Lago di Garda
We went to Gardasee for 3 days, for our first camping trip with the boys. It was great! We stayed at a campground right on the beach in Riva di Garda (click on the link to visit a map to show you where this is exactly). The Lago di Garda is a huge lake on the edge of the Alps. It's far enough south, and low enough that it has a warmer climate, which is perfect for fall and spring when the northern alps are wet. The drive is about 3.5 hours from Munich.
We thought the boys would be scared to sleep in their own tent but they loved it. Every night we'd walk along the beach in the moonlight. In the day we'd get gelato, which is this amazing Italian version of ice cream. We'd ride a ferry to another town, or go for a drive up the mountain. The boys loved climbing up the town tower, or one day, when we went to Arco, they walked steeply uphill with me for 20 minutes to the castle above the town. I'm really impressed with them!
Later we visited our friend Daniel and his family in Bolzano. They took us out for Pizza, and we had a great time catching up with them. I'm amazed by Daniel's bike racing schedule. He has raced up the steepest passes in the Alps.
I did one unusual thing, climbing the Via Ferrata d'Amicizia in the moonlight one evening. It was fantastic climbing ladders up vertical cliffs with the lake and town far below, all bathed in blue moonlight. I reached the summit at midnight, and came down a different way that led me to a sort of shrine in the middle of the cliff face. The townspeople built this chapel to the virgin sometime in the 40s or 50s.
We got climbing harness for Elijah and Rowan too. Climbing and camping, here we come!