Day Eight: Verona

This morning we woke up to snow.

Really, snow. I took a screen capture of the weather report on my phone as proof. My app (Weather Puppy—the best weather app) predicted a light snow all morning, with a high of 12 degrees, around midday. Needless to say, it was time to leave the Swiss Alps.

Light snow is still too much snow in August

After checking out of our hotel, we caught a bus in Breuil-Cervinia to Châtillon, where we changed buses and headed to Turin. From Turin, we boarded a trail for Verona, via Milan, which would be our final destination of the day. We made the mistaking of not eating lunch during our brief stop in Turin, which led to a long, hungry train ride for both Dave and I.

Dave rocking his Canada tee in the Turin train station waiting for our train

One thing about Europe that both Dave and I have observed, is that they're way more pet friendly. Almost all the hotels we've stayed in so far have welcomed dogs. We've dined alongside many puppy friends on restaurant patios, and even have spotted some canine friends in grocery stores and pharmacies along the way.

We had the pleasure of enjoying our trip to Turin alongside this pretty kitty for over three hours on the train. The cat seemed pretty content the entire time, and used being transported by rail.

A cute kitty we met along the way

After arriving in Verona we checked into our hotel, and then took to the city streets to take in the authentic Italian culture (and in search of a snack!). Here are some of my favourite shots from our brief walk around the city:

The Piazza Brà in Verona, Italy

A sculptor in front of the Arena di Verona

Dave in front of the Arena di Verona

Taken on the Ponte Navi in Verona, Italy

For dinner we had... pizza (gasp!). When in Italy, eat as Italians do, right? To accompany our pizza I suggested we share a bottle of wine, to which Dave agreed. But, when the waiter came to open the bottle and poured a tasting amount in Dave's glass, he looked at me totally confused.

"Try it," I prompted him. He did, and I confirmed the wine was okay to pour. This is my long winded way of saying: Dave had never ordered a bottle of wine in a restaurant before and the practice completely baffled him (much to my delight). Dave then became obsessed with the practice of "trying" food and drinks before agreeing to them, and asked me if I thought he could "try" some of his pizza when it came, before committing to it. I discouraged this idea.

Our bottle of wine with dinner (a local Italian blend)

Dave with his very proud glass!

Our pizza! Mine was veggie, Dave's was covered with cooked prosciutto.

After dinner we enjoyed the walk back to our hotel with gelato in hand—when in Italy, right?

Extra dark and raspberry flavoured gelato

When Dave pitched Verona as a stopover on our trip many months ago, he told me he'd read it was like Venice, but without all the people. While this is true, I have to say from my short time in the city, Verona has been nothing short of magical. I love the winding cobblestone streets, I love the river curving across the town, I love the shopping corner and the covered markets and the Italian delicacies on every corner. I can't wait to come back here.

But tomorrow, we move on: to Munich!

Until then,
Heather