A digital travel diary. · WP v1.22 · Updated
As an avid windsurfer and wing foiler, I have always wanted to visit the world's best windsurfing spots. Bonaire, a small island in the southern Caribbean, has consistently been rated one of the best windsurfing destinations. There was never enough time to go there, and flights to Bonaire tend to be quite expensive and inconvenient from the West Coast. . . . . . However,…
Read More: Windsurfing on Bonaire
For Inna's birthday, I had planned a two-day getaway to Calistoga, featuring rest & relaxation at the Indian Springs Resort & Spa and entertainment at Blue Note Napa, where one of her favorite flamenco guitarists, Ottmar Liebert, was performing. . Friday, February 21, 2025 . After Inna and I finished work, we started our drive to Indian Springs Resort & Spa in Calistoga. There was…
Read More: A Short Getaway to Calistoga
Inna and I planned a two-night weekend at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa from Friday, January 31, to Sunday, February 2, 2025. However, due to the impending rain system (aka Pineapple Express), we decided to shorten the trip to one night. . Friday, January 31, 2025 . We started the long drive to Sonoma in the late afternoon. There were periods of heavy…
Read More: One Night in Sonoma
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
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
Monday, December 30, 2024 . We spent New Year's week at Aqua Dome in Längenfeld, combining cross-country skiing and winter hikes with thermal pools, saunas and live music. We arrived from Ötztal Bahnhof on bus #320 on December 30 and had lunch while waiting for room #169. . . We decided to grab lunch at the cafe and sat near the bar. We ordered the…
Read More: Relaxing at Aqua Dome, Langenfeld
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
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 am 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 flight LX039 departing at 19:30 from San Francisco.. Our itinerary was as follows:. . Date Location Hotel Activities . 12/20/2024 SFO Fly SWISS LX039 07:25PM…
Read More: One Day in Zurich
Saturday, November 23, 2024 . After waking up at 06:30, I showered and dressed. At around 07:00, we drove to Oakland International Airport for our Hawaiian Airlines (HA) flight #67 to Lihue, Kauai. Our plane departed on time, at 09:45. The flight was smooth, with some occasional turbulence. . . Since there were no movies on the plane (but there was free Starlink Wi-Fi), I…
Read More: Back to Kauai
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
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
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 . At noon, we drove our Nissan Qashqai from the Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta in Ervedosa do Douro to the H2otel/Aquadome in Unhais da Serra. . During our two-hour drive, we stopped for lunch at DouroSerra Restaurant in Valongo dos Azeites at 13:00. We had made lunch reservations in advance (to avoid problems getting seated). . . When we arrived at…
Read More: Relaxing at Aquadome, Portugal
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 . I woke up at 07:00, showered, shaved, and dressed. I packed my remaining clothes and chargers and prepared to check out of the Gran Cruz House in Porto, Portugal. . Inna and I walked downstairs to the hotel's restaurant for our 08:00 breakfast. We sat at our usual table and ordered scrambled eggs, cheeses (Azores and Ricotta), and deli meats…
Read More: Visiting Douro Valley, Portugal
Although Inna visited Portugal in 2022, my own experience in the region was limited to Lisbon and Santiago de Compostela, Spain, during a Celebrity European Cruise in 2003. . . . For my upcoming birthday, Inna planned an exciting trip to Portugal with stops in Porto, the Douro Valley, Covilhã, Coimbra, and Lisbon. . . . . . Date Flights Loc Hotel Car rental Activities…
Read More: Visiting Porto, Portugal
For the July 4th weekend, Inna made reservations at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Incline Village, Nevada (North Lake Tahoe). . . . . Thursday, July 4, 2024 . At 10:00, we loaded our Tesla Model Y with our bags and set out on the long drive to North Lake Tahoe. Traffic was not too heavy, but I felt extremely sleepy. On the way there,…
Read More: Relaxing at Incline Village, North Lake Tahoe
With Alex graduating from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, we made plans to attend the two graduation ceremonies: . Khoury College of Computer Sciences Ceremony at Matthews Arena, May 2, 14:00 EDT . Fenway Park, May 5, 16:00 EDT . . . . . . Wednesday, May 1, 2024 . After waking up, dressing, and packing, we ordered an UberX…
Read More: Northeastern Graduation
Saturday, April 13, 2024 . We woke up around 07:00, and I took a quick shower to get ready for our flight to Hawaii. After quickly getting dressed, we ordered UberX and were dropped off at San Jose Airport's Terminal A. Our Hawaiian Airlines HA43 flight boarded on time (despite the light rain), and I had already checked in the day before. I had boarding…
Read More: Visiting Oahu
I made a car rental reservation with Avis Car Rental through Costco Travel. The Avis Car Rental booth is conveniently located next to our Vdara Hotel in Bellagio, Las Vegas. I reserved a mid-size SUV, intending to pick it up on Wednesday morning, November 22. I planned to drive to Sedona with a stop at the Grand Canyon and an eventual car drop-off at Phoenix's…
Read More: Return to Sedona