Time is of the essence. One mistake I made in booking this trip was not giving myself enough total time. With 9 full days, 216 hours, I was on the move constantly. I’ll display some time totals during this write up so you have a better idea of where I made some mistakes and you don’t make them yourselves.

Eventually I got to here early on.

Philadelphia – Frankfurt – Milan – 19 Hours with time conversion

I booked through Expedia and the total cost of the flights was $1,300. My flight took off at 5:45pm on Friday. The Lufthansa check in was seamless and I waited in a 30 minute security line. Once on the plane, I sat next to 3 middle aged women and fortunately had the aisle. They were fine passengers as they all exited on the other aisle to get up so I was never disrupted. I filled my Fire with a few books prior to read and watched Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannsen. The flight arrived on time and I had to hustle through another security checkpoint in Frankfurt to get to Milan. I arrived at the gate with 10 minutes to spare and got on the Euro flight that took an hour. Aside from the Italian man not scooching over when it was clear the plane was filled, and we were two in a three seat row, it went fine. This was my most successful travel portion of the trip as you’ll soon find out.

Peschiera del Garda – Lake Garda – 18 hours total spent – 6 sleeping

After getting off at Milan, Google made me think there was a train that would take me to the central station. I wandered around for 15 minutes looking for something which doesn’t exist and eventually paid 30 Euro for a taxi. I tipped 9 Euro, because I didn’t have change, and the driver’s eyes bulged out of his head. An American is in Milan! I missed seeing the Dom in this part of the city which I moderately regret but had no idea it was near the central station.

I bought a direct ticket to Verona and got on a regional train instead of the Ital. I knew I was on the wrong train when it departed at 12:25 instead of 12:35. Aside from overspending, it brought me to where my ride was waiting in Peschiera del Garda, which worked out fine as our miscommunication somehow aligned perfectly. So despite some ill informed decisions, I got where I needed to which is the best tip I could give anyone traveling, stay cool and life usually works out.

I have no idea where I am when I get off the train. I know I’m in Italy, but had never heard of Lake Garda. I only knew a business associate of mine had a place to stay there. He meets me at the station and we have lunch in front Lake Garda which is Italy’s largest.

My friend has a Vespa scooter and it is a perfect way to navigate the northern Italian country side. We stopped at a few places, had some beers, saw some incredible views, and then went kayaking on the lake. Here are a few pictures that I took along the way.

It was impressive to say the least. I’d never seen such a beautiful part of the country before and aside from the nicest places in California or Florida, I’m not sure what else may compare. It was an eye opening experience to think that you get a place there to live your life.

The culture was healthy, which you would expect from a wealthy vacation part of the country. There were plenty of outdoor activities likes parasailing, boating, hiking, running, golfing, and cliff jumping. Considering this would not be a part of the world I would generally see on my own, it was great to get a chance to have a tour guide to show me through. I certainly needed more time at this location to enjoy what it had to offer. Next stop, Innsbruck!