5 Days in Budapest - Part 1

We enjoyed an extra-long layover on our way back to Hong Kong. After spending two weeks in the US for mrC's recurrent training and some time with family and friends in Cincinnati, we stopped to see youngestC, who is doing a study abroad at Corvinus University in Budapest.

Budapest was not on my bucket list of places to visit (it should have), but I am always eager to experience new places. It was the trip of a lifetime to be able to spend time with youngestC when she wasn't in class and explore this safe, historic, beautiful and friendly city at the same time.

Here's a look at how we spent days 1 & 2 in Budapest (I've added links where I think they will be helpful to others who may be looking to visit Budapest. Some of them are affiliate links):

Day 1 - We arrived around 10 in the morning and after quickly clearing immigration arranged our transport to the hotel using an airport shuttle service. It was easy and efficient, plus we pre-arranged our return trip all for under $40USD. We were super early for check-in, so we dropped our bags and took a walk to get our first views of the city.

We booked our hotel because of its location in the city center and proximity to youngestC.  Located right on the Danube River, from the hotel we could walk to the University, numerous historical and tourist landmarks and access public transportation if necessary.

Even though I was super tired (it's hard changing time zones even when you can sleep part of the way), I was immediately struck by how beautiful everything was. The gray skies and slight drizzle couldn't dampen my excitement as we explored a few blocks north of the hotel.

We had plenty of time to kill since youngestC was in Brussels and we wouldn't meet up with her until the next day. On that first afternoon we were able to see some famous landmarks like the Chain Bridge, the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial and the Hungarian Parliament Buildings.

We had dinner at a wine bistro that we spotted on our walk and couldn't have been happier with our choice. Great food and excellent service. We knew right away that we would be back to visit them. Back in our hotel room, we enjoyed our first night of spectacular views.

Day 2 - We woke to a beautiful day and after some breakfast at the hotel we headed out to explore until we met up with youngestC. In the sunlight, the city was even more beautiful and we could not stop taking pictures while we walked. I loved the countess outdoor dining options lining the streets. (PS - I highly recommend these Keds for sightseeing. I picked them up at an outlet mall in Ohio and they were a lifesaver!)

We visited the historic Cave Church which is right across the Liberty Bridge near campus, our meet-up spot. The grotto church was small but amazing to see. Before crossing the bridge back to the Pest Side, we sat on the bank of the Danube and marveled at how lucky we were to be in Budapest and about to see youngestC for the first time since July.

At a nice restaurant with outdoor seating and views of the Liberty Bridge, we spent as much time as we could catching up until she had to leave for her afternoon classes. Watching her jump on the trolley, it hit us that she is not our "little bug" anymore!

We spent the rest of the afternoon browsing the neighborhood and taking in all that we could before walking back toward our hotel. We briefly visited the Central Market, learned about Hungarian attire, bought some (expensive) stamps at the post office and strolled Váci Street - the popular shopping and dining street.

We ended the afternoon with a great hike up Gellèrt Hill to see the best panoramic views of the city. At the top there are historical landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Citadella. If you walk around the Citadella, you'll find stalls selling souvenirs and links to the Castle Hill area.

youngestC came to stay with us at the hotel and we went for dinner on Váci Street before calling it a night.

Stay tuned. More to come in 5 Days in Budapest - Part 2!

Three Weeks Later...

After three weeks of travel, we are back in Hong Kong and I'm attempting to get back to some sort of routine. Besides battling a little bit of jet lag, this time I'm also dealing with a head cold and laryngitis!

mrC has recurrent training in Columbus, Ohio which works out great for me because I grew up in Cincinnati (just two hours away). While he is working, I drive down to visit my family and he joins us when he finishes. We're really lucky that it works out like this.

Here's a recap of our time in Ohio ---> I'll be doing a separate post for our 5 days in Budapest.

The Alum Creek Trail was near the hotel and we ran there a couple of times. We ran super early when we first arrived in Columbus, but on the last day we were more reasonable and let the moon set and the sun come up.

While mrC was in Columbus working, I stayed at my mom's. It was perfect because it was her birthday week! We had massages, went shopping and had LaRosa's pizza with a bunch of family at my aunt's house. The best was taking her to the Cincinnati Bengals home game opener! It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun that it didn't matter that our team lost. PS - I picked up this cute Coach cross body just before the game and it was perfect (you can't bring large purses/bags into the stadium anymore) for my phone, sunglasses and small wallet. I can't wait to show it off at Happy Hour with the girls ;)

My mom wanted to go zip-lining for the first time and we couldn't let her go alone. It was also mrC's first time. I was the only veteran having gone when I was visiting my friend in West Virginia. It was a cloudy day with rain forecasted, so we were lucky to be our own private party. The instructors at Ozone Zipline Adventures were super friendly, very entertaining and taught us a lot about zipping and nature.

I got to spend as much time as possible with family and (BFF) friends. It's never enough, but we make the best of what time we have. We are so lucky that everyone makes time for us while we are there too.

I didn't workout much while in Ohio. When I could I did, but the rest of the time I was either off visiting someone or crashing from jet lag!

We left Ohio, but instead of heading right back to Hong Kong, we made a pitstop in Budapest to visit youngestC. I'll be writing about that part of our trip soon.

Do you ever mix business with family when you travel?
Do you miss working out when you just can't get to it?

Cape Cod Summer 2017: Carb Cycling and Vacation Highlights

As much as I wanted to finish my FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program on a high note, it was just too much to keep up with while on vacation. I didn't stop the program all together ---> I did as many of the workouts as I could and I continued to extend my fast until nearly noon each day. What I didn't do was track my macros or post to the online group each day.

You may have noticed that I also had trouble blogging ;)

I'm not bummed out though. I feel like I did what I could and still enjoyed every moment with the girls for two weeks. Those two weeks were the absolute best. Our days were filled with fun and I savored every moment just being there with my family.

Here are the highlights:

We had a Sparkler Party on the beach to celebrate the 4th of July. We started with a traditional summer cookout at the house, complete with cheeseburgers, corn on the cob and baked beans. Then we walked to the beach sporting our festive tees from The Daily Tay. We didn't see a big fireworks display, but our party was over-the-top fun!

We took the fast ferry over to Nantucket for a day. After grabbing breakfast sandwiches at Fog Island Cafe, we went on a bike tour around town with Nantucket Bike Tours ---> highlights of the tour include Brant Point Lighthouse, Steps Beach, Lily Pond, Old Mill and riding through quaint neighborhoods (highly recommend doing this!). We grabbed a taco lunch at Easy Street Cantina (loved it!) and took our rented a jeep for a ride out to Sankaty Lighthouse and stopped by the Oldest House. Before leaving, we walked around town enjoying some ice cream from The Juice Bar, souvenir shopping and even spotting a celebrity from Long Island!

We hopped on the Shining Sea Bikeway in North Falmouth for an afternoon ride. Our 16 miles took us through salt marshes all the way to ocean views at Quissett Beach. My knee was a little cranky, so we turned around about 2 miles from the end of the trail in Woods Hole.

One afternoon in Woods Hole we walked the trail out to The Knob, strolled around town with ice cream from Jimmy's Sandwich and Ice Cream Place and stopped to see the Nobska Lighthouse up close.

We love Old Silver Beach and spend most of our mornings there soaking up the sun and our evenings taking in the sunsets. This year we celebrated our favorite place with a fun photo party in our favorite Cape Cod gear and brand new OSB tees. The girls made sure to include their brother, who was stuck in Colorado working, in the fun.

We had one major rainy day which I spent at the Cape Cod Mall picking up a new pair of fitness shoes. I think these will work perfectly for hiking and Bodystep. One cloudy afternoon we took the Cape Cod Railroad Coastal Excursion. It was an out and back narrated trip from Hyannis to Buzzard's Bay. Along the way we saw cranberry bogs and kettle hole ponds, great salt marsh, Cape Cod Canal, Sagamore Bridge, Bourne Bridge and an osprey nesting platform.

On our last night on the Cape, we took a sunset sail aboard the La Liberté out of Falmouth. Before the two-hour cruise aboard the schooner, we had one final dinner at Simply Devine Pizza Co. where you can get gluten-free pizza.

The Workouts - During the two weeks, I was able to fit in some FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workouts such as sprints, HIIT circuits, bike rides for low intensity, and a few runs to the beach.

The Meals - Some days I followed the meal plan and some I didn't. I offer myself plenty of grace since it was our official vacation. It's hard to be back in the US and NOT indulge in some of our favorite things.

The great thing about carb cycling is that you can make it work for you, even if it's not always perfect. We didn't have access to a gym or even free weights, but we exercised every day. Instead of taking results measurements at the Cape, my plan is to repeat the final two weeks and then do a proper results post.