#24HrTripper Lake Garda, Italy

I had the delightful opportunity to visit Lake Garda and saw a whole lot in 24 hours.

Getting there: Take a bus to Salò or drive the 2 hours from Milan. Once there you can either drive to these destinations or take a boat. You can hire a boat that will take you from one place to the other.

Stay: Hotel Bellerive is a gorgeous 4-star hotel in Salò directly on the Southern Shores of Lake Garda. My room looked over the rooftops of this quiet village. The breakfast was incredibly delicious and the servers were there to fulfill your every need. You can leisurely walk along the lake to see the quaint downtown village shops and museums.

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Visit: Gardone Riviera and Vittoriale degli Italiani. Gardone Riviera historic waterfront has beautiful villas that line the waterfront among the hotels. But just up the hill was where famed poet Gabriele d’Annunzio made his home his castle, complete with a navy warship embedded into the hills. This place is truly incredible to see and offers spectacular views of the lake. The legendary war hero and poet wanted to surround himself with beauty and that he did. A cross between a quirkier Hearst Castle and a Mediterranean villa; every little detail, the kennels for his dogs, gardens with little lemon houses, the overwhelming amount of art and artifacts in his home, satisfies the curiosity and creates conversation.

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Eat: Il Fagiano at The Grand Hotel Fasano. This is a 5-star experience. I was traveling with travel directors from around the globe and many of them said this was in their top five meals of all time. I took two pictures and shared them on my Instagram from this meal and I can remember exactly the taste, divine. I enjoyed every moment of it. You will not be disappointed. 75841514-220F-4F58-9D97-EA854B02DAC5

Visit: Sirmione and step back in time. Scaliger Castle and its drawbridge welcomes visitors to this medieval village. Walk along cobblestone streets to see the buildings built from lake stones and sand. Visit the famed thermal spas as you walk past the former home of Opera Diva Maria Callas. Visit the Roman Ruins or stop into Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore. This was really a beautiful church and I actually stopped taking pictures out of respect for the parishioners who were there.

Eat at: La Speranzina Restaurant & Relais in Sirmione. Offering sweeping views of the lake I tried their steak tartare and they had these delicious #gluten-free crackers made from amaranth, fresh perch from the lake and delicious tiramisu.

#INLOMBARDIA

#VISITBRESCIA

in-lombardia.it

#culturalitaly

#travelblogging

#travelblogger

#24hrTripper Victoria, BC Canada

The details: This trip was 24 hours exactly ferry to island and back. We had the ‘luck of the ferries’ on our side and we had such a great time. If you want some tips and tricks on how to make the most of your 24 hours in Victoria keep reading!

Get there:  BC Ferry Trip from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. Make a reservation to hold a spot for you and you purchase your ticket once you arrive but get there no later than 30 minutes prior to departure. TIP: We showed up early and WE GOT ON EARLY! You can also take a ferry from the WA but some only run once daily.  We arrived in Swartz Bay and drove about 25 minutes to Victoria.

Stay: Best Western Plus Carlton Plaza. This is close to everything. You can basically walk to Chinatown, Inner Harbor, Parliament Buildings, museums, shopping, dining. It’s a perfect spot. The restaurant next door Ruby’s has great food and good gluten free options. Tip: Ask the hotel if there’s a possibility to keep your car there after you check out so you can have extra time for site-seeing.  More than likely, if there isn’t some big event happening, they’ll say yes. Check out time was 12 noon here so we checked out early, they kept our bag and car and we went off!

See: Chinatown and the famous Fan Tan Alley with its little shops, even a little Italian bakery called La Tana.

Inner Harbor: Continue on down Wharf Street to the water to see the famous Parliament Buildings and their green tops, statues and grounds. Walk over to the monument in honor of Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion and see the time capsule and beautiful water sculpture. Tip: If you’re there during the week take the free 35 minute tour offered to see the Buildings!

Miniature World: You can’t miss the Empress hotel and around the corner is the most intricate display of tiny recreations of history. Perfect for youngsters and those that appreciate the time that went into these models being built.

Government Street: Continuing walking back towards Chinatown and see all the shops and souvenirs you can possibly collect. Stop at Bastion Square.

Pickup the car and head to:

Beacon Hill Park: Famous for a tree planted by Winston Churchill, this beautiful park has a petting zoo, peacocks roam freely and so many beautiful walkways and ponds to spend a few hours in if you have it. TIP:  From Beacon Park take Dallas Road and just keep going and you’re on the scenic drive around the coast. We drove through some really beautiful neighborhoods and stopped to look across at Washington State, because you are that close!

Tea at Abkhazi Gardens: Created by the Georgian Prince and Princess Abkhazi, this lovely garden is run by donation and has a lovely tea room. TIP: Make a reservation ahead of time. They offer a gluten-free tea that is delicious! After your tea make your way through the garden and discover its hidden delights.

Head back for the ferry (show up early and they’ll get you on) and enjoy seeing the water and perhaps wildlife. And that’s your 24 hour trip!

#24hrtripper #24hourtripper #bcferries #victoriabc  #victoriacanada #canada #visitbc #abkhazigardens #hightea #beaconhillpark #governmentstreet #fantanalley #parliamentbuildings #glutenfreedining #glutenfreetravelling

24Hour Trip #24hrtripper

#24HrTripper The 24 hour Trip

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We got away for 24 hours. It was wonderful. It felt longer. I don’t undervalue a real vacation at all, but I think that I put so much emphasis on THOSE trips when I actually need a little break from reality right NOW! And 24 hours can do it.

What we did not do was:

Overplan

Overbook

Overextend ourselves

What we did do was:

Have a few ideas

Make two reservations, one for a hotel and another for a meal

Took lots of pictures

Allowed for space for exploring and spontaneous fun

And it was.

So I am going to blog about these adventures in hopes that it will inspire some of you to do this.

When you need to reset, renew and get a little perspective, consider a 24 hour trip.

But let me know, what do you want to hear about? How to plan one? Maybe what you should or shouldn’t try to do? Doing one on a budget?

Let me know in the comments!

#vacation #minivacation #retreats #24hrtrips #24hrtripper #travelblogs #travelblogger