Day 146 - Bikes, Markets and the Best Gelato Yet on Lake Garda

Day 146 started a little earlier than usual, just Kia and I up before the kids. It was quiet, which doesn’t happen all that often, so I took the chance to jump on emails and go through a few responses from recruiters after putting myself out there for some extra work. Nothing locked in yet, but a few conversations starting, which feels like progress.

Eventually Maddie and Emmett wandered out, both pretty slow to get going. The late nights are definitely catching up with them. They’re usually straight out of bed and full of energy, but this morning took a bit longer. A couple of coffees, some breakfast, and they came good.

We sent them down to the shop to grab bread rolls, ham, cheese, the usual. No tennis again today, apparently the coach has the day off, so Emmett will be itching to get back into that tomorrow.

The plan for the day was to meet up with the Norwegian and Austrian families and hire bikes to ride along the lake and explore a few towns. We headed down around 10:30 to sort the bikes out, which turned into a bit of a process. Emmett couldn’t quite get comfortable. First it was the brake levers, then the seat, then back to the original bike. Lots of back and forth, and a bit of broken English trying to explain it all, but we got there in the end. I knew the Norwegians would have tools, which they did, so we adjusted everything once we met up.

From there we set off, a mix of streets, bike paths, and then right down along the edge of the lake.

The ride itself was unreal. The water is so clear it almost doesn’t look real, and the path runs right along the shoreline in parts. People everywhere walking, running, riding, just making the most of it.

Our first stop was Lazise.

Lazise is one of those places that feels like it hasn’t changed much in a long time. Old stone walls, narrow streets, little canals running through it. It dates back to medieval times and was actually one of the first communes in Italy to gain autonomy back in the 10th century.

Today though, it was absolutely packed. There was a massive market running through the town, stalls everywhere, stretching way further than we expected. We had to hop off and push the bikes through the crowds, which felt like it took forever. Easily the busiest place we’ve seen since being in Italy.

Once we finally got out the other side, we were back on the bikes and heading toward Bardolino, riding through smaller sections like Cisano along the way.

Bardolino had a completely different feel. Still old and full of character, but more open, with a big harbour, parkland, and heaps of restaurants and gelato spots lining the water. The town sits right on Lake Garda and is well known for its wine, but for us, it was all about slowing down for a bit.

We parked the bikes and wandered through town, eventually settling in for a pizza lunch. That post-lunch slump hit hard. Both Kia and I were feeling it, just flat and tired after the ride and the food.

We pushed on though, wandered a bit more, checked out a few shops, and then landed on gelato.

Hands down the best we’ve had so far. I went salted caramel, which was unreal. They even had a liquorice flavour that was tempting, but felt like it might linger a bit too long, so I left it.

After a bit more exploring, we made the call to head back. The ride was roughly 8km each way, and by that point we’d been out for hours. The goal was to get back in time for a yoga class the girls were thinking about, but by the time we rolled in we only just had about half an hour to spare.

The kids didn’t waste any time. Straight off the bikes and off to find their mate who hadn’t come with us. Next thing they were in the pool, and that’s where they stayed for a good hour until they got kicked out.

Kia pulled the pin on yoga and had a lay down instead. Fair call. I jumped back on the laptop and kept chipping away at the website. It’s getting close now. Still a bit to do, but starting to feel like it’s moving out of the build phase and into something more manageable.

Later in the afternoon, Kia headed out with a few of the other mums to Eurospin to stock up on groceries. It’s a lot cheaper than buying everything on-site, so it makes sense to do a bigger shop and stretch things out a bit.

The kids eventually came back from riding around with their friends, showers done, and I had to round them up around 8, closer to 8:30 by the time we actually got them inside and into bed.

Another full day, but a really good one. The kind of day that feels like exactly why we’re doing this.