A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
After dropping off our luggage at Novotel Suites, 335 Rue de la Belle Étoile (near Charles de Gaulle Airport), we ordered an UberX to downtown Paris (Sainte-Chapelle).. . . . We were picked up by an English Jaguar (right-hand steering wheel) and taken to Sainte-Chapelle on the Île de Paris. We purchased tickets (20 euros for 2 adults and 1 teenager) and explored the beautiful…
Read More: Half Day in Paris
After a delicious breakfast at our Hotel Bristol, where I had cold cereal with milk, chocolate croissants, and hot black tea, Inna, Alex, and I dressed and walked to the Verbier Gondola for our trip to Lausanne.. . . . To get to Lausanne, we needed to take the following trains:. 9:34 Gondola from Verbier to Le Châble (arriving at 9:42) (platform 50) . 9:48…
Read More: One Day in Lausanne
I have always dreamed of snowboarding or skiing in Switzerland, so when an opportunity presented itself, I decided to seize it.. . . . . . From the many possible Swiss resorts, I selected Verbier based on feedback from a Swiss citizen who has lived there. My alternatives included Zermatt, Chamonix in France, and St. Anton am Arlberg in Austria.. . . . Since I…
Read More: Snowboarding Verbier
. . . . How was 2018 in Sports? Let's take a look:. 147 days of playing tennis (Sunnyvale Tennis Center). 90 days working out in the gym (City Sports). 23 days of surfing (Capitola). 16 days of windsurfing (Coyote Point, Sherman Island). 13 days of snowboarding (Whistler & South Lake Tahoe). 12 days of mountain biking (Almaden Quicksilver Park). 4 days of hiking. 3…
Read More: The Year in Sports 2018
I had difficulty sleeping due to the coffee in the Al Bicerin drink. At first, I wanted to leave an hour earlier for Bardonecchia Ski Resort, but when I woke up, I was too tired. We decided to depart one hour later.. . . . We first boarded the Metro L1 line, bound for Puerto Nuevo (3 stops). Then I purchased two one-way train tickets…
Read More: Snowboarding Bardonecchia
When Inna discovered inexpensive round-trip airline tickets to Paris, we planned to visit for one week during Christmas, followed by a week of snowboarding in either France (Chamonix) or nearby Switzerland (Verbier or Zermatt). With these plans in mind, we made a reservation at a lovely Airbnb apartment in the center of Paris. However, due to the recent violence, we decided to bypass Paris and…
Read More: Exploring Turin
Is human knowledge only to be found in books? . . As wonderful as books represent, document, and express human thoughts, they are not a substitute for direct, personal contact that comes from seeing, hearing, feeling, and experiencing things for oneself.. . Can any book truly capture the exhilaration of windsurfing on Maui, snowboarding on freshly fallen powder at Whistler, piloting a Cessna single-engine aircraft,…
Read More: The Bucket List 2018
Which are the best restaurants, spas, and travel destinations? At the end of 2018, I am rating the following (from best to worst) based on my personal experience. . . . . . . . . Restaurants. . Even though Michelin has not rated it, Mama's Fish House on Maui is our favorite restaurant worldwide. Mama's Fish House combines an authentic Hawaiian atmosphere with exceptional…
Read More: Best of the Best 2018
With Ms. Diane Wyant as the new music director at Bellarmine College Prep, I was eager to hear all the new arrangements and pieces prepared for the symphonic band.. . . . The Winter Concert started out with the performance of the newly formed Bellarmine Chamber Orchestra, playing the following three compositions:. . Bellarmine Chamber Orchestra. "Forever Joyful!" by Brian Belmages . "A Soldier's Hymn"…
Read More: A Winter Concert at Bellarmine
When we moved to the United States in 1980, no one in my family knew how to drive, though my dad knew the most about cars. He purchased his first car - a 2-door Ford Maverick with a manual transmission on the steering wheel. The owner helped teach my dad to drive it.. . . . After some practice with the vehicle owner, my dad…
Read More: A Personal Motor-vehicle history
With Inna returning to Software Quality Assurance, I purchased the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 at Costco for $799 (Black Friday unique).. . On powering on the laptop, I was impressed by how easy Microsoft made the whole experience. Voice-assisted Cortana led me through creating my accounts and applying all Windows 10 updates.. . It was ready for use after I installed my old copy of…
Read More: Review: Microsoft Surface Pro 6
After dropping off Alex at this Speech & Debate tournament at Los Gatos High School, I had a couple of hours to burn off some fat at the Almaden Quicksilver County Park.. . . . I arrived at the Hacienda Entrance around 7:50 a.m., but the park entrance was still closed. A ranger came around 7:55 a.m., opening the gate so I could park my…
Read More: Biking Almaden Quicksilver County Park
After a long wait for cooler weather, it was time to resume off-road motorcycling at Hollister Hills SVRA. With the Red Sticker season on, the normal staging area was crowded.. . . . I decided to record all my trail rides using Strava. I usually only use Strava to record my mountain bike rides and hikes, but recording segment times for various trails might be…
Read More: Back at Hollister Hills SVRA
The first time I encountered a computer was the Space Invaders arcade video game in Rome, Italy, in the winter of 1980 (during my temporary stay in Rome, on the way to the United States).. . . . . A young Italian boy offered me a chance to play, and I was immediately hooked! I have never seen anything like it before.. . . .…
Read More: A Personal Computing History
For our 17th Wedding Anniversary, we decided to have a nice, romantic dinner at the Evvia Restaurant in Palo Alto. At first, I made dinner reservations at 21:00 on Sunday, October 14th (using OpenTable), but I could book an earlier time (by calling the restaurant directly).. . The last time we dined at Evvia was on Bella's 83rd birthday, and we enjoyed our dinner a…
Read More: Anniversary Dinner at Evvia
Alex had been making excellent surfing progress on his 6' Firewire Spitfire board. He surfed on it in various conditions at "The Hook" and Pleasure Point in Capitola. However, on Saturday, October 13th, feeling confident about his abilities, he decided to try surfing at the famous "Steamer Lane" surfing spot in Santa Cruz (near the Lighthouse).. . Alex encountered 6-8 foot waves at Steamer Lane,…
Read More: Disaster at Steamer Lane
Since returning from our incredible summer trip to Japan (where we tasted the most delicious ramen at a small restaurant in Matsumoto), we have been looking for a similar experience in San Jose. One of my co-workers suggested I try the Hokkaido Ramen Santouka place at the Mitsui Marketplace (Japanese grocery store) nearby.. . Although I lived nearby, I have never been inside Mitsui Marketplace.…
Read More: Eating Ramen at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
“Murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, adultery, and treachery…all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts“…so begins the international award-winning Broadway and West End musical, CHICAGO. . . . . . What can be said about Chicago - one of the finest (and possibly my all-time favorite musical) - that hasn't already been said? With subtle, sarcastic lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John…
Read More: Review: “Chicago” on Broadway (Ambassador Theater)
Summary. . A group of young puppets and humans living on Avenue Q tries to work out their personal and financial problems.. . . . . Puppets. Princeton: "A fresh-faced kid just out of college.". Kate Monster: "A kindergarten teaching assistant, a bit older than Princeton." . Nicky: "A bit of a slacker who lives with Rod.". Rod: "A Republican investment banker with a secret.".…
Read More: Review: Avenue Q Off Broadway (New World Stages)
Summary. . A pregnant waitress with an abusive husband tries to bake her way out of her problems while having an affair with her doctor.. . . . Musical Numbers. Act I. "What's Inside" – Jenna and Company. "Opening Up" – Jenna, Becky, Dawn, Cal, and Company. "The Negative" – Jenna, Becky, and Dawn. "Door Number Three" – Jenna. "Waiting Room" – Patients. "When He…
Read More: Review: Waitress on Broadway (Brooks Atkinson Theater)