Pre-season warm up trip to Peschiera

For once it was going to be sunny. I swear this winter is lasting for ever and has been so dreary and wet. We normally have plenty of cold, crisp, sunny days in the winter, but this year has been awful. Last Sunday was a day where the sunny weather coincided with a day that promised to be well above freezing, so of course we couldn't resist getting Ruby out for a spin. We had plans for later in the day so knew we couldn't venture too far. We're lucky to have Lake Garda only an hour away, so that's where we headed for. Peschiara, to be precise, which is the nearest resort to us.
The trip started well with not much traffic and lovely sunshine. A bit parky but bearable. Then we reached the outskirts of Mantova and what started as a few wispy fronds of fog over the ground grew into a bank that lasted probably 30-odd km. It was wet and very chilly. We nearly turned round and went home... Luckily for us, we didn't because when we emerged from the other side it was lovely and sunny again and we were nearly there.
We parked the bike with lots of others and had a wander around the town. It's nice with these resort towns because shops tend to stay open on Sundays. We then set off for a walk along the lake side in search of something to eat. I want to mention at this point that Peschiera has the most piles of dog poo I've seen in a town for a long time. Anyway, we knew we'd probably be eating with friends later so when we found a little café serving light food, we went in. We chose a slice of pizza and chips. We waited about 45 minutes for this simple fair, but it was warm and filling when it eventually arrived. It also cost us a small fortune... hey-ho! After a sit in the sun by the lake, we headed back home. It was much warmer on the homeward journey with no sign of the pesky fog that blighted and froze us on the way up. A good time was had by all!

km: 226
Grey herons spotted: Loads
Egrets spotted: 6
Grebes spotted: 2
Ducks spotted: Loads
Gulls spotted: 12
Swans spotted: 2
Buzzards spotted: 2
Coypu spotted: 4
Dog poo stepped in: 0 (for once...)