A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
Monday, December 30, 2024 . I decided to try Cross-country (Nordic) skiing at Aqua Dome. I walked downstairs and rented some Salomon Classic Cross-country skis (25 euros/day) from Sunup Sports.. . Salomon Classic 173 cm skis (ski length is based on 80 kg weight) . Salomon (44.5) boots. . Salomon poles. One of the Aqua Dome concierges explained where the cross-country trails were located, and…
Read More: Cross-country skiing in Langenfeld
Friday, January 3, 2025 . With Patrizia, as our local guide in Langenfeld, Inna and Alex embarked on a snowshoeing hike to the Wiesle Hut. . . Alex and Inna had a lot of fun snowshoeing in deep snow and enjoying the small desserts at the Wiesle Hut. Unfortunately, I could not join them because I was busy alpine skiing at Solden. . . Here…
Read More: Snowshoeing to Wiesle Hut
Friday, January 3, 2025 . At around 07:45, I stopped by the Aqua Dome reception to purchase a daily pass for Solden. It was 79 euros plus a 3-euro deposit, for a total of 82 euros. The daily pass was much less expensive than a daily pass at U.S. Ski resorts! (The 3-euro deposit was refunded to me after I returned the ski card.) .…
Read More: Skiing Solden
For our 10:00 hike from Aquadome, our hiking guide, Patrizia, took us to Eagle's View (Adlerblick) for panoramic views near Langenfeld, Austria. . . We were supplied with a small backpack that carried additional water, apples, and ice cleat crampons (for putting on boots). Patrizia ordered two taxis to take us to the beginning of the hike near Giles (a short distance away from Aquadome…
Read More: Hiking to Eagle’s View, Langenfeld
Monday, December 30, 2024 . Once we reached Aqua Dome in Längenfeld from the Ötztal Bahnhof (train station) using bus #320, we dropped off our 3 large suitcases and decided to grab lunch (as our room #169 was not yet ready). . . We decided to grab lunch at the cafe and sat near the bar. We ordered the following items: . . Boris: Frittatensuppe…
Read More: Relaxing at Aqua Dome, Langenfeld
Welcome 2025! . We are celebrating the New Year at Aqua Dome in Langenfeld, Austria! . . . We had a wonderful New Year's Day celebration at Aqua Dome with a fine dinner and an enormous dessert buffet. . . . . . . . . 2024 in Review. Highlights . A fabulous trip to Portugal with stops in Porto, Douro Valley, Aquadome, Piodao, Coimbra,…
Read More: Welcome 2025!
Sunday, December 29, 2024 . At around 18:00, we decided to see the Lumagica Christmas Light show in Innsbruck. This was a major highlight of our stay in Innsbruck, and we are so happy that we did not miss it. . . The tickets were 19.90 euros per person, and there was a long line to enter. I could purchase tickets online or in person…
Read More: Enjoying Lumagica Christmas Light Show
After breakfast, Inna and I decided to walk to Schloss Ambras in Innsbruck (a 4.2 km/1-hour walk through downtown Innsbruck). . . . . . As we walked through Innsbruck, we noticed the various shops (including numerous hair salons). When we reached the southern part of Innsbruck, we noticed some of the uglier/cheaper housing (rectangular apartment buildings where pensioners probably reside). We saw excellent public…
Read More: Visiting Schloss Ambras Innsbruck
We rode the Nordkette Funicular one level down to Alpine Zoo, where we spent a few hours looking at the following birds and mammals: . . . Mammals. Beaver. Chamois. Elk. Otter. Wolf. Sheep. Cow. . . Birds. . Common Raven. Bearded Vulture. Golden Eagle. Black Woodpecker. Hermit Ibis. Snow Grouse. . Here is a short video I recorded of a woodpecker: . . .…
Read More: Visiting Alpine Zoo in Innsbruck
Inna reserved four nights at the Hotel Innsbruck from December 26 - 30, 2024. We wanted to explore the Christmas Markets, visit popular local museums, and ski in the area. . . . I sent an email to the Hotel Innsbruck to inquire about snowboard rentals in the area: . . 1. Where is the best/closest snowboard/ski rental shop (near the hotel)?. We recommended „Die…
Read More: Innsbruck, Austria
Wednesday, December 25, 2024. After breakfast, we decided to head into town and try hiking the Verwall Trail around Verwall Lake (the trail starts at Hotel Mooserkreuz). . . According to our hotel's concierge and Snow-Online: . Verwall trail is considered one of the most beautiful trail sections in Austria. This 10-kilometer intermediate route starts near Hotel Mooserkreuz and leads into the scenic Verwall Valley.…
Read More: Hiking Verwall Trail in St. Anton
I reserved two days of snowboarding, with the idea of extending it by one additional day if the snow conditions were excellent. . . . Here is a map of the Ski Arlberg Ski Resort: . . . . Sunday, December 22, 2024 - Renting Snowboards . . After lunch, we boarded the hotel's shuttle for a short ride to Nasserein, where we stopped by…
Read More: Snowboarding Ski Arlberg
The famous Austrian village of St. Anton am Arlberg has long been a dream ski destination for me, so I was excited when Inna reserved four nights at the Pfeffermühle Hotel in St. Anton from December 22 - 26, 2024. . . . . . Pfeffermühle Hotel recommended renting skis and snowboards from Alber Sport (which also has on-site ski storage lockers). The closest shop…
Read More: Enjoying St. Anton amd Arlberg
. . . . We enjoyed a delicious early morning breakfast at the Aqua Dome Hotel – one of the best we’ve ever had!. . . . . There was fresh bread, pastries, cheeses, eggs, and fruits.. . . . The cold-cut selection was excellent, and all the meats were fresh and delicious! . . . The quality of the food was better than that…
Read More: Exploring Nordkette, Alpine Zoo, and Innsbruck
. . . We had our last delicious breakfast at Tobhartbauer's residence. I ate the delicious rolls, a little cold cereal with nuts, and a delightful tea. . . . . . After packing and paying our bill, we headed for Aqua Dome. On the way there, we decided to stop for lunch at Hall in Tirol (near Innsbruck).. . . . We parked our…
Read More: Enjoying Hall in Tirol, Oetz, and Aqua Dome
. In the morning, after breakfast of cereal and cold cuts, we drove to Stubnerkogel Mountain in Bad Gastein to walk on the suspension bridge and hike around the top.. . . . After getting on the gondola, we exited at the top and walked to some amazing overlooks into the valley below.. . . . At first, we could not find the suspension bridge…
Read More: Hiking in Bad Gastein, Dorfgastein, and Werfen
After our usual delicious breakfast at our Tobhartbauer Family rental, we decided to rent bikes from the local EggerSki/Bike rental. The rental manager at Egger was amiable and helpful, giving us many valuable directions and advice for our upcoming ride. . . . . . . Inna and Alex selected E-bikes (with electric power assist), while I rented a standard mountain bike. We decided to…
Read More: Biking from Dorfgastein to Bad Gastein
After a long day in Salzburg, we drove to Bad Hofgastein to enjoy a relaxing day at the Alpentherme Gastein spa. Alex was tired and decided not to join us (too bad for him, as he missed the excellent slides). . . . . . The spa was a beautiful retreat with an alpine/mountain overlook and fantastic thermal pools and saunas.. . We really enjoyed…
Read More: Relaxing at Alpentherme
After touring Schloss Hellbrunn, we drove to nearby Salzburg and parked close to downtown. Since we were famished, we decided to look for a nearby restaurant while strolling through the main street in downtown Salzburg - Residentzplatz.. . . . After reviewing the Yelp reviews, we settled on the well-rated Zwettler's restaurant. Inna ordered the "Chicken Wiener Schnitzel," while I selected the Austrian specialty of…
Read More: Strolling through Salzburg
In the morning, we woke up to a delicious breakfast at our Tobhartbauer residence. We enjoyed the freshly baked rolls, hot tea, fresh cheeses, and cold cuts.. . . . . After breakfast, we drove to Salzburg, stopping by Schloss Hellbrunn (just south of Salzburg). The drive was not very long - about an hour on the finely paved Austrian roads. . . . .…
Read More: Getting wet at Schloss Hellbrunn