A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
After I finished my SUP surfing session at the Hook (41st Street, Capitola), I tried to carefully take my 9'3" Fanatic Allwave SUP out of the water. However, exiting through the surf is tricky during high tide as waves hit the launch location. One of the waves hit me, and I let go of the SUP. The SUP hit nearby rocks and was dented. .…
Read More: Repairing Fanatic Allwave 9’3″ SUP
One of my older Firex Smoke Detectors stopped working in our master bedroom (after a shower, it was activated but wouldn't silence). I started looking for the best replacement for my home's detectors. . . . . . I looked at multiple reviews of Smoke Detectors on Amazon.com, but I needed help identifying the best one. I have tried the following smoke detectors so far:…
Read More: Review: Smoke Detectors
The 41st annual Leap Sandcastle Classic at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, was scheduled for Saturday, October 28, 2023. We heard a little bit about it from the website: . . The Leap Sandcastle Classic is back at Ocean Beach on Oct. 28, 2023 from 11am-3:30pm! The free event brings out thousands of people for the ultimate sandcastle contest. You can watch teams build absolutely enormous…
Read More: Sandcastle Classic at Ocean Beach
Inna purchased two tickets to Tango Lovers in San Francisco's Herbst Theater. It was our first time at Herbst Theater. It's quite a small venue, and we had excellent seats with a clear stage view. . The program began with a jet landing in Buenos Aires, accompanied by the orchestra and two singers, Guillermo Fernandez and Maria de Los Angeles, singing a duet. . Something…
Read More: Tango Lovers at Herbst Theater
Friday, October 13, 2023. For our 22nd Wedding Anniversary, Inna made reservations at the Indian Springs Hotel in Calistoga. After finishing our work on Friday evening, we lightly packed our suitcases and loaded our Tesla Model Y. . . We started our drive to Calistoga at 17:20, encountering heavy traffic and about 30-45 minutes of delays. We arrived at Indian Springs at around 19:52. We…
Read More: Relaxing in Calistoga
Saturday, October 7, 2023. After landing at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport at 20:20 (on a flight from Brindisi's Solento Airport), we planned to take a taxi to the nearby Fly Deco Hotel in Ostia. . At first, we had difficulty finding the airport exit, but we finally managed to exit and queue for a taxi. When we reached the head of the queue (15…
Read More: Taxi Hell at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino (Rome) Airport
Our hostess suggested visiting Ostuni instead of Brindisi when we were checking out of our Hotel Palazzo Papaleo in Otranto. She said that Ostuni is much more picturesque and exciting than Brindisi's port. . . Although I had researched Brindisi and planned to stop there, I switched my plans to Ostuni, about 30 minutes away from Brindisi (by car). . . . The drive from…
Read More: A Stop in Ostuni
October 2, 2023. After speaking with an agent at Hertz Car Rental (which I had previously booked with), we finally settled on the front-wheel-drive Opel Corsa (made in Zaragoza, Spain) with license plate GL235AS. . . Since I had never driven in Italy, I opted to purchase additional auto insurance coverage as a precaution. The other basic insurance added 100.00 euros to my bill (the…
Read More: Driving Opel Corsa in Italy
Thursday, October 5, 2023. . . From Lecce (parked at the Parkejoo near downtown), we started our drive to Otranto at 18:20 (later than I would have liked, as I prefer to drive during the daytime). . . . . I programmed Otranto on my iPhone's Google Maps application, and we started our drive there. Traffic was heavy during rush hour, and I made a…
Read More: Relaxing in Otranto
Thursday, October 5, 2023. On the long drive to Otranto (our next major destination), we decided to visit Lecce. . After driving from Matera over mostly one-way and some two-way roads, we reached Lecce in two hours. Passing slow-driving cars on one-way roads took a lot of work, as most roads were curvy and bumpy. . . When we reached Lecce, I parked at the…
Read More: A Visit to Lecce
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 . In the early morning, after a quick and delicious breakfast at our Aquatio Hotel, we returned to the Parcheggio Sant'Isodoro (Parking Garage) and set out on our drive to Alberobello. . . On the way from Matera, the roads were primarily single-lane and only sometimes well-paved. When we reached wider freeways, the roads were much better (and speed limits much…
Read More: Trulli beautiful Alberobello
Tuesday, October 3, 2023. After touring the Norman Steps at Castelmezzano, we returned to our Opel Corsa rental (Hertz), parked in the blue spaces on Strada Provinciale 13, and set off for Matera. . . . . I connected my iPhone 14 to the Opel's USB port, and Apple CarPlay started working! It was a great help in navigating the complex roads to Matera. The…
Read More: Exploring Matera
Tuesday, October 3, 2023. Castelmezano is a member of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy") association, and the grand views around the village certainly warrant that lofty claim. . . . In the morning, we woke at 7:30, showered, and dressed. We had to pack our clothes to prepare for the drive to Matera. . . . Before leaving…
Read More: Hiking the Path of the Seven Stones
Once our Alilauro ferry docked in Sorrento, we rushed to the taxi area, hoping to catch a taxi. We needed to get to the Hertz Rental Agency ASAP (before it closed for lunch at 13:00). . Unfortunately, there were no taxis. This was a big surprise since taxis know the ferry schedule and should be happy for additional business. . . . . . After…
Read More: Driving to Castemezzano with a stop in Salerno
To relax during our two-week trip to southern Italy, Inna made reservations for 3 days at the San Montana Resort & Spa on the island of Ischia (off the coast of Naples). Ischia is one hour away from Sorrento by ferry (making it convenient to visit). . . . . Friday, September 29, 2023. While in Sorrento, we woke at 7:00, dressed, and packed our…
Read More: Relaxing on Ischia
Inna reserved a private, chartered boat tour of the Amalfi Coast for my birthday. However, unfavorable marine conditions forced a change of plans one day before my birthday. Inna rescheduled the time for Thursday, September 28th, hoping the Tyrrhenian Sea would get calmer. . . . . Luckily, the weather improved, and we were first picked up by a driver from Corso Italia (flags). He…
Read More: Boating on Amalfi Coast
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 . . . . . . Inna made reservations for a small boat tour of Capri from Sorrento. After reviewing multiple tours and companies, she settled on the following boat tour hosted by YouKnow: . . Capri & Blue Grotto Boat Trip-Prime Experience with max. 8 guests from Sorrento . We were picked up by a small tour bus at 7:30…
Read More: Beautiful Capri
Inna booked Luciano, a private tour guide, for an 8-hour Amalfi Coast tour with stops in Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, and Ravello. . . . . We woke at 7:00, showered, and got dressed for the tour. At 7:45, we left our Bed and Breakfast on Corso Italia 185 and walked 3 minutes to Gentile Cafe, our favorite nearby cafe. . . We sat down and…
Read More: Driving on Amalfi Coast
Inna originally booked a boat tour for my birthday, but an unfavorable marine forecast necessitated rescheduling. Instead, we decided to hike the world-famous Path of the Gods (Sentiero Degli Dei). . We woke up at 7:00 a.m., showered, and walked to our favorite Gentile Cafe for a quick Italian breakfast of pastries and cappuccinos. I also stopped by the nearby Deutsche Bank to withdraw 200.00…
Read More: Hiking Path of the Gods
After visiting Pompeii, we boarded the local train from Pompeii's Scavi Villa Dei Misteri station to Naples' Garibaldi station. . . Inna had an idea to taste the best pizza in the world, which is supposed to be served at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele. However, when we walked from Piazza Garibaldi to the pizzeria, the line was very long, and the last person was holding…
Read More: Visiting Naples