Wheels Around Europe . . . . . . . : We`re up in the hills above Lake Garda

Firstly apologies, I`m still not getting most of the comments / messages left on the blog, although I do get some. I`m not sure why but I`ll try and look into it to find out why, I`m not ignoring you !

Edit : I`ve been on the help forums and changes some settings so I hope comments will come through now, so comment away please......

Today we awoke to another beautiful morning in Peschiera, but we had already decided we would move on today. This plan was only threatened briefly as the thought came to me that it was Sunday and we needed a supermarket and diesel.

Italians do like to respect their Sundays and almost nothing opens, except when the lure of the tourist euro calls.

The reception confirmed that Lidl open and that it`s a brand new store, just opened.

They also confirmed there is a 24 hour automated fuel pump in town.

So we set off and did a supermarket sweep in Lidl for life`s essentials.

Next stop was the automated pump and predictably things went wrong here.

20 Euro`s in, cash only accepted, nothing happens, re-read instructions, all done correctly, still nothing and nobody to ask. I then start pressing every button on the dam thing, then I start wanting to kick it but restrain myself, still nothing. Eventually it spite out a ticket, “credito non utilzzaro” which even my basic understanding of Italian means credit not utilised, but no refund.

Anyway I kept the ticket and will head back that way tomorrow so we will have to do a detour to call at the garage for a refund, hopefully.

We then set off north, up the east coast of the lake, the coast road proved much too busy with Sunday traffic so we headed inland for a less congested route to our destination…. Brentonico, high in the hills that surround Monte Blado.

It is a spectacular location, with a Motorhome Sosta (GPS 45.81545 10.95553) overlooking the valley below with vineyards and cattle grazing.

It`s very well equipped with all services for motorhomes and 1.5 euro for 12 hours electric, no other charge so a bit of a bargain.

We grabbed a pitch right next to a paved area with the views down the valley. Actually it was the only pitch left, the place was full of cars attending some event in the sports hall next door.

We had a short walk into the village and it is a typical sleepy Italian community. The youngsters congregating in a local bar for afternoon drinks, looking cool as only Italians can and a get together and the older people attending the church service and sitting on stools in the street chatting away.

We took some photographs and then an open door caught my eye in a building opposite the church. It turned out to be a quite interesting Museum and Botanical Gardens called Palazzo Eccheli Baisi. So of course we had to go in and investigate. Entrance fee was 2 euro, very reasonable.

The building is rather unusual dating from the 16^th century. It has had various uses including by a family of Salami makers and part of the building was a shop.

Internally many of the rooms have painted fresco`s on the walls and ceilings but they didn`t look particularly old or significant (but what do I know ?)

The building now contains a fossil museum, botanical gardens and temporary art displays. It also seems to have connections with Pharmacy and Medicine but all the boards were in Italian so were non the wiser.

It was interesting but a little dis-jointed.

The gardens were also interesting but not spectacular and mostly herbs and plants for making medicine from. What was remarkable was that everything was perfectly labelled so Italians at least knew what they were looking at.

All in all, an interesting and unexpected attraction. I think it`s finding these places that I like so much about this form of travelling, you just never know what you will find around the next corner.

Tomorrow we will head back south to the garage for an interesting conversation with the pump attendant in Peschiera, then on to Verona, unless anything catches our eye and we get diverted.