Just a few Juliets in Verona

I really have some awesome girlfriends here in Innsbruck. They planned a surprise bachelorette get-away for me months in advanced. Only when we were driving in the car did I learn where we were going – to Verona! The hometown of Romeo’s Juliet! What American girl gets to go to Italy for her bachelorette trip?? So special! We had an excellent Air BNB right outside of the colosseum. We wandered a bit and of course had to stop by Juliet’s famous balcony. Though we didn’t write any love letters ourselves, we read some of the notes that other visitors had left for Juliet. We had a delicious lunch in a charming outdoor café with a canopy of vines to provide shade. We then stopped for some Aperol spritzes at cozy bar along the Adige River that runs through the city.

Just a trip to Verona was not all these girls had planned. They were taking me to a Lumineers concert in a castle! It was a great show and in such a cool place. Everyone was singing along and went crazy when they started “Ho Hey”. I think I still have “Ophelia” in my head! The girls even got me a sparkly “bride to be crown” to wear! And then after the concert, we did what would be unthinkable in Innsbruck. We went to a café after midnight and ordered pizzas (and more Aperols)!

After an amazing day in Verona, the girls had even more surprises in store for me. We drove to Lake Garda. We stopped at a town that the girls had visited before, Lazise. It was so cute walking through the tiny streets and out onto the lake front. We dipped our toes in the water and giggled as we tried to shake the sand off when it came time to put our shoes back on. We ate a late morning snack (Aperol spritzes and a fruit platter) at a restaurant with a gorgeous view of the lake. We spent the afternoon driving along the lake shore and stopped at Riva at the top of the lake for one last gelato.

It really was a very special trip that I won’t soon forget!

Polaroids taken by Selina!