Lago di Garda - A Mecca for Outdoor Sports Enthusiasts

Lago di Garda was the next stop on the Italian portion of our summer vacation. Lago di Garda (i.e. Lake Garda in English) is an absolutely beautiful area in northeastern Italy. The lake is nestled in the mountains and it has an almost Mediterranean feel to it... You can find olive, orange, lemon, and palm trees there! :) The area is considered to be the windsurfing capital of Italy, as well as a mecca for outdoor sports such as hiking, rock climbing, klettersteigen, mountain biking, etc.

While we were there, we met up with some friends and camped for a few days. We spent our days rock climbing, hiking, klettersteigen, sightseeing, and shopping. It was such a great time! :) We're already planning our next trip back... Not only is it a great location for outdoor sports as well as for sightseeing, but it's only a 4 1/2 hour drive away from where we live... It's literally a perfect vacation destination for Brian and I! :)

Check out the size of that backpack! I would definitely not want to have to haul that thing up a mountain! :) Although, Brian claims that it's a backpack for carrying spouses up a mountain... Hmmm... Not a bad idea! :)

There is nothing better than Italian coffee... Delicious!! :) We had one of these every morning... YUM!!

Look at the size of that aguava plant!! Alot of tequila could be made from that I bet! :)

The castle that we hiked up to in Arco...

This was the view from the castle's courtyard...

Arco, Italy

This is the area that we camped at in Arco... The scenery in that area is absolutely breathtaking!!

Look at him go! :)

I'm so proud of him!! :) He's right back out there climbing with the rest of us again... even after his accident last year (can you believe that happened exactly one year ago this coming Sunday?!)...

The following day we went klettersteigen (i.e. assisted hiking)... It's a mix between hiking and climbing. There's a cable the runs along the entire trail, and you have to clip your two carabiners onto it throughout the hike... The route we took to the top was considered to be an easy route for beginners... It was a very fun hike, and the views were amazing! :) That's Eva in the lead and I'm following behind her...

Brian on his way up...

Making my way up... That's Arco in the distance, as well as our campground...

Eva and I taking a break...

We made it to the top!! :)

Brian and I at the top... Isn't the background gorgeous?! :)

Hiking back to our rock climbing location the following day...

On my way up the wall...

This was actually the hardest wall that I've ever done while rock climbing... But, it was so much fun! :)

And, after this wall, I was pretty much done for the day... Once your fingers and forearms get too overworked while outdoor climbing, they have a tendency to go numb... And, once they go numb, they become quite useless... So, as a preventative measure, once my fingers/forearms get to that point, I usually stop for the day... :) And, during this trip, instead of sitting around for hours waiting for everyone else to finish, Eva and I decided to do some sightseeing around the lake... Yay! :)

The view from the top...

Eva and I made a stop in Mancesine, Italy... Such a cute little town!

The view of Lago di Garda from Mancesine... Gorgeous!

And, of course, we had to stop for some Italian coffee while we were there! :) What a perfect view we had from our table!!

Eva and I in Mancesine...

Our next stop was in Limone, Italy...

And yet another spectacular view of Lago di Garda!!

Limone, Italy... :)