🇬🇧 David Wilding 🐾

October’s calendar photo is a night time shot of Lake Maggiore in Italy, taken from Cannero Riviera on my visit last autumn

Love a train, especially where food is available - the ÓBB RailJet from Innsbruck to Munich today @diningcar.at

And then the rest of the day was spent in the Hofbrauhaus

And then Monday morning comes and it is time to head home…a quick lounge brekkie with views before the flight

Love a train, especially where food is available - the ÓBB RailJet from Innsbruck to Munich today @diningcar.at

Sunday in Munich was very wet so most of the day was spent in the transport museum

More from the transport museum

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

And then back via Karlstor to Marienplatz and the train back to the hotel

Staying in the Moxy OstBahnhof on thjs trip with a cheeky mini suite upgrade and a free beer! Let’s see what a wet Sunday will bring!

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Arrival was after dark into Munich but there was still time for a quick walk around in the dry (Sundays forecast is rain all day). I started in the Marienplatz

And then onto the iconic Frauenkirche

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Then it was back to the station, a brief rest in the ÒBB lounge, and then onto the train to Munich

One of life’s great experiences is tucking in as a train zips through the countryside. The dining car was full so I had my feed at my seat as the views went past!

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

And then a walk down the River Inn, Innsbruck of course originating at the place of the bridge over the Inn

The backdrop of snow capped mountains behind the town makes a wonderful setting

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

The narrow streets of the old town are incredibly pretty

There was a Tirolean folk music festival taking place so the old town was dotted with bands!

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

The bus didn’t connect with the part of my booked train that is running, so some time to kill in Innsbruck. Not too many railway stations where you can see an Olympic ski jump from the platform

I had time to kill in Innsbruck so headed into the city for a wander. First stop was the Goldenes Dachl in the heart of the old town

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Downhill into Austria heading towards to scarily high Europa Brücke

The Bergiesel stands out over the hilltops, a sign the coach has made it to Innsbruck

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Stunning view as the bus approaches the summit of the Brenner Pass

And as the motorway signs change from green to blue, we enter Austria

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Climbing toward Bolzano

A bus window views go, these are not bad as the coach climbs up the Brenner Pass

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Saturday is not going to plan. Today was to spent riding the @unsereOEBB RailJet across the Alps to Munich, but the train has been cancelled. So it’s a rail replacement bus 😬 #disappointed

I’ve had worse bus rides…leaving Verona and running up the A22 Brennero Autostrada toward Rovereto

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

A nice wander through some of Verona’s side streets. Then the rain really set in and it was time for one last treat in Verona before getting some rest!

A quick pause in the rain allowed a side trip into the arena. For €12 you can’t go wrong! Didn’t climb to the top though as it was 1) steep and 2) slippery after the rain!

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

The rain arrived so it was back to Verona and the iconic Ponte Pietra built over rapids on the Adige river

And then onto the magnificent Duomo

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

The town is dominated by the Castello Scaligeri di Lasize. Similar to other towns on the lake ruled by Scaligeri, the Lords of Verona, the castle was built to secure their control of trade routes on the lakes. It was heavily damaged by Napoleon, and it’s now a private residence.

One of Lazise’s original town gates survives, the oldest of the original 3. Porta San Zeno is named after the patron saint of the town, and he features in a mosaic at the side of the gate, and a statue of the Madonna embedded into the gate

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

The historic old harbour of Lazise is the heart of the old town, now lined with cafes and restaurants

The tiny Chiesa Di San Nicolò sits by the harbour. A grand art work filled masterpiece this isn’t, but there are hints of a grander past!

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Like the other major Italian lakes, local ferries come and go up and down the lake to tourist hotspots like Sirmione, Bardolino and Peschiera, and in summer up the lake to Limone and Malcesine

One local ferry packed with cyclists heads off to Desenzano

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Friday starts at Porto Nuova and a bus out to Lazise

Lazise on Lago Di Garda is about 55 minutes on the bus from Verona. It’s the lowland end of the lake but that doesn’t detract from the charm, starting with a walk lungo lago

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Getting the bus back to the hotel, which is Stazione Porto Nuova for reasons that will become obvious on Saturday, meant going past the arena again. Just as spectacular at night as by day

And then back to the hotel for the night. 15000 steps and knackered!

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

Dinner and drinkies in front of the Arena #italiandiningwithdavid

Then an evening walk back to Piazza Erbe

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

A walk from the Arena through the shopping area takes you close to Juliet’s Balcony, but with a huge queue I continue to the Piazza Erbe. A touristy market in the middle flanked by restaurants and bookended by the Torre del Gardello and the Torre dei Lamberti

Torre dei Lamberti was built in 1172, collapsed in a storm in 1403, with restoration taking 60 years. It’s now open to the public and thankfully has a lift!

Time for an outing! Starting at Gatwick in the Plaza Premium lounge (the old Virgin Clubhouse) with a late brekkie (there may have been seconds) and some refreshment!

And bags dumped, there’s only one place to start…the Arena di’Verona, completed a staggering 1996 years ago in 30 A.D.

Simply amazing that this amphitheatre, built at the time of Christ, by the Romans, is not only still here, but still used. Once the location for gladiatorial contests, and roamed by African panthers, it was also the venue for the closing ceremony of this years Winter Olympics.