Today we have made our way to Verona - famously known as the City of Love! This magical city has been carved out of the 13th century and married into the 21st with ancient buildings housing designer brands such as Gucci and Armani. We march down via Giuseppe Mazzini along with an endless stream of other tourists making the pilgrimage to one of the most famous locations on earth: Casa di Giulietta. We squeeze our way into the courtyard containing the balcony where Juliet stood. The courtyard is a buzz with curious tourists, romantics and those with an appreciation for the beauty Shakespearian mythology. If you imagine the courtyard without the tourists you can almost hear Romeo calling "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?". Anyway, enough of that soppy stuff, it's time for lunch!
The main piazza, Piazza delle Erbe is also crammed with people. We manage to find a reasonably priced restaurant and sit for a rest and some well earned food. Most of us enjoy a salad as it is quite warm here. We also enjoy some San Pellegrino Mineral Water and as we sit and watch the people go by we gather a sense that we are blending more and more into this new environment. That image, though, is quickly destroyed by Johanna who suddenly springs from her seat as a friendly pigeon comes over to say "Bongiorno".
The final chapter to today is a visit to the medieval castle, Castelvecchio. This castle is your classic style castle built in the 13th century. It has a moat and a drawbridge and an internal street that passes over the main river in Verona; Fiume Adige. Here we are met by Johnny Rao and his family (not sure of the connection and can't ask anyone cause everyone here is asleep!) who take an interest in the Dahlsen hat. It seems to me that even in this timeless environment that Dahlsen has also become timeless!