Thoughts on Desenzano...

We feel like we inadvertently stumbled on a jewel of a town in more ways than one - here in Desenzano. We have loved touring around the area - literally by trains, boats and automobiles - with Desenzano being our hub. Sirmione, our first day trip by ferry, was a mere 30 minute return journey. As you may have seen in the pictures, it is a popular tourist spot, with the castle there being of significance. Although, what castle in Italy is not...? And then, there was Bardolino - further away (3 hours return by ferry) and a larger town with just as many tourists but spread out a bit more! The day was warm (26+ celsuis) but wet - as it sprinkled off and on all day long. It didn't bother us as we sat in an open cafe under a big umbrella and watched the world go by.

Our day in Verona was hot hovering around 30+ Celsius, just as we remembered it from our trip last year. So much to see in this most beautiful city - shops, architecture, restaurants, and of course the people. And ever so close with it being just a 40 minute return train trip for us.

Our B&B, Il Paiolo (translation - The Kettle) has been just perfect - clean, homey, and central to everything. Carla, our hostess, bakes fresh cakes most evenings for our breakfast and the aromas wafting into our room are enough to make us sniff anxiously for breakfast to come. There is a spacious and most comfortable balcony with seats, adjacent our room, that overlooks Carla's garden, as well as the rest of the neighborhood. Here we have dined each morning on our breakfast, watching the Italian world go by. Carla's young, little grandchildren (bambini) are often visiting, toddling after her as she sweeps and tends to the garden. As sweet or sweeter than the cakes we enjoy!

However, what trip would be complete without a few simple dramas - or even just one? Take for example, when we arrived into Desenzano by train a few days ago. We stopped in a little cafe on the outskirts of town - Pete had a hankering for a caffe freddo (if you don't know what this is, you will want to find out - especially if you are as fond of coffee as my husband, Mr. Cappuccino). Anyways, he needed a drink and I needed a "toilette" stop so it seemed an opportune time for both. I was feeling pretty good with my use of the Italian language since I could remember from last year both terms - toilette and il bagno - so "no problemo" in my mind. What made it even easier was just one toilette in the cafe - no need to be concerned with whether it was signore or signora. However, I had no sooner ensconced myself in il bagno, when I noticed that there was no doorknob on the inside of the door! And, I had made sure to close the door soundly...

And so after confirming that there was no way of getting out, locked in to be specific, then I needed to decide what the heck to do. It was rather a simple choice - wait, passively for someone to twig (namely Pete) that I had been gone for a while. Or, sound like a fool and holler for help. And holler I had to since the music in the cafe was blaring away in typical Italian fashion. And, there was no 'twigging' going on since Pete was sitting outdoors, no doubt sipping on his cafe freddo, enjoying the dolce vita!! And so a few seconds ticked by and the prospect of spending time in this small space loomed - I yelled - not like a lady but more like an Italian merchant selling my wares!! The lungs worked well and the young girl serving us apologetically released me, red faced and gesturing to a sign on the door.

And of course, there it was, The Sign, which I did not and could not read which said something to the effect of 'Do Not Close Door - door knob broken". Hmmm, well then there would have been the dilemma of the door not closing... So I guess, all and all, things worked out - sort of!!! From that point forward, I have made a point of adding a working door knob to my checklist - preceded by appropriate gender on stall, adequate supply of toilet paper and sit down style toilet. Now the only reason I interject those other items is because earlier on, I had said "dramas" plural...

Did I mention that sometimes the toilets are for both men and women together - one toilet each, within the same room (separate compartments, of course)? Or that sometimes, despite there being just one toilet for either gender, there is just a porcelain hole in the floor, that you stand over... Well, yes, these are both additional situations encountered and while I will not go into as much detail as drama número UNO, suffice it to say, one can never assume when using the toilet, what conditions you will find! And, as I said in my earlier blog, things are not always as they seem!!

Ciao for now!!!