I´ve heard it is quite a famous holiday destination and now I know why.We explored the lake by taking relaxing boat trips and that was quite an experience. The views are really stunning and the lake promenade in each town is unique.

Our location was quite close to the lake and the mountains seemed so near yet so far.Within 5 minutes I smelled the lake already.The mountains are always calling me. Before breakfast I allow myself just to breathe in all the beauty that this place is giving me. As I looked around the lake, it´s massive positive energy is filling my soul. The sound of the waves during daybreak makes such a noise in my heart that make me feel loved, grateful, excited and humbled.

During the day, I see people from all walks in like doing all sorts of things. Others just lay a mat and take nap on the shores of the lake while others exhilarate themselves and do water sports.Catching the waves while surfing, paddle up their boards to kiss the waters, or dance with the wind as their sails goes by the tides, creating their own Garda-moment. It´s a place of love,bonding, movement, leisure, a life giving oasis–a paradise for weary travelers like me.

From time to time I catched myself just watching these plam trees dancing, like waving their hands and inviting people to rest under their shades. The waters and its tides sings a song that not only sailors understand but it´s a wonder why babies and toddlers shriek once their feet touches the waters—it´s Garda magic after all. My child has been collecting stones from the shores of Garda since first day. She says it´s part of her “Erlebnis Heft” , her experience book. She´s also creating her own memories.She doens´t mind swimming with the ducks and hates me if i threaten to get the swans to take back home to Germany.

As we explored the quaint little towns, I was quite surprised to see how diversified this place was.From the boat trips, we always get excited to find what to see in each place.This is another typle of island-hopping.The lemon groves and orangery, the rows of castles and towers awaiting to be explored, the flavours of the local delicacies, and the distinct Italian gastronomical delights and flair that continues to amaze me.

We climbed through the Arco Castle in the Trentino region and recalling my bewildered steps as we walked through the Olive groves , castle ruins, and giant Agave cactuses, my legs are tired but my soul is happy.We braved the steps climbing the Sirmione castle, built by the Scaliger family (La Scala Famiglia) and catching our breath as we looked from the tower the vast blue horizon of the lake.It is pure beauty. I spent many times just capturing the right beauty but everything is just a bliss that steals my heart everytime.

I recalled that as a family that we took lots of walks, day and night. A trip to the nearby grocery shop, indulging to our sweet desires for Gelati (Gelato) and just watching the day goes by became a habit .Our feets have ached, dirty from the sand, and our skin got so browned but we are sleeping soundly at night, looking forward to the next day adventure.

Of course there is no perfect vacation, but we have tried our best to make the most of it.Some things we didn´t have the chance to do due to various reasons; the lines were too long,too windy, or it was too hot, or something else.But looking back to the lake reminds us just to stay calm, and enjoy the moment.

Living here in Germany have taught me many things about vacation. Germans plan their vacation (Or Urlaub) as early as the start of the year. They do excel sheets for vacation planning and book the flights as early as 6 months before the travel date. Here in Bavaria, August is the Summer break (or Sommerferien) which lasts about 6 weeks without school. That means–this is the most times that Germans ,and families like mine took 2-3 weeks of vacation.

Taking this much needed break to take care of your kids plus vacationing is always the combo.I recall that we don´t have that luxury as a kid in my childhood. We don´t have planned yearly vacations like what we are having now.We don´t have the means to do that.My daughter is sharing to us that her friends are gone to this place and to that place and I just realized how her time is so different from mine.Living here in Germany also allows us to have paid vacation leaves and that ensures us to have the money to spend on going to trips like this.

I am sharing this postcards from Riva as a token of gratitude that I have the chance to see and enjoy this beauty.A relative of mine has been eager to go on a trip but due to health conditions–it´s not possible anymore. You wanted but you cannot hike those mountains anymore, or took those steep steps to climb that castle and enjoy the view! It goes two ways-its either you can or you are not able to do so anymore. I guess living the moment is most important. I can also have the same “Urlaub feeling ” (vacation-feeling) while I sit in my garden and watch my plants grow, picking the 4 pieces tomatoes and eggplant yields that I had this season.Or took my bike and have a tour around the lake in my neighbourhood, and watch the sunrise as I cycle going to work.It´s just a matter of how we feel about it.

In the end, of course I would love to be back to the shores of Riva del Garda…because there I felt happy and content.

Until then, there´s so much more to see in Italy.Servus and Ciao !