First of all, a big thank you to all who have responded to our blog and photos. We haven’t done individual replies because:
 1 . There have been quite a few
 2. We only recently realized that we could, and,
 3. Inertia!
 Well, here we are camped at a wonderfully picturesque campsite – Camping Laghi di Lamar, deep in the Dolomites and the reason why we’re doing an individual post for our Alps / Dolomites trip. Unfortunately we’ve only got a week in this area (blast the Oz Gov, the EU and most of all the Schengen Treaty), so we’ve only had enough time to realize that what Lin and Pru have said i.e. this is the most beautiful part of Europe and you could spend months just cruising the Pyrenees, Alps and Dolomites. If this area had a longer balmy summer, let’s say about ten months with just two months for skiing, you would definitely have reached a slice of heaven. 
 We were no more than ten minutes out of Innsbruck on our way to Brenner and the Pass, when it started . . . “Wow! Look at that”, “I just can’t believe what we’re seeing”, and for a change “O. . M . .G!” Stopping at a rest stop at the top of the Brenner Pass for a coffee (strong, with just a little hot milk) just set us up for even more superlatives involving, in Peter’s case, a fair sprinkling of four to six letter words and in Kathy’s only a bit more decorous . No words that we can come up with could possibly describe the awe-inspiring scenery.
 The campsite was well off the autostrada (by the way, it’s true what they say about Italian drivers – either they’re stopped or they’re going flat out) and we enjoyed a very scenic but nail biting journey well up into the mountains. Up and up and up! At one stage we inched through an uber narrow Terlago lane watching the side mirrors like hawks. Of course next day the bus sauntered through these same narrows in true Italian 'Nonchalantic' style! 
 Our first day was spent setting up camp, doing a load of washing, saying hello to all the local mutts (Kathy’s first task at each campsite), and generally relaxing . . . apart from an hour cross country walk to the Larghi del Lemar, a small lake high up in the hills. The walk, the lake and general scenery was breathtaking. Towering above us, those light grey granite mountains sometimes so steep, nothing, absolutely nothing can cling to their flanks. And all around, trees, trees, trees . 
 Next day saw us visiting Trento. About all we knew of Trento was its WW2 role when the Axis armies made a last stand, and unfortunately, the Allies shelled and bombed much of the town. No sign of that now of course. In fact, it turns out that Trento is another little pocket gem of a town. A broad and interesting history, a fabulous Old Quarter, and not overrun with tourists. We spent the whole day just cruising the piazzas, roads and alleys of the OQ. Visited the Basilica, mainly because the 30C day plus high humidity dictated that we find a cool place to rest. Again, surprise, surprise, it was well worth the visit. One could say that the Cattedrale di San Vigilio is stately high baroque as opposed to gaudy baroque. In particular the underground basilica dating back to the third century was thought provoking. So much has happened, and so many people have stood in that very spot. Tends to give a person perspective as to just how important we are in the bigger scheme of things! But the highlight of the day was our visit to the Castello del Buenconsiglio . This dates back to the 13th century but much of it was built and furnished in the 18th century. The whole presentation interlaces the history of the building with an exhibition of the paintings of Dosso Dossi and his pupils and contemporaries. It was a delight to see the portraits of local luminaries by Giovanni Lampi featuring people looking out from the canvas with actual expressions on their faces – joy, jolliness, seriousness . . . such a change from the wooden poses of much of the art of that time. Then it was off to our pavement café (for the third time) for cold drinks and gelato before boarding the bus home. Knackered big time!!!
 Next day was to be a special day, driving down the western flank of Lake Garda to Pieve Vecchia - Manerba del Garda, our stop for three days. Well! It was special but not in the way we envisaged. It was only well into the trip that Peter remembered that he’d read on the MH forum that the drive was not for the faint hearted. Here’s why . . . narrow highway, seriously narrow; many tunnels – some quite long and dark, some short; and never a straight stretch . Add to all this numerous lycra clad bicycle riders, both coming and going. It was nerve wracking, head-ache inducing, and still a wonderful experience! The views, when we were able to stop (once), or when we were able to glance around were terrific. Here’s this huge lake with high, steep mountains on both shores coupled to a sunny, hot day in summer – and an abundance of yachts and motorboats. Our stay at Pieve Vecchia has been super In a number of ways. We’ve had sunny and inclement weather. We’ve ‘done’ Sola – a lovely little lake-side town with a fabulous promenade and pavement cafes and shoe shops (where Kathy actually managed to buy two, yes two, pairs of sensible sandals, but I’m not allowed to put this in the blog – let’s see if it gets through). We booked into a highly rated, expensive campsite for three nights and checked out the next day because of crowded conditions, and an ear splitting band that kept going till 11 pm (and an eye-wateringly expensive 60 euros for one night). Went around the corner to an old fashioned campsite, fewer people, moderate facilities but, get this – right on the beach front. So all meals and beer o’clock were taken looking straight out over the water. And to cap it all - 30 euros a night. We must do better research in future! That’s all for this post. Next stop will be at a 'sosta' (Italian municipal campsites) on our way to Florence/Firenze. Don't know if we'll ever experience anything to top the Alps and Dolomites though. 

Reluctant note from KP: Yes, OK, OK, the clumpy clodhoppers with velcro straps are sensible and comfortable. Peter's sales skills are still very well honed. I can't believe he talked me into buying two pairs!