A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
For our 11th wedding anniversary, Inna made reservations at Indian Springs Resort & Spa in Calistoga, California. We stayed two nights, arriving on Friday, October 12, and returning on Sunday, October 14.. . On the first day, Friday, October 12, we checked in at the Indian Springs Resort & Spa (after a long drive from San Jose) and ate dinner at the nearby Solbar Restaurant..…
Read More: Wedding Anniversary in Calistoga
For the Labor Day weekend, we decided to go back to Santa Barbara. Since hotels in Santa Barbara were costly, we decided to stay in a modest Best Western Plus Pepper Tree Inn from August 31 to September 3, 2012.. . On the way to Santa Barbara from San Jose, we stopped by for lunch at Pismo Beach. An eatery there called the Splash claimed…
Read More: Sunny Santa Barbara
We checked into Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park on the drive from Yellowstone. As we were hungry, we had a great breakfast/lunch and reserved a boat tour. The boat tour was canceled due to rain, but we could reschedule for Friday morning (August 10, 2012).. . . . Grand Teton is also quite a more extensive park surrounded by mountains. Here is…
Read More: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
. Having heard many rave reviews from our friends, we were very interested in visiting Yellowstone National Park. We didn't know what to expect, as some of the photos we looked at didn't impress us.. . On August 3, we flew from San Francisco (SFO) to Salt Lake City (SLC) on a United Airlines regional jet (Flight #6418). The flight was only three hours long…
Read More: Yellowstone National Park
In July, we drove to Napa, California, to see the Festival del Sole, which featured ballet from a famous Russian ballet company. I am not a big fan of ballet, so I found the performances uninteresting, but Inna liked them. Our other friends also really enjoyed the various dances. . . . While in Napa, we stayed for two days at the Blackbird Inn. Blackbird…
Read More: Review: Napa Festival del Sole
Today, I purchased a 2009 MINI Cooper S Convertible "Chili. It's a red 6-speed convertible with a turbocharged engine.. . It's a fun car but a bit quirky. The window up/down switches are on the center console, and the fuel gauge is a rainbow-looking indicator. There is also an instrument to tell how long the top was down.. . . . . . The Mini…
Read More: Enjoying the Mini Cooper S “Chili”
. Today, we took the train from Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague's Main Train Station) to Vienna's Meidling station aboard the EC 79 Gustav Klimt (departing Prague at 2:42pm). We purchased the train tickets online in advance using the Czech Transport website. The cost of the tickets was 44 Euros (for two passengers).. . . . . . The train ride was uneventful, though we had…
Read More: Exploring Vienna
We enrolled Alex in Camp Tawonga, a Jewish camp near Yosemite, CA, in June. We thought he would enjoy playing outside with his new friends, as well as canoeing, swimming, archery, and other outdoor activities.. . Alex attended session 2 from Sunday, June 24, to Friday, July 6. This was Alex's first camp away from home, and we worried about how he would feel without…
Read More: Alex’s adventures in Camp Tawonga, Yosemite
In the summer of 2012, we decided to visit Prague, Czechia, because we were looking for inexpensive airline tickets to European cities we had not yet seen. For some odd reason, tickets to Prague were cheaper than tickets to London, Paris, or Rome. Since we had never been there, we decided to visit Prague first and then travel by train to Vienna.. . We flew…
Read More: Prague, Czechia
In May, we drove to Mendocino, California, where we stayed at the Little River Inn by the Pacific Ocean. We like getting away from the hustle and bustle of San Jose to a quiet and secluded place. The drive to Mendocino is long but not very tedious, though a section of the road is a bit winding.. . We ate a delicious breakfast at the…
Read More: Exploring Mendocino
I don't recall the first time I flew on an airplane. I believe it was back in Russia when my parents and I traveled to the Black Sea for vacation. Ever since then, I have always been a fan of aviation.. . When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a pilot and fly military jet fighters. I built a wooden glider that…
Read More: Flight training on a Cessna 172SP Skyhawk
We flew on Virgin Airlines from San Jose to Los Cabos, Mexico, in April.. . We stayed at the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, which we visited many years earlier. This Hilton has lovely pools and excellent Mexican food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .…
Read More: Los Cabos, Mexico
In February, Inna, Alex, and I flew on Alaska Airlines from San Jose to Seattle, Washington, then traveled by car to Whistler, Canada. We rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee through Alamo Car Rental (Costco.com to get a better rate) to ensure we had a 4-wheel-drive vehicle available in case we needed it. However, it turned out that we never needed to use 4-wheel drive.. .…
Read More: Skiing Whistler
Today, we flew directly from San Jose to Las Vegas (on Southwest Airlines Flight #644). We stayed at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay from October 13 to 17, 2011.. . The plan was to see a few exceptional shows, and we purchased tickets to see:. "Elton John's Million Dollar Piano" at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace (October 13 at 7:30pm). "O" - Cirque de Soleil…
Read More: Showtime in Las Vegas, Nevada
Today, I rode my 2008 Honda CBR1000RR motorcycle to the top of Mt. Hamilton to visit the Lick Observatory. The Lick Observatory was the world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory.. . The ride from South San Jose to Mt. Hamilton follows the many twists and turns of Mt. Hamilton Road. Mt. Hamilton Road is a twisty, exciting one-lane road for motorcycle riding. A few bicyclists…
Read More: Mt. Hamilton Motorcycle Ride
Sunday, June 6, 2010 . . . We really enjoyed our time visiting Mont-Sainte-Michel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .…
Read More: Mont-Sainte-Michel, France
After a delicious breakfast in Honfleur, we visited Etretat - a beautiful French seaside village with a unique natural arch. . . . . The drive from Honfleur to Etretat took just 35 minutes. We parked our car on the outskirts and walked onto the pebble beach. The weather was beautiful, with hardly any wind. . . . . . . . The downtown was…
Read More: Etretat, France
Friday, June 4, 2010 . . . For the French portion of our England-France European trip, we began our journey in Le Havre (after crossing the English Channel from Portsmouth on the LD Lines ferry). . . . . . . . We departed Portsmouth, England, aboard LD Lines (Louis Dreyfus) on June 4, 2010, at 08:30 and arrived in Le Havre at 12:45 (a…
Read More: Honfleur, France
Friday, June 4, 2010 . Our early morning drive from Bath to Portsmouth went reasonably smoothly. We needed to drop off our rented Mercedes at National Car Rental and catch the LD Ferry for Le Havre. . . On arrival at Portsmouth, I found the National Car Rental offices closed, so I left the car key and paperwork in the Dropbox. . We then proceeded…
Read More: Portsmouth, England
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 . . . After touring Stourhead Gardens, we continued our drive toward Bath, where we had a two-day reservation at the Badminton Villa (managed by Heather and Steve Clewley): . . Badminton Villa. 10 Upper Oldfield Park . Bath. BA2 3JZ. We checked in and went to bed as we were tired from our drive.. Thursday, June 3, 2010 . Heather…
Read More: Bath, England