A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
I've been waiting for the right wind conditions to start my wing foiling season in San Francisco, and finally got the opportunity today. The iwindsurf.com forecast initially had very favorable winds (as reported on Friday), but showed less favorable SW winds on Saturday morning (NW winds are best). . . I loaded up the Tesla Model Y with all my gear (having assembled the Foil…
Read More: First Day Wing Foiling at Crissy
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 route was mostly on US-101, and there was heavy traffic. We arrived a bit later than we expected, at around 19:40.…
Read More: A Trip to Cambria
Inna and I decided to explore Half Moon Bay, which we have been neglecting. She has made a lunch reservation for 13:15 at the By The Teashore teahouse (which had recently opened to rave reviews). . We started our drive to Half Moon Bay at 11:15 on a lightly drizzly Sunday morning. Traffic was light, and we parked on Half Moon Bay's Main Street at…
Read More: Half Moon Bay
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 had to board buses (as our plane didn't have its own terminal). Inna and I almost got separated on different buses. Upon…
Read More: London (March 20 – 24)
Thursday, April 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)
When I think of Padua, I recall the famous line from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew (as spoken by Petruchio): . . “I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;. If wealthily, then happily in Padua.” . At around 09:40, we started our 32-minute drive from Abano Terme to Padua. . . I had booked an 11:30 English-speaking tour for the University of Padua, and…
Read More: Scholarly Padua (March 17)
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)
Sunday, March 15, 2026 . At around 09:40, we set off from Sirmione for Verona, with a brief stop to shop at MooRER Boutique & Outlet MooRER in Cavalcaselle. Both Inna and I purchased new jackets (heavily discounted from last year). Inna really liked the Italian design flair of the MooRER brand. . . We continued our drive to Verona, parking at Parcheggio Saba Arena,…
Read More: Romantic Verona (March 15)
When we started our drive from Sirmione (at 09:00) to Brescia, I had programmed our parking as Parcheggi Fossa Bagnini, near the Castello di Brescia. . . However, when we arrived, we could not find it. Perhaps Google Maps has the wrong location. (NOTE: Google Maps was terrible at navigating in Northern Italy, failing to explain which exit to take at numerous roundabouts, and making…
Read More: Historic Brescia (March 13)
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)
Thursday, March 12, 2026 . . . At 11:30, on the way to Sermione (from Milan's Linate airport), we decided to stop by Bergamo for half a day. . . . . . . . . We parked our Opel Corsa at Parcheggio Città Alta Bergamo, on the outskirts of Bergamo's old town, at 13:00. From the parking garage, we rode the elevator to the…
Read More: Beautiful Bergamo (March 12)
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 a…
Read More: Fashionable Milan (March 9-12)
Before our Theater Works Primary Trust performance, Inna made dinner reservations for 18:00 at Ettan - one of our favorite local Indian restaurants. . . We had eaten at Ettan last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ettan is extremely popular and can be challenging to reserve on short notice. . . . At around 18:00, we checked in and were taken to a table on…
Read More: Dinner at Ettan, Palo Alto
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, we…
Read More: Calistoga Weekend
For Inna's Birthday dinner, I made reservations at Evvia - one of our favorite Palo Alto restaurants. Evvia serves authentic Greek entrees, and we really like the high-quality dishes. . I was really tired from work and came home around 18:30. We even contemplated cancelling going to Evvia, but I decided it was worth the effort to revisit this local gem. . . We arrived…
Read More: Birthday Dinner at Evvia
Since Super Bowl LX between the Seahawks and Patriots was being played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, I decided to arrange a place to watch it locally. I looked around at Double D's, but it was too expensive ($150/person). Many other places were already all booked. However, I found that Water Tower Kitchen in Campbell had reservations available (with a $50 per-person minimum). I…
Read More: Super Bowl LX: Seattle Seahawks vs New England PatriotsBefore our planned stop at JCC to see Zolushka, Inna had made dinner reservations for 6:00 p.m. at the highly rated Ettan Indian Restaurant. . . We had eaten at Ettan last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ettan is extremely popular and challenging to reserve on short notice. . . . . . . . At around 17:12, I dropped off Inna at Ettan and…
Read More: Dinner at Ettan, Palo Alto
Saturday, December 20, 2025 . After waking up at 05:00, I showered and dressed. Our Southwest Airlines Flight #4736 (SJC to HNL) was originally scheduled to depart at 07:00 but was delayed by 1 hour (new departure time: 08:06). . 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…
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. . . . . I precharged our Tesla Model Y's battery to 95% capacity, anticipating the long drive ahead. . Friday, December 5, 2025 . We started the long drive to Sonoma in the late afternoon. There were periods of heavy…
Read More: Two Nights in Sonoma
After seeing the beautiful Manet & Morisot exhibit at the Legion of Honor Museum, we decided to hike the nearby Lands' End trail. . See the Google Maps link for directions. . We started our hike around 15:30 from the grounds of the Legion of Honor Museum, following the coastal trail. There were lots of people on the trail (probably families trying to burn off…
Read More: Hike to Lands’ End, San Francisco