Lazise - The unsuccessful search for an open campsite on Lake Garda led us to the medieval town of Lazise, ​​where we, along with other campers, found accommodation in the public parking lot opposite the city gate on the Via Gardesana.

Today's townscape of Lazise is dominated by the castle and the 14th-century city walls enclosing the town centre, which were expanded by the Scaligeri, a dominant ethnic group at the time with their headquarters in Verona.

Lazise boasts numerous picturesque corners such as Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, whose houses and arcades around the harbour, along with the characteristic alleys of the old town, house numerous bars, restaurants, and shops.

Today, the economy is centred on tourism, which has made Lazise one of the most sought-after destinations on the "Olive Riviera." It is primarily visited by German tourists as a popular holiday destination on Lake Garda.

Today's fishing port was built during the Scaliger period as a berth for Venetian galleys and boats tasked with guarding and protecting the southeastern shore of Verona, and once served as a naval port.

Since the 11th century, Lazise has been a fortified port station owned by the House of Bevilaqua, whose representatives built the first castle here. Even then, Lazise was a centre of military conflicts. At that time, the town focused on trade and military affairs. Further expansion and the strengthening of these focal points were realized by subsequent rulers. It was only under the Scaligers that the present-day old town was transformed into a fortress, which also served to defend the weapons depots they had built.

A little tidbit: This "parking space" is reserved for the water taxi!

The castle was originally built to defend against the Huns towards the end of the 9th century. The Scaliger Castle is one of the best-preserved fortifications on Lake Garda. In addition to its five somewhat smaller towers, there is the impressive, mighty main tower, the "mastio," in whose upper part the old coats of arms can still be seen, even though they were first destroyed by Emperor Maximillian. "The justice of Mondragòn gives injustice to the one who is right." ("La giustizia del mondragòn la ghe dà torto a chi g'ha rasòn"), is the saying of the people of Lazise when observing the "mastio."

The Church of SS. Zeno e Martino was first mentioned in a document in 1295 and is dedicated to Zeno, the patron saint of waters and fishing. Inside, it houses an altarpiece of Saint Martin by C. Dusi and the "Stations of the Cross" by P. Testoni.

Walking north along the beach promenade, you reach the fine pebble beach of Lazise. Directly behind it is the municipal campsite, which we were actually heading for.

Clear water and sunshine even tempted us to swim, but the hand test immediately spoke against it.

After our walk through the town centre and along the beach promenade, this was our last look at the Lazise harbour before heading to Sirmione. The building of the Verona customs office can still be seen in the picture on the right. The building was also a base for the production of saltpetre for gunpowder and ultimately housed the customs office for goods imported and exported from Veneto.

Olympus - Andrea and John at the destination of their project

Dangast – sometimes there's water – sometimes not!

• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
• Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake Lazise - Castle and historical Center at Garda Lake
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Despite the grey skies, we set off toward Sirmione, always following the coastal road of Lake Garda. Sirmione, the small town with the famous Scaliger Castle and a population of about 8,000, is partly located on a very narrow peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Garda.

Almost at the end of the peninsula, there are large parking areas, which, while quite expensive, provide convenient access to the old town centre and the castle complex, which was a plus in this weather. Only residents are permitted to drive into the old town. Our first stop, of course, was over one of the drawbridges and into the fortress.

The castle in Sirmione, with its large harbour basin and complex circular wall, completely separates the town from the mainland and still dominates Sirmione's cityscape today. Under the Venetians, the Scaliger family built the fortress with its typical swallowtail battlements on the foundations of the old Roman castle at the request of the lord of Verona, Mastino I della Scala, in the 13th century.

The circular route through the castle leads over the old battlements and through the corner towers, clearly revealing the sophisticated defensive lines of thick walls, staircases, and drawbridges over deep moats. Loopholes show how the castle soldiers controlled the route to Sirmione from here.

The view of the narrow streets of the old town also provides a deep insight into the history of the Sirmione peninsula. In the 13th century, the della Scala family expanded its domain to Lake Garda and took over the government of Verona and Sirmione in 1262. In 1276, Mastino I della Scala took action against the deeply religious Patarini, who resented the wealth and power of the Church.

During Venetian rule, the originally Roman fortifications were continually rebuilt and expanded, and the harbour also served to secure the Lake Garda fleet. The 47-meter-high Mastino Tower in the large courtyard served as the armoury and main building of the military complex in the Middle Ages; today it offers a colossal view of the fortress and the peninsula.

The tip of land on which Sirmione is located is triangular in shape, with a largest side length of 1,250 meters and a width of 750 meters, and consists of three hills: "Cortine", "San Pietro in Mavino", and the "Grotta di Catullo".

After a tour of the castle complex, we enter the old town through one of the city gates. Winding and narrow streets await us. It immediately becomes clear why access is only permitted to local residents.

Next to the ancient harbour, we encounter this woman standing among a group of swans demanding food. The swans' necks lengthen almost infinitely.

Already at the first city gate, we encounter a remnant of the Roman past in the form of this built-in artifact. The history of the peninsula dates back to the Stone Age in the 2nd millennium BC. As early as the 17th century BC, settlements of pile dwellings emerged in the shallow waters, stretching from Salò to Garda. Sirmione gained great importance due to its location on important traffic routes. The "Itinerarium Antonini," a directory of Roman imperial roads from the 3rd century, already mentions the existence of a place where travellers could stop, the "mansino Sermione," located in the middle of the road between Brescia and Verona.

During restoration work on the church, the foundations of a Roman temple were also discovered, which today, in an adjoining room, offers visitors an insight into the long history of settlement on the peninsula. During Roman times, the peninsula was a holiday resort for high-ranking families. Of the three villas built during this period, only the "Grottas of Catullus" on the last of the three hills remain today. The poet Gaius Valerius Catullus, who lived in Rome in the 1st century BC, occasionally visited this place, thus giving the villa its name.

The old town of Sirmione is characterized by narrow streets and quiet squares like this piazza, where visitors will find numerous boutiques and antique shops, cafés, and restaurants, even on rather grey days.

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• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
• Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas Sirmione at Lake Garda - ancient Roman Villas
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Maroneia - We left the Alexandroupolis campsite that morning and headed for Thessaloniki. Since the ruined city of Maroneia was on the way, we wanted to at least make a short stop there to get a first impression. We will explore the area in detail during our return trip in December.

Olympos - After our nighttime hike to the Chimera fires (continuously using our headlamps), we strolled through the ancient ruins the next morning after a hearty breakfast to the beach at Olympos and Cirali, which was magnificently calm and sunny.

Once again, Author Wolfgang Dorn, travel guide to Central Anatolia and today guide to Güver Canyon travelled with a small group, an opportunity that we wanted to use to meet him.

Almost secretly, quietly and quietly, numerous car and motorcycle products from the former GDR have matured into serious classics that are becoming increasingly popular with classic car fans.

A strikingly unconventional or even strange idea that we came across during the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf. At first, we couldn't believe our eyes when we saw this Lambo on the exhibition stand. Of course it's an eye-catcher! But as with many manufacturers, it's all about going big and not going home!

From the Legjenda campsite we drove to the former fortress and present-day museum for the Albanian national heroes Skanderbeg which is in Kruja.

After our arrival at Rue de Ruffi in Marseille, there was still time for an initial exploration walk from our accommodation along the Quai du Maroc towards the city center, a path of around 4 kilometers that took us directly along the impressive harbour facilities.

As quickly as it came, it's over again, the Easter festival of 2024. And like almost everywhere, there are plenty of decorated Easter fountains, one or the other bunny schools and of course hearty Easter fires.

Once again it was an experience to visit the Leipzig Book Fair, which this year had the motto “Who’s still reading?” was standing. And anyone who was just a little interested in the age structure of the visitors in the full exhibition halls could see that young people in particular read books and do so with great enthusiasm.

The historic old town of Dresden, if one can still speak of “old town” in the traditional sense after the bombing nights of February 13th and 14th, 1945, is located on the left side of the Elbe and extends from the Elbe on the Terrassenufer in the north to the town hall in the South.

The walk through the CMT camping trade fair in Stuttgart once again showed how strongly customer wishes can have an impact when it comes to specific interests in their implementation. Why this almost always works in the camping and leisure industry is sometimes just a mystery.

The beginning of autumn is a special time for everyone! The various teams at Frankana Freiko are working at full speed, including in preparation for the 12th in-house exhibition.

Anyone who comes to Weimar on the second weekend in October will experience the famous Weimar Onion Market, the oldest and largest folk festival in Thuringia with around 360,000 visitors. The celebration lasts for three days every second weekend in October - the 370th edition will take place from October 13th to 15th, 2023.

Certainly “the” highlight during this year’s meeting of fans and freaks of the bicycle caravan scene – the approximately 10-kilometre-long tour around the town of Luckenau led by Jörg.

It was just before 5 p.m. Numerous guests were already gathering in front of the doors of the Bonhoeffer Hall in the EBW, including a striking number of young people and children. Grimme award winner Adnan Maral, known to many as Metin Öztürk from the Culture Clash cinema hit "Turkish for Beginners" and from the ARD evening series of the same name, was expected.

Almost every minute, open or glass-enclosed excursion boats from a wide variety of providers are on the Amsterdam canals, and that in almost any weather. Although there was light continuous rain, it couldn't stop us from cycling into the city centre this time as well.

We were up early and our way should first lead to the paddock at Schleizer Dreieck, where there was already a lot of activity. Wonderful to look at this huge collection of historic and new motorcycles and to get into conversation with many a participant.

In addition to social gatherings, a village festival always means the presentation of the various trades and the associated machine technology - what luck if the residents still have old technology or even put their craftsmanship to the test.