Celtic Rover
After three 500km and 7 hr driving days it was a relief to reach the Italian Lakes and the home of my friend Ida and her husband Angelo, Ida was a colleague and had told me Angelo was a Land Rover nut like myself and he would love to see Nelson if I was passing on my way to Venice. I was not aware that they have built a new beautiful home overlooking the lake Iseo just north of Brescia, but this was to be my idyllic stopping place for the night.
I had the good fortune to arrive just as the great annual Classic car race the Mille Migla was finishing in Brescia so I was taken on a whirlwind tour of the race finish by my host, for a classic car nut like myself it was wonderful.
The town of Brescia goes mad for the end of the race with a massive festival and all night opening in the bars surrounding the beautify squares which become concert venues for all different types of increasingly lively music. We had a fun night out a good deal of which was needed to persuade Dario the local mayor shown below that I was not crazy to even be attempting the trip and promising to call in on the way back with the Dust of the Himalaya on the truck.
Not content with that the next morning we were up early and mountain biked (with electrical support) up a local island shown below and went for a spin around the lake in Angelo’s boat to see the sights
So thanks very much to Ida, Angelo and their friends for a wonderful 24 hours sharing their home and some of the sights of the lakes of Italy with me, it is a very civilised part of the world, maybe I will need these luxurious memories to keep me going in the deserts of Turkmenistan!
A few more shots of the fantastic cars to finish
I tried and failed to pay for dinner and breakfast to show how grateful I was for their hospitality but they would hear nothing of it however many tricks I tried, like the Irish we fight to try to pay the bill so our cultures are similar in that point. So IOU to my friends in Italy for a stay in Edinburgh and the loan of my MG for some highland touring if you ever make it to Scotland !
Thanks Ida !!!
