LAKE LAND
The Italian Lakes had been on our ‘to do’ list for many years and with the prediction of a glorious summer, we decided June would be a good month to set off. Our only quandary was, which lakes to visit? With just over three weeks to spare, we opted for Lakes Garda, Iseo, Como and Maggiore. However, a touring holiday is never just about the destination and we managed to fit in three more lakes and cities.
Our first stopover was eight miles from Brussels. We decided against using the bus stop outside the site, in favour of biking into the city centre. The morning was spent in the main square (Grote Markt) sampling the beer and chocolate. After lunch we tracked down the three world-famous ‘pis’ fountains – Manneken Pis, Jeanneke Pis and Zinneke Pis – before visiting St Catherine’s Church.
After two nights at the site, we moved on to Strasbourg to spend a couple of days exploring the medieval city. We marvelled at its imposing gothic Notre Dame Cathedral in the market square, before strolling through ‘Petite France’, a picturesque quarter once the domain of fisherfolk, tanners and millers.
We walked along cobbled streets and across canals to admire half-timbered houses and a very impressive dam, following it up with a boat tour along the River Ill.
From Strasbourg we travelled
