A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
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
Since Inna booked a group tour in Pompeii (a Small Group Guide Tour with an archaeologist), we woke at 6:30 a.m. and dressed for the upcoming trip. Inna took a shower, but I decided to skip it (since I had taken one the night before). . . We walked 10 minutes to the Sorrento Train Station, and I purchased two one-way tickets to Pompei. The…
Read More: Exploring Pompei
On Friday, September 23, 2023, Inna and I planned to board a direct flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Rome on ITA Airways (formerly Alitalia), en route to Sorrento, Italy.. . Departure: Flight AZ641 from San Francisco Intl Terminal 1 at 15:15. Arrival: Flight AZ641 Rome Fiumicino Terminal 1 at 12:05. Once we landed in Rome, we planned to board a train to Naples, then…
Read More: Magical Sorrento
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
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
. . In the morning, we decided to have another breakfast at the Premier Inn to save money and time. I didn't like the breakfast there - with mobs of guests and low-quality fare - but it was convenient and inexpensive. I selected a “Continental Breakfast,” while Inna and Alex chose the full hot breakfast. Since Alex was still a teenager, his breakfast was complimentary.…
Read More: Visiting Hampton Court and London
. . . . . The West End transfer of this farce is a play within a play and a study in chaos. . . The show is a farcical play-within-a-play. Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is producing a hoary old sub-‘Mousetrap’ mystery called ‘The Murder at Haversham Manor.’ From the first moment, in which a hapless stage manager attempts to secure a collapsing mantelpiece, we…
Read More: Review: “The Play that Goes Wrong” at West End (Duchess Theatre)
. . After getting up at around 7:30 a.m., I showered and dressed while Alex and Inna rested. They were exhausted from the month-long vacation in Austria and Germany.. . . . We decided to have breakfast at the Premier Inn to save money and time. I selected a "Continental Breakfast," while Inna and Alex chose the full hot breakfast. Since Alex was still a…
Read More: Visiting the British Museum
. . . After getting up around 7:00 a.m., I showered, shaved, and dressed. We decided to have breakfast at the Premier Inn (to avoid wasting a lot of time). I selected a "Continental Breakfast," while Inna and Alex chose the full hot breakfast. . . . . . . I mainly ate cold cereal and a few pastries with coffee, while Alex and Inna…
Read More: Exploring London and the Tower of London
We returned to our Art Hotel in Munich after finishing the BMW Museum tour at around 13:15. We quickly found the hotel, but could not get parking – because we did not pre-book it!. . . . We found another garage nearby and dropped off our car there, but it was time-consuming and complicated.. . . . . After we checked into the hotel, we…
Read More: Exploring Munich
. . In the morning, we headed to the Dorfladen Ehenbichler Bakery for our last breakfast in Reutte. I had a cappuccino with a cream cheese pastry, Alex had a cookie, and Inna had a sandwich.. . . . . After checking out of our room and paying our hosts, we headed straight for Munich. At first, the road was narrow and twisty, but we…
Read More: Visiting BMW Welt and Museum
. . . . After eating a delicious breakfast at Dorfladen Ehenbichler Bakery on Schulweg 14, we headed for a treetop adventure on the Austria-Germany border called Baumkronenweg Ziegelwies. . . . . . . In the first part, we walked above the treetops on long wooden platforms overlooking the nearby Lech River. This was a concise walk, taking about 10-15 minutes. After finishing the…
Read More: Hiking Füssen
. . . . In the morning, we decided to have breakfast at the Dorfladen Bakery (Schulweg 14), which our hosts had recommended. Inna and I chose apple and cheese strudel, while Alex selected a croissant and a chocolate cookie. We really enjoyed our delicious Austrian breakfast.. . . . . . After breakfast, we drove to the Hohenschwangau Castle for one hour, arriving at…
Read More: Visiting Hohenschwangau and Neuschweinstein Castles and Lindenhof Palace
. . . . 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