Matt and Janelle in Europe

Our hotel room included a breakfast buffet, so we woke up and went across the street to the hotel's main building to eat. The breakfast was great and included foods like fruit, breads, pastries, Italian meats, cheese, coffee, juice, and tea. After eating, we went back to our room, gathered our drying laundry, and checked out.

The hotel allowed us to leave our backpacks in their luggage storage room, so we were able to walk around the city without our heavy gear.

Exploring Verona

We began by walking again toward l'Arena, a first century AD monument. It was pretty cool inside (very similar to Rome's Colosseum), and is currently being worked on to add a temporary stage for performances of Romeo and Juliet (which is, in fact, set in Verona).

Next we started walking around l'Arena, but ended up wandering throughout the city, looking at the shops and old churches. We made our way to the river (the Adige) around the city and crossed to the outer region.

We got some authentic Italian gelato and sat down on a random path/staircase to eat it. We decided to see to where the upward path led and were pleasantly surprised to find that it led to Castel San Pietro, a lackluster castle with an amazing view of Verona and the surrounding area.

We made our way back to l'Arena and, as I'm writing the first half of this post, have been sitting on the same bench in the shade for about an hour and a half. The weather here today is absolutely perfect, and so far we've had no use for our cold-weather clothes.

We picked up our bags and figured out the correct bus to take to our next CouchSurfing hosts. We found a nice small restaurant with outdoor seating, then boarded our bus.

CouchSurfing with Sindy and Mattia

We arrived at a bus stop south of Verona and met with our CouchSurfing host, Sindy. She lives with her fiance Mattia in the outskirts of Verona. She took us back to her place in her car and we got settled in.

After a shower, Sindy and Mattia took us out to a nearby lake, Lago Garda, to see a small town nearby. We then sat down outside at a restaurant, and Sindy and Mattia graciously refused to let us pay for a round of drinks. We talked about the corruption of the Italian government, American media in Italy, and their upcoming trip to the West Coast of the US.

Afterwards, we drove back home and went to sleep in their spare room.