A digital travel diary. · WP v1.21 · Updated
With a few "free days" at work and a birthday coming up, I thought about how to spend them. I considered flying to Bonaire, but late September does not offer favorable windsurfing conditions. I queried ChatGPT and Gemini AI and was advised to consider visiting Maui. . . While checking out Maui, I learned about a Maui Experiences Camp hosted by Robby Swift from September…
Read More: Maui Experiences Camp
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 . From the Takakkaw Falls, it took us about two hours to reach the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, where we had planned to stay one night. Inna had found an amazing Nordic Spa, and she wanted everyone to rest after so many days of hiking. . . . . . . We reached the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge at around 16:30, and it…
Read More: Kananaskis Village Hotel & Nordic Spa
Saturday, July 4, 2026 . After the 50-minute drive from Peyto Lake, we arrived at Storm Mountain Lodge, near Lake Louise. Inna had chosen the Storm Mountain Lodge for its convenient location for the many hikes around Lake Louise (since we planned to use shuttles to reach the lakeside trailheads). (I wish that UberX were available for drop-off at Lake Louise, as the price for…
Read More: Gorgeous Lake Louise
Thursday, July 2, 2026 . On the way to Hotel Canoe in Banff, where we planned to spend two nights, I intended to stop at Wild Flower Bakery to purchase the next day's packable lunch. Once we reached Banff, traffic was extremely heavy, so I dropped off Alex and Inna nearby so they could order pastries and sandwiches while I looked for parking. . .…
Read More: Beautiful Banff
Saturday, June 13, 2026 . Having visited Bora-Bora ten years ago (see my previous blog post), we finally returned to The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort. We had considered other hotels on Bora-Bora, especially the Four Seasons. Still, the cost differences were substantial, and Costco's package to The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort was very compelling. I purchased the transfer flight from San Jose to…
Read More: Return to Bora-Bora, French Polynesia
Friday, May 1, 2026 . After returning from work, Inna and I quickly packed and set out on our long drive to Cambria, CA (on California's central coast). We had planned to visit Hearst Castle and enjoy the area for the weekend. . Our weekend combined Hearst Castle, the elephant-seal viewpoint, Moonstone Beach and Fiscalini Ranch, with several excellent meals in Cambria. . Our route…
Read More: A Trip to Cambria
Friday, March 20, 2026 . Our British Airways BA597 flight landed in London's Heathrow Airport at 19:15 GMT (from Venice, Italy). The flight was delayed about 15 minutes (with the original arrival time of 19:00 GMT). . . After landing at Heathrow, we boarded buses to the terminal. Inna and I almost got separated on different buses. Upon arrival at the terminal, we went through…
Read More: London (March 20 – 24)
Thursday, March 19, 2026 . At 09:30, after checking out of Hotel Mioni Pezzato in Abano Terme, we began our drive to Venice's Marco Polo Airport to drop off our Opel Corsa at the Hertz Car Rental return center. . The drive to Venice was fairly smooth. When I reached the airport, I stopped to refill the Opel Corsa's gas tank (it was close to…
Read More: Ethereal Venice (March 19)
Sunday, March 15, 2026 . At 17:00, we started our drive from Verona to Hotel Mioni Pezzato & SPA in Abano Terme, arriving at 18:15. Only one receptionist was working at the front desk, and she seemed overwhelmed by phone calls & requests. We had to wait our turn (but we were warned by our friends about slow & uneven service). . . After checking…
Read More: Relaxing Abano Terme (March 15 – 19)
Thursday, March 12, 2026 . From Bergamo's Parcheggio Città Alta Bergamo parking, we drove about 75 minutes to the Grand Hotel Terme in Sirmione. There was heavy traffic in Bergamo, but it thinned out once we reached the tollway. . . On arriving in Sirmione, we had to follow a special procedure to park our Opel Corsa. Once we reached the yellow barrier, we had…
Read More: Picturesque Sirmione (March 12-15)
Monday, March 9, 2026 (San Jose) . I woke at 07:00, showered, and shaved. I finished packing for the trip to Italy and then headed over to AVAC to work out. At AVAC, I rode the stationary bike for 40 minutes and the rowing machine for 20 minutes. I lifted a few weights and headed for the showers, returning home at 10:00. . I packed…
Read More: Fashionable Milan (March 9-12)
For Inna's birthday, I had planned a two-day getaway retreat at Calistoga, featuring rest & relaxation at the Indian Springs Resort & Spa. . Friday, February 27, 2026 . After Inna and I finished work, we started our drive to Indian Springs Resort & Spa in Calistoga. There was some traffic on the way, and we arrived later than expected. After checking in at reception,…
Read More: Calistoga Weekend
Saturday, December 20, 2025 . After waking up at 05:00, I showered and dressed. Our Southwest Airlines Flight #4736 (SJC to HNL) was delayed from its original 07:00 schedule and actually departed at 08:16. . I ordered UberX at around 06:00, and we arrived at the San Jose Airport around 06:30. As we were a bit sleepy and tired (from waking up so early), Inna…
Read More: Return to Kauai
Inna and I planned a two-day weekend at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa from Friday, December 5, to Sunday, December 7, 2025. . The weekend combined two hikes—3.4 miles at Jack London State Historic Park and 2.6 miles on the Sonoma Overlook Trail—with time at the Fairmont spa. . . . . I precharged our Tesla Model Y's battery to 95% capacity, anticipating…
Read More: Two Nights in Sonoma
Friday, September 26, 2025 . For my birthday, Inna arranged a weekend getaway to Carmel-by-the-Sea with tickets to the Monterey Jazz Festival on Saturday (a big, unexpected surprise for me). . We finished work early, packed our suitcases, and started the drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Usually, it takes about 75 minutes to reach Carmel, but there was heavy traffic with multiple slowdowns. We eventually reached Carmel…
Read More: Monterey Jazz Festival
Friday, August 29, 2025 . . . About a week ago, Inna and I decided to visit North Lake Tahoe (Incline Village) during the Labor Day weekend, when we would have Monday, September 1, off as a company holiday. Inna had made hotel reservations at the Incline Lodge for 3 nights and dinner reservations at a couple of restaurants (Soule Domain and Big Water Grille).…
Read More: Back to Incline Village, Lake Tahoe
Saturday, July 26, 2025 . Starting: Hotel Island & Spa, Reykjavik, Iceland . Ending: Hotel Island & Spa, Reykjavik, Iceland . . Highlights: Hallgrimskirkja Church, Einar Jónsson Museum, Harpa Concert Hall, Magic Ice Reykjavík, Sky Lagoon . . . . After a restful night of sleep, I woke at 07:30, showered, shaved, and dressed. After Inna awoke and dressed, we decided to try following a…
Read More: Exploring Reykjavík, Iceland (July 26)
In 2017, Inna visited Iceland with a Photofly Group tour. She raved about the beautiful waterfalls, hikes, and natural wonders, and urged me to consider Iceland for our next trip. Last year, we finally found an opportunity to plan a journey of our own, with an additional stop in Scotland. . . . . . Inna booked excellent business-class airline tickets from San Francisco to…
Read More: Exploring Reykjavík, Iceland (July 25)
For the Memorial Day weekend, Inna made reservations at the Little River Inn in Mendocino (about 200 miles north of San Jose), a 5-hour drive away. We wanted to escape the city's hustle and bustle and enjoy nature's peaceful serenity. It's been many years since we last visited Mendocino, and we were eager to get back. . . . . Friday, May 23, 2025 .…
Read More: A Short stay in Mendocino
Inna made one-day hotel reservations at the Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay for the April 5 - 6 weekend. She wanted us to explore Monterey, Carmel, and Point Lobos Natural Reserve. . Saturday, April 5, 2025 . At around 09:30, we started our long drive to Monterey via US-101. Traffic was relatively light, and we arrived at the Alta Bakery & Cafe at…
Read More: A Weekend in Monterey