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…
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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…
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Before the show, I made early dinner reservations at Orchard City Kitchen in downtown Campbell. We had been meaning to visit this restaurant, as it was mentioned by the Michelin Guide, but it was difficult to reserve. I managed to snag a table at 5:15 p.m. . . . . . When we arrived at the plaza, we had difficulty finding parking, so we circled…
Read More: Cirque du Soleil Kooza in San Jose
For Inna's birthday, I made reservations at the famous Michelin 1-star Chez TJ restaurant in Mountain View for Friday, February 23, at 19:30. . . . . After arriving and taking our seats, we were given several wine menus. After some discussions with the waiter, we selected a half-bottle of Vouvray. After spending some time in the Loire region of France, we had always loved…
Read More: Dinner at Chez TJ
Friday, October 13, 2023. For our 22nd Wedding Anniversary, Inna made reservations at the Indian Springs Hotel in Calistoga. After finishing our work on Friday evening, we lightly packed our suitcases and loaded our Tesla Model Y. . . We started our drive to Calistoga at 17:20, encountering heavy traffic and about 30-45 minutes of delays. We arrived at Indian Springs at around 19:52. We…
Read More: Relaxing in Calistoga
When I noticed a considerable heatwave headed to the Bay Area during the July 4th holiday weekend, I looked for nearby places where daytime temperatures would be more moderate. After looking at Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, and Lake Tahoe, Inna and I decided to book 2 nights at the Inn at the Pier Hotel (a Hilton Property) on Pismo Beach. . . Initially, only Inna…
Read More: Relaxing at Pismo Beach
For Inna's big birthday, I made reservations for Thursday, February 23rd, at our favorite Michelin Star-rated local restaurant nearby - The Plumed Horse. . . . . . The San Francisco Bay area was experiencing a powerful winter storm, with temperatures plunging into the low 40s and periods of heavy rain. We drove to Saratoga without issues, and I parked my minivan nearby. . After…
Read More: Birthday Dinner at The Plumed Horse
With Valentine's Day approaching, I made early (30 days in advance) reservations at the Tasting House - one of our favorite local restaurants in Los Gatos. . . . . . When we arrived at 19:15 (right on time), we were quickly seated at our table in the main dining room. It was busy, and all the tables were occupied. It was deafening inside (and…
Read More: Valentine’s Day at the Tasting House
After many weeks of hard work, Inna and I decided to take a short 5-day trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Initially, we thought Christmas travel to Hawaii would be out of our price range. Still, we found reasonably priced airline tickets on United Airlines from San Francisco to Lihue. . . . . . Wednesday, December 21, 2022 . As our flight to Kauai was scheduled…
Read More: Back to Kauai
For our 21st Anniversary Dinner, Inna made dinner reservations at our favorite Michelin-rated restaurant nearby - The Plumed Horse - in Saratoga. . After arriving at 8:30pm and parking nearby, we were seated outdoors, near propane heaters. We looked over the Chef's Tasting Menu and the A La Carte Menu and decided to order from both menus. . . . . . Chef's Tasting Menu…
Read More: Dinner at Plumed Horse
On Friday evening, Inna made reservations at a small French restaurant - Pastis Bistro - in Palo Alto. I was surprised that I had never eaten there. . . . . . After sitting outdoors, we looked at the menu and ordered the following items. . Boris: Iced Tea, Halibut. . Inna:Iced Tea, Coquille St. Jacques, French Onion Soup. Dessert: Souffle. I was surprised (and…
Read More: Dinner at Pastis Bistro, Palo Alto
Saturday, September 24, 2022 . . Inna planned a weekend trip to San Francisco for my birthday, staying at the Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel downtown. She also pre-purchased tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird at Golden Gate Theater. . . . . . In the afternoon, we drove to Marina Boulevard and parked there. We noticed a few people going out wing foiling. I did…
Read More: Birthday in San Francisco
Before seeing Theater You, Inna, Lucy, Andrei, and I decided to eat dinner at Cascal in Mountain View. . It's been a long since I last visited Cascal, and I was surprised that Castro Street was closed to traffic. It was full of shops and vendors selling varieties of food and wine. . . . . . After arriving at 5:00pm, we were seated and…
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Before Alex's return to Boston (for his sophomore semester at Northeastern), Inna made dinner reservations at Naschmarkt in Campbell, CA. Naschmarkt is one of my favorite Austrian restaurants, and I was pleased to dine there again. . . . . We were seated outside on a hot summer day. A band played in the distance, and lots of people walked around. It was nice to…
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On Saturday, August 27, 2022, we decided to eat dinner at our favorite local Thai restaurant - Golden Triangle. . Inna made reservations for 7:30pm, and we arrived on time, sitting indoors. I usually prefer to sit outside, as indoors can be very noisy. . After looking at the menu, we ordered the following dishes, family style:. Drinks: . Thai Iced Tea. Appetizers: . 5…
Read More: Dinner at Golden Triangle
Saturday, August 20, 2022 . I woke up at around 9:00am, showered, dressed, and did some coding. Then, we all walked to Equator Coffees, where Inna and Alex ordered special cold drinks while I enjoyed my usual mocha. The day was gorgeous, with many people jogging and walking their dogs. . . Some race was going on on Marina Boulevard, but it was quiet. The…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 5
Saturday, August 13, 2022 . I woke up around 08:00 and walked to Crissy Field for my morning exercise and stretching routine. When I returned home, Inna was ready to take a shower and did a bit of coding. . . . . . I planned to meet with Ekansh at noon and eat out nearby; Ekansh was running late and arrived at 12:15. We…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 4
Saturday, August 6, 2022 . In the morning, Alex, Inna, and I woke around 08:30 and decided to hike to Arsicault Bakery via Lyon Street Steps. The uphill walk was rather steep, and Inna, whose heart rate peaked at over 160 beats/minute, needed to rest a few times. . . . . . Eventually, we reached Arsicault Bakery and queued up in a long line,…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 3
Saturday, July 30, 2022 It's Alex's 20th Birthday! See this link for my birthday posting.. . In the morning, we woke up early, at around 08:20, to drive to Schubert's Bakery on Clement Street to purchase the birthday cake for Alex and a few other pastries. . . . . . After we returned home, we walked to the nearby Walgreens Pharmacy to pick up…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 2
Sunday, July 24, 2022 . Inna and I planned to work from San Francisco from mid-July to mid-August. We both enjoy the more relaxed summer weather and the myriad of restaurants and other entertainment options. However, since I came down with COVID-19 from July 11-15, we decided to postpone our workation in San Francisco by one week. . . . . . On Sunday, July…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 1