Monday, December 30, 2024
Once we reached Aquadome in Langenfeld from Innsbruck, we dropped off our 3 large suitcases and decided to grab lunch (as our room #169 was not yet ready).
We decided to grab lunch at the cafe and sat near the bar. We ordered the following items:
- Boris: Frittatensoupe (Beef Boullion with pancake strips), Hot Tea
- Alex: Wolfsbarsschfillet (Sea Bass), Subkartoffelsoupe (Potato Soup), Hot Tea
- Inna: Avocado French Toast, Frittatensoupe, Hot Tea
Both Alex and Inna suffered from sore throats, so the hot tea and the warm soups helped. The Frittatensoupe (Beef Bouillion) was excellent, and I warmed up a bit, too.
Since our room #169 was still not ready after lunch, I decided to try
Nordic (cross-country) skiing. I walked downstairs and rented some cross-country skis for 25 euros from
Sunup Sports.
One of the Aquadome concierges explained where the cross-country trails were located and I walked around Aquadome (toward the river/stream). I found a few cross-country skiers there and followed them north over the bridge, toward a large oval, which had nicely prepared cross-country tracks.
There were numerous cross-country skiers outside - more than I had expected. Most of them were using the newer skate-type skis.
I skied 7.42 miles for 85 minutes - not a bad effort for the first day of cross-country skiing. After I finished, I dropped off my skis and got the key to room #169.
Inna and Alex had already unpacked and prepared for the pools and the spa. Our room in Aquadome was quite large with a nice split between the main bedroom and Alex's room. There was a fully stocked bar (with cold drinks) and a nice balcony.
We first stopped by for a small chocolate snack outside our room. It was delicious but a bit high in calories.
While Alex was busy coding, Inna and I decided to visit the pools. When we reached the pools, they were so busy, I returned to our room. I want to return to the pools at another time.
After Inna and Alex returned, we decided to eat dinner. We dressed and sat down at a nice table. However, there were lots of families and kiddies running around. I ordered the fish (as the main dish) and got Beef Boullion soup from the salad bar.
After dinner, we listened to live music for some time and then went out for a walk in the nearby village.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Last Day of 2024!
After waking up, we walked over to the nearby breakfast buffet. I ordered coffee and we selected from the vast variety of breakfast items:
- Boris: Coffee, Scrambled Eggs, pastries
- Inna: Latte, Omelet, Pastries
- Alex: Yogurt, Scrambled Eggs
The breakfast was excellent and the variety of pastries and other delicacies was fabulous.
After breakfast, we decided to go cross-country skiing as a group. We walked downstairs to the Sunup Sports (in our hotel) and rented 3 sets of cross-country skies with boots and poles.
We decided to ski a few miles to the same area where I skied yesterday. We skied 6.3 miles for 82 minutes. Alex had not cross-country skied for 10 years and had to learn how to ski. By the end of the hour, he started to get the hang of sliding on cross-country skies. The weather was perfect, just above freezing with clear blue skies and no wind.
We finished skiing around 14:00 and dropped off our skis in the bike/ski storage room. We decided to eat a light lunch in the hotel and ordered a few items, including:
- Boris: Frittatensoupe (Beef Boullion with pancake strips), Radler
- Alex: Wiener Schnitzel Hot Tea
- Inna: Frittatensoupe (Beef Boullion with pancake strips), Hot Tea
I really liked the Radler (beer + lemonade) and the soup
After lunch, I dropped off all of the skis in the Sunup Sports shop, and then Inna and I decided to try the saunas. Alex decided to work out at the fitness center and go to a massage at 17:00.
The saunas were excellent - extremely hot - and we enjoyed them very much, Inna had a pedicure at 17:00, while I returned to our room #169 to rest (and listen to some Spotify shows).
At around 18:00, everyone was back in our room and we dressed for the New Year's dinner. There was a very long program:
- 18:00: Champagne Reception and Dinner
- 18:30: Raffle Ticket Sales
- 20:30: Opening of the Dessert Buffet
- 21:30: Order Champagne
- 22:00: Dance Performance by Giulia del Buono
- 23:00: Raffle Prizes
- 23:30: Snacks
- 23:55: Countdown to Donau Waltz
- 24:00: Fireworks
- 00:10: Laser Show
- 00:15: Music and Dancing
We had a very long and elaborate dinner, eating way too much. We did not win anything in the raffle, but the number called was just a few digits off.
The New Year's Eve Menu was very elaborate, and included way too much:
New Year's Eve Menu
Appetizers
- Marinated cherry tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella
- Smoked sturgeon fillet with pear-horseradish
- Seafood carpaccio with aspire algae
- Pike-perch terrine wrapped in salmon with herb-lemon dip
- Cauliflower-carrot terrine with herbal dip
- Shrimp pyramid with aioli and sauce Americaine
- The delicacy of goose liver with apple and cinnamon
- winter-marinated salmon with mango-chili
- Mini tartlets with sweet potatoes and Asian radish
- Two kinds of cones, shrimp cocktail, and vegan cheese
- Pink roasted veal rack with porcini tiramisu and vegetable sauce
- Venison galantine with porcini mushrooms and apricot-mustard chutney
Front cooking
- Fines de Claire oysters with lemon and shallot honey dip
- Cured salmon and pepper salmon with mango-onion confit
- Venison ham with cranberry compote
Soups
- Pepper-rosemary essence with smoked duck breast
- Potato-fennel soup with turmeric
Intermediate Courses
- Sole rolls with king crab
- Vegetable tempura on a leek-almond puree
Sorbet
- Mango passion fruit sorbet
Main Course
- Herb-oil poached beef tenderloin
- Vegetable frittata with spinach and feta cheese
Dessert
We were so stuffed but by the time we reached the sorbet, we skipped the main course and dessert.
I really liked the fresh oysters on a half-shell, shrimp, and all the other wonderful appetizers.
While eating dinner, we were listening to the live band
IVY22: Stefanie Velt on vocals and Peter Greier on guitar. The band played a huge set list of songs from all the popular artists, covering the following:
- "Careless Whisper" by George Michael/Wham!
- "Blue Suede Shoes" by Elvis Presley
- "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran
- "A Night Like This" by Caro Emerald
- "Dreams " by Fleetwood Mac
The dancefloor was mostly taken over by very young girls and adults dancing with them. At midnight, there were finally adults dancing the traditional Danube (Donau) Austrian
waltz.
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Happy New Year!
We drank sparkling wine and ran outside to the sounds of the Austrian Waltzes (see Andre Rieu - The Beautiful Danube for an example). Multiple fireworks were being launched and we watched them for 10 minutes. Then, we returned to our room to watch Aquadome's Laser Show. (The fireworks were more impressive and entertaining).
We decided to start the New Year but swimming at Aquadome's thermal pools. There was special accommodation in the hotel to access the pool until 01:30. We changed into swimwear, donned our hotel robes, and headed for the pool.
The pool was full of revelers (and we thought that there would be far fewer people). There were plenty of champagne glasses everywhere! Some people celebrate the New Year in the thermal pool!
We swam around, enjoying the steam, the warm water, and the beautiful night outside. What a way to start a new year! We spent most of our time swimming around the saltwater pool (the middle one).
We returned to our room #169 at around 01:30 and went to bad. Inna's nasal congestion had gotten worse (after the pool swim), and she hoped to sleep it off.
At around 08:20, I woke, showered, shaved, and dressed. Alex and Inna were still sleeping. We had planned to go on a pre-arranged 10:00 hike (guided by Aquadome staff), but they were not feeling well enough. I decided to cancel the hike.
At 10:30, we decide to eat our late breakfast. Inna was still unwell with a headache and nasal congestion. The breakfast/brunch was excellent as usual, though our waiters looked a bit bleary-eyed (and were not as attentive as usual).
After brunch, we decided to hike into the nearby village to look at the Lehner Wasserfall Klettersteig (Waterfall). The hike was quite easy over hardpack snow in the beautiful Austrian countryside. We reached the waterfall in about 40 minutes. Finding no coffee shops or other places (it was all beautiful houses), we returned to our hotel. The hike covered 3.55 miles in 82 minutes.
We changed out of our hiking clothes and spent some time at the bar, listening to the live piano player, and playing a medley of songs including the following (I didn't previously think these Dire Strait songs could be played only on a piano and without a lead guitar):
- "Romeo & Juliet" by Dire Straits
- "Where do you think you're going?" by Dire Straits
- "Yellow" by Coldplay
We were hoping to order some small bites and drinks, but there were too many guests and not enough waiters. While there was still daylight, I decided to try cross-country skating skis (while Inna and Alex ordered some soup and drinks).
At 14:30, I stopped by the Sunup Sports downstairs and rented some Atomic Redster 173cm Cross-country skating skis. I wanted to try skating on these skis (as I had seen the vast majority of cross-country skiers doing).
I put them on and tried skating the normal route. I immediately got extremely hot and had to stop to cool off. I decided to return to our hotel room, to drop off the heavy winter coat, and to switch out my socks to ski socks (the cross-country skating boots require longer ski socks).
After this change, I tried skating to the next village south of Aquadome and found the skating much easier. I was no longer overheating and my boots were no longer pinching my leg. I can see that skating is definitely faster, but it requires a bit of finesse to dig in each rail of the ski in the snow, to dig in.
I skied back to Aquadome and returned my rented skis to Sunup Sports. I ended up skate skiing 5 miles in 87 minutes. It's going to take me some more time to learn to properly skate ski.
After I returned to our room #169, I spent some time resting and waiting for Inna and Alex to return from their activities. Alex worked out for 60 minutes at the fitness center (lifting weights), while Inna had a scheduled massage/treatment.
At 19:00, we headed for our usual dinner. The dinner menu included the following items:
Starters/Antipasti:
- Winter salad with pumpkin, marinated arctic char, and hazelnut oil
- Zucchini cannelloni with tomato crostini, salad, and nuts
- Tyrolean cheese dumplings with bacon-cabbage salad and herbal jus
Salat
- Green salad, vegetables, dressings
Soup
- Clear Tirolean chicken broth with noodles and vegetables
- Cream of Cauliflower and coconut soup with spinach and radish
Main Course
- Parsley-ginger trout with potato foam and broccoli
- Local mountain lamb with green beans and potato gratin
- Vegan stroganoff with herb risotto, oyster mushrooms, vegetables
Dessert
- Warm Chocolate Temptation with chestnuts and spiced cherries
The dinner was excellent and I especially enjoyed my trout and the chocolate temptation. Inna was not feeling well and really enjoyed the chicken broth.
At 20:30, we decided to visit the spa. We first stopped by the normal spa and spent 15 minutes in a hot sauna. However, the other saunas were a bit crowded, so we spent the rest of our time at Spa 3000 (a private area for hotel guests). It was much less crowded and we enjoyed the steam room and the warm pool there.
Thursday, January 2, 2024
I woke at 07:00 but decided not to go to Aquadome's Thermal Pools and slept a little longer. I finally woke at 08:15, showered, and dressed for breakfast.
We had a 10:00 hike to Eagle's Nest planned (with Patrizia, our local tour guide) and we wanted to get ready. I write about the hike in a separate post here:
https://www.wisetrips.net/2025/01/hike-to-eagles-view-austria.html
After the hike, we spent some time at the Aquadome's bar, eating lunch.
We ate our usual, 4-course dinner (salad, soup, main course, and dessert) at our reserved table.
Starters/Antipasti:
- Buffalo Mozzarella with colorful tomato salad
- Apple Fries with Avocado
- Pumpkin and Leek Risotto <-
Salat
- Green salad, vegetables, dressings
Soup
- Clear tomato soup with basil, gin, and curd cheese gnocchi <-
- Cream of Sweet Potato
Main Course
- Fried filet of whitefish with beet tartare, almond sauce, and baked vegetables
- Sous vide of beef with horse radish, vegetables, and potato
Dessert
- Crunchy vanilla caramel bites and chocolate ice cream & blackberries
- Chocolate and peanut brownie with butter and orange
We really loved the "Pumpkin and Leak Risotto", and I am usually not a connoisseur of risotto. The clear tomato soup was quite unusual - unlike most tomato soups that are red, this one was clear. It was still delicious. The "sous vide of beef" and the "whitefish" were also expertly prepared. The two desserts were wonderful too!
After dinner, we sat at the bar to listen to some live music. PIoner (the female singer), accompanied by BlueNote (pianist), sang several classic tunes, including:
- "In a Mellow Tone" by Duke Ellington
- "I Love You Baby" by Paul Anka
- "Let There Be Love" by Nat King Cole
- "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra
Friday, January 3, 2024
I woke at 07:00 to my alarm, showered, shaved, and dressed.
At around 07:45, I stopped by the Aquadome reception to purchase a daily pass for Solden. It was 79 euros + 3 euros deposit = 82. It's a lot cheaper than any of the US resorts for a single day!
I had a small, quick breakfast, eating a bowl of yogurt with jam and some scrambled eggs. I returned to room #169 to dress for skiing. I put spare gloves, water, and my GoPro in the backpack. (Spare skiing gloves came in really handy after my other gloves froze)
At 08:15, I walked downstairs to Sunup Sports to rent a snowboard and snowboarding boots. After trying a couple of snowboarding boots, I found none that fit me well. Either they were too small or too loose. Next time, I need to bring my own snowboarding boots (as it is complicated to rent ones that fit well).
I decided to switch to alpine skiing (as there was much more boot selection) and rented the following:
I found a pair of Fischer XTR RC4 90 HV ski boots that were reasonably comfortable, with good support and not too much pain. I attached my GoPro sticker to the helmet to record the skiing. After returning all the gear (for one day), I walked to the bus stop (Bus #44, headed for Solden). The bus runs every 10 minutes and takes about 25 minutes to reach Solden Ski Resort. Gaislachkogl (the last Solden stop) has the main gondola.
After arriving at Solden, I boarded the main gondola and proceeded to ski. It took me a few runs to re-learn the skiing technique. The weather was cold (-12 Celsius at the top) and there were gusts of wind. It was quite sunny most of the time and only a light snowfall (I was hoping for more powder).
I stuck to the red slopes (blue slopes in the U.S. ski-rating system), particularly trail #11, as it was a nice long and steep run with an easy chairlift back C31. When I got cold at 10:20, I stopped by the Rotkogolhuetta (Huetta) - a small self-serve restaurant near the chair lift C31. I ordered the following items:
- Pretzel
- Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
- Frittatensoupe (Beef Boullion soup with pancake slices)
I found an unoccupied table (quite difficult usually) and swallowed large spoonfuls of soup. Hot chocolate also helped to warm up. While resting, I also installed my GoPro Hero11 on my helmet to record some skiing videos. I usually prefer to record videos using a selfie stick, but I am not sure how to use one on skis.
After this quick snack stop, I decided to ski to other parts of the mountain and started skiing trail #12, using chairlift C35. There were some remnants of powder on the trail and it was more fun than scraping on ice. I also noticed a ski park, nearby, with multiple jumps and obstacles with many small kids taking full advantage.
I continued skiing, stopping a few times to use the restroom and warm up. At around 14:15, I was starting to get cold and tired (my toes started to feel numb) and I decided to ski down. I used trail #11, followed by 7a, 7b, and 9 to get to the bottom.
Once at the bottom, I boarded bus #44 back to Aquadome. The ride back was about 25 minutes and the bus was full of skiers.
Inna and Alex were back from their snowshoeing adventure to the rustic little hut "Wiesle" and I stopped by the bar to drink hot chocolate and enjoy more Frittatensoupe. There were also curd cheese pancakes which I ended up savoring with gobs of sour-cherry jam.
Both Inna and Alex had some procedures at Aquadome and each went his/her own way.
Saturday, January 4, 2024
Alpaca hike in Solden
Sunday, January 5, 2024
Aquadome Trip Report
Highlights
- Cross-country skiing directly from Aquadome to nearby villages
- Enjoying the amazing thermal pools and saunas
- Hiking around Langenfed with Patrizia (our local guide)
- Alpine Skiing at Solden Ski Resort
- Dining delicious breakfasts and dinners with elaborate menus and freshly prepared food
- Watching the New Year's Day Fireworks
- Listening to live piano/guitar at the bar (and to IVY22 on New Year's Day)
- Playing cards with Inna and Alex
Lowlights
- Everyone getting colds (sore throat, nose congestion)
- No fresh snow (I was hoping to go downhill skiing). Current conditions at Solden were machine-groomed snow with only a 6-inch base.
Links
German -> English Words
- "Wunderbar": Wonderful
- "Donau": Danube
- "GruS Gott": Hello (Greet God)
