A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
Monday, January 6, 2025 . Rail travel from Otztal to Zurich . . At the Otztal Train Station, we waited for the train bound for Zurich to pull into platform 3 at 16:14. Once the train arrived, we boarded the 2nd-class wagon #307, seats 41, 42, and 43. . Our 3-hour journey to Zurich was uneventful. On the train, I watched an episode of Shogun…
Read More: One More Day in Zurich
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
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
For our winter vacation, we planned to visit Austria's Tyrol region (via Zürich, Switzerland), where we could ski at the famous St. Anton am Arlberg, Innsbruck, and the Solden Ski Resort (Längenfeld). . . Inna purchased tickets on the Swiss Air flight LX039 departing at 19:30 from San Francisco.. Our itinerary was as follows:. . Date Location Hotel Activities . 12/20/2024 SFO Fly Swiss Air…
Read More: One Day in Zurich
At around 9:30, I ordered an UberX from the Torel Palace Hotel to Cais do Sodré Train Station, where trains to Cascais depart. We arrived at about 9:57, missing the 10:00 train to Cascais. However, we boarded the next train at 10:20 and arrived 40 minutes later.. . . According to Wikipedia (see more about Cascais):. Cascais is a town and municipality in the Lisbon…
Read More: Vising Cascais, Portugal
Friday, October 4, 2024 . Inna arranged a private tour of Sintra, and we met our guide, Nino (from Vangotourism), at 09:20, just outside our Torel Place Hotel. He had arrived in a Mercedes-Benz van, and we were quickly on our way to Sintra. There was heavy traffic on the way, but we arrived around 09:30. . . Nino is a local Portuguese guide who…
Read More: Visiting Sintra, Portugal
Monday, September 30, 2024 . On Monday, September 30th, at 18:00, after finishing sightseeing at the Buddha Eden Garden of Peace, we drove to Lisbon (LIS) airport, where I was scheduled to drop off my rented Nissan Qashqai at Hertz. . . There was some traffic on the way there, but we arrived at 19:00 and found the Hertz Rental car return near the airport.…
Read More: Back to Lisbon, Portugal
After stopping at Obidos, we had some free time and decided to visit the spa town of Caldas da Rainha. . Once we found free parking in Caldas da Rinha, we strolled through the Parque Dom Carlos I, which overlooks a small lake with rowboats and large hospitals. . . If we had time, we would have liked to stroll through the park and enjoy…
Read More: Visiting Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Monday, September 30, 2024 . After a delicious breakfast at Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas, we packed our suitcases and drove to Obidos. It was about 08:30, and some rush-hour traffic slowed us down on our way. . . We arrived in the vicinity of Obidos around 10:00 and parked in the unpaved but Free Parking lot. From there, we walked across the street and entered…
Read More: Visiting Obidos, Portugal
Sunday, September 29, 2024 . Since Inna had pre-purchased tickets for the 15:00 English-speaking Tour of the University of Coimbra Library, we ordered an UberX to get there on time. . . . . Arriving on schedule, we waited for our tour to begin at the Ticket Office. Our tour guide, Patricia, was excellent (with perfect British English pronunciation). She provided us with headsets so…
Read More: Touring University of Coimbra, Portugal
Saturday, September 28, 2024 . At around 17:30, we finally found our way to Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas (from Casal de São Simão). Although we arrived 30 minutes early, we could not find the car entrance, and both Google Maps and Apple Maps gave incorrect directions. . . We called the hotel, and the receptionist explained how to use the service entrance. Once inside the…
Read More: Visiting Coimbra, Portugal