Christmas is just around the corner

I finished with my Christmas cards today!! They are all written and decorated , just waiting for the cute Christmas stamps and to be mailed. I know, can you believe it? It's the end of October! What's even harder to believe is that our shops are not wearing the Christmas decorations yet. The previous years it all started to soon and by the time Christmas came, the real festive feeling was not really there. 

I also made a gift list... some gifts will be home made, some need to be bought. I also already know what I would like to give each person (family, friends, pen friends) on my list... but today I read a sad story about dogs in desperate need of help. There are shelters in the ex Yugoslav countries that have no food, no blankets, no medicine to give to the dogs they care for. The volunteers are desperate. This winter is going to be cold. As much as I like getting and wrapping presents up and giving them to the people I cherish I am seriously considering not doing them this year and give all the money from my gifts budged to a shelter near Zagreb (the shelters in Slovenia are in far better conditions). I tried to do this before: I donated the money to a good animal cause BUT I still bought the presents - this year I would rather spend all the money for the animals but how to convince myself my friends (because I am still getting presents for my parents, hubby and aunt - we are a very small family) will understand? Or I could still get them a little something... but to get all a little something may amount to 150 EUR! Wouldn't it be best to buy those animal shelters the so much needed food? We all already have what we need. Can you please help me convince myself and share your experience if you ever did this before? Thanks a billion!

Bella Italia - Lago di Garda

The most enchanting view

We've visited Italy several times as its our neighboring country (it takes us 10 minutes to reach the border) and this time around we chose Lago di Garda, Italy's largest lake situated at the foot of the Italian Dolomites.  Believe it or not, every little part of Italy has it's own charm. Lake Garda is sown with many beautiful towns and villages - superficially they all look the same, but each of them has its own personality. They offer one discovery after another: narrow streets, cobble stone pavements, stone houses, arches and double arches, steep stone stairways, colorful facades-doors-windows, picturesque harbors, castles and fortresses ... It's a place with magnificent natural scenery, rich vegetation (lemon trees, oleanders, bougainvilleas, olive trees, vineyeards), Mediterranean climate. The panoramic road around the lake, called "La Gardesana" is exciting: it takes you through half open galleries, tunnels (around 80 ) built in rock, vertiginous curves. The last James Bond movie's first sequence was filmed here! Here are some of my fave pics.... 

Sirmione

Limone del Garda

fruit and vegetables stand

Limoone del Garda - the small harbor 

"Limonaie" - where lemons are grown

the beach

La Gardesana - galleries

La Gardesana - tunnels

La Gardesana and its curves

A typical harbor

Sirmione by day

Torri del Benaco - the remains of the Scaligeri fortress

...good food...

Verona, Italy

We went on a little vacation on Lake Garda (Italy). To my surprise, Verona was what most fascinated me. I knew there was the Arena and Julietta's balcony, but everything else was a surprise. A nice one! I know, I should have prepared better for the trip, but this way the experience was enhanced, I just couldn't stop taking pictures and go aaaawwww all the time. The old town is very well preserved and you can find mementos from Roman times to medieval to modern times. No wonder artists find it to be such an inspiration.

Dante Alighieri found Verona to be a peaceful refuge, where he thought of and drafted the last passes of his Divine Comedy.

The love story between Romeo and Juliet, opposed by their respective families, is a timeless piece placed in Verona, an emblem of a love that conquers hate and passes over death. 

"For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo"
(Act 5, scene III, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare)

"Letters to Juliet" is a recent movie set in Verona (and some Tuscany) and we loved how well it was portrait. 

Come on, join me on a walk through this splendid Italian town.

Pupa

OK, I downsized the pics big time so that I can finally upload the pictures that I want. I think my Pupa deserves a post of her own as she is being such a good girl: she still hisses and growls at Mika but is less stressed and more herself again.

PS: Sharon, thanks for the tip :)

Difficulties in uploading photos

I have been experiencing difficulties in uploading photos. It may upload one - eventually, but for another one there is no way. It took me two days to upload the 2 photos from the previous post. Has anybody had the same problem and what did you do to solve it?

My girls

Pupa enjoying some shade while the umbrella is drying up

Oh, so many toys, so little time!

A wildlife encounter

We were leaving Poljane and a young fox crossed the road. I've never seen a fox in nature so we were pleasantly surprised. The fox was curious about us, too, so she jumped behind a bush but kept checking us out. She couldn't decide if leave or not... but she eventually did. I managed to take some not that great photos of her, but here they are anyway :)