Oh oh oh Garda-Land.....!

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....Oh oh oh Gardaaaaa Land!

It was only one day of our two week holiday but the theme park’s (Gardaland) signature song is still stuck in my head some nine months later, what a day – what a holiday, a brilliant time was had by all, hot, exhausting, busy but extremely enjoyable was the verdict of our first time in Italy, and Ella’s first trip abroad.

After an excellent week mostly spent in our Venetian Coast campsite we moved on to Lake Garda and a town called San Felice del Banaco for our second and final week. We drove via Verona and spent a day there sightseeing and eating in what was another incredible city to rival and perhaps surpass Venice for its stunning architecture.

Gardaland was class, huge tree house, great rides for kids, some freaked me out a bit to be honest but I'm a brave soldier so I survived.. There was this air plane ride that went very slow around the park on a track, like a train but in the sky, and in a plane, with only one track rather than two tracks, but you know what I mean.... Anyway it was murder, me and Lois went on it and I was bricking it, she's hanging over the side, waving to her mum, I'm gripping onto the side and really just hoping it will end. Then there was this other one that went up and spun around, again Lois loved it and I hated it, there was a button in the cab thing that you pressed to go higher - which Lois pretty much permanently pressed, I think I'm scared of heights...

My favourite part was the mist showers though, it was roastifying and there were fake trees that basically showered you in a rain mist, it was quality, I spent about ten minutes under one after my traumas on one of the many air plane rides...

There was a Sealife centre attached to the park too, it wasn't up to much to be honest and we spent maybe 45 mins dashing through it, it was air conditioned and indoors though so it was nice to cool down for a wee while.

A couple of "funny" things happened on the way home from Gardaland, firstly we were there all day and into early evening, it was dark when we left about 8pm and we got the kids into the car, pram and bags all into the boot, I had to get changed as I was soaked with sweat (nice image) so after 20 mins or so in the pitch black car park we were ready to go, but I couldn't find the car keys!! It took us another 30 mins to find them using our phones as a torch, we raked through bins (as I'd thrown rubbish in them) unpacked the boot, went through all the clothes etc, I can't even remember where it was now but the stress levels were really rising, that I do remember.

We got on the road home and as we got further away from the park I kept seeing flashing lights to our left, I thought it was a light show or fireworks from the park, it was really distracting, we kept going but the flashing was getting closer, I didn't have scooby what it was but soon enough we were driving through the middle of an electrical storm! I genuinely have never seen rain like this before or since, bearing in mind it was 32 degrees an hour earlier at Gardaland, it was torture, I could barely see out the windscreen.

So we motored on through and finally got close to home, a wee town about 2 miles outside our place, there was one road through this town and said road was now a river, there were cars dumped everywhere, the rain was still thundering down and it was now well after 10pm, the girls were sleeping and I started to panic that we wouldn't get home, cars around me just gave up but I decided to get up onto the pavement and see if I could drive through the street, we made it through and my heart was pounding, I though we were going to stall and get stuck but the car made easy work of it, I started to calm down a bit until I turned a corner and seen the street where we had to get up to get home, it was like a lake!

Out campsite was at the top of a steep hill, and our caravan was at the top of the campsite so I knew our place would be fine from floods however the road leading to it was not. Again I just had to go for it, this time I knew that if we did get stuck we were only 800 yards or so from home so I could carry the Lois and push the pram though at worst. We made it anyway and finally got to our caravan, and that's when I noticed it... Bearing in mind it was 30+ degrees when we left, I'd left all the windows open! There were mosquito nets up but they were no use and keeping out the rain and our place was completely soaked!

Luckily our double bed was dry (it was at the other side of the caravan, away from the wind and rain) so Fiona and the girls slept in there, the girls bedroom was flooded, as was the living room, we dried it as best we could and I used the least soaking single mattress upside down and slept in the hall.

The next day it was 30+ degrees again and we put everything outside on the patio and it was dry by lunchtime, what an adventure!

I'm trying to actually remember what we did outside go to Gardaland! We drove through the James Bond Quantum of Solace tunnels, which was fun! We ate out loads, we went to the beach but it was pebbley so Lois wasn't impressed and Ella ate approximately twelve hundred pebbles....

I really can't remember so this is short and sweet with a few photos' thrown in.

As for a general update, we'll we're just back from a week in North Wales, that was nice, we've got two Guinea Pigs called Squeak and Woof (seriously) and we're looking forward to our summer holidays in France in July.

I'll try and add another general update blog soon....

Keep the peace homeboys (and girls) and remember to check yourself before you riggidy wreck yourself.



And now you can get a taste of the song too -

You're welcome.

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