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!

Wrapping Up September with a Running Survey

I don't always remember to do a monthly mileage post, but when I run more miles than usual it helps.

This month I did more runs over two miles. Since joining the Discovery Run group, I've started working on being able to run a 5K with as few walk breaks as my knee can handle. I might be running my first fun 5K soon ;)

Here's a fun little survey to use to look back on your month. Feel free to answer any of these questions in the comments below or copy and paste in your own blog post (just be sure to tell me about it so I can read all your answers!).

How many times did you run? 7 runs

What was your total mileage? 19.12 miles

How many races did you run? zero - working on that ;)

What time of day did you run most often (morning, runch, evening)? morning

How many different running routes did you do? a variation of 4 routes

Did you run mostly solo or with others? mostly with at least one other person

How many pairs of running shoes did you use? 2 - Mizuno Wave Sky and Wave Horizon

If you bought new running gear, what was your favorite purchase? Athleta Ready Set Go shorts 

Did you run in different states or countries this month? Hong Kong, Ohio, Budapest

What type of animals did you see on your runs this month? a lot of dogs and some deer

What was the best part of your favorite run (or worst part of your least favorite run)? My favorite run was in Budapest (it was cool and flat) and the best part was running with mrC and youngestC!

What type of cross training did you do this month? yoga, hiking, SUP and lots of walking

The last week of September has been a busy one - challenging my ability to get workouts in.

Sunday - We helped a friend celebrate her birthday on a junk boat ---> did you see my hula hoop skills on Instagram?

Monday - I had a Hong Kong Hosts meeting and ran errands in Central. Night run with Discovery Run group.

Tuesday - I had a laser hair removal appointment ---> sprinted to catch the ferry (workout for the day)

Wednesday - Got my SUP board (price reduced on Amazon) back in the water

Thursday - Went to the American Women's Association Welcome Back Breakfast at the (yep) American Club

Friday - Exercises in the pool and some relaxing too

Saturday - REST (almost ran but it was stormy)

Sunday - went for a morning walk

Looking ahead: October is the month I get back on my carb cycling wagon and really focus on strength. There's a new Faster Way to Fat Loss group starting on October 16th. If you have been thinking about joining and are looking for a way to reboot your body (like I needed), take a look at my results. I have been carb cycling for over a year now and it is the easiest way to maintain my weight.

How was your week? month?
What are you looking forward to in October?

Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the Weekly Wrap!

Great Places to Run for Visitors in Budapest

Can I just tell you that runners in Budapest have some amazing choices for where to run?

Budapest actually used to be two cities (Buda and Pest) separated by the Danube. While visiting our Corvinus scholar, we stayed at the Marriott in the heart of the city on the Pest Side. The Buda Side was just a walk across a bridge away. Right outside our door we had access to some great places to run in Budapest.

The Danube and Bridges - on the very first day I knew I wanted to run along the Danube, so that's what we did. On our third day, after getting a lay of the land sightseeing and with our very own University local (youngestC), we laced up for an easy loop using the bridges. (Runfession: I love putting international miles on my Mizunos)

On the Pest Side of the Danube, the walkways are wide enough for runners and walkers to coexist. And there's plenty of room for all getting across both the Chain Bridge and the Elizabeth Bridge. The Buda side offered designated lanes for running/walking and biking. It was easy to see why that section was a favorite among runners.

Margaret Island - we took the Hop-On Hop-Off boat to explore the island and upon seeing the spongy running track, I declared that I would be back to run. The rainy weather during the week of our visit made it challenging, but we finally squeezed in a run on the morning of our departure. (Runfession: I'm glad I held firm in wearing shorts and a long sleeve (short sleeve here) because the sun popped out and it was a little toasty)

Because the island is about a mile plus from our hotel, we took the convenient yellow trolley to our starting point at Margaret Bridge. That way we could do our miles on the island and enjoy using the soft running path ---> which we learned is a 5K loop around the island. With its path and the views, the island is a perfect place for running.

Gellert Hill - if you wanted to do some hill running, this would be a great place on the Buda Side. We did not run, but we hiked it so I can show you why it would be a great place to run.

There is the option to run the steps or follow the smooth pathway (which I think will get you most of the way to the top). At the top you can take in the amazing views while running around the Citadella with the Liberty Lady statue standing tall above you. Overall the elevation gain is around 350 feet and estimated mileage starting from the entrance would probably be about 2 miles. Perfect for a hill workout. (Runfession: I prefer to hike hills than run them)

Fitness and Health Club by Marriott - when all else fails, go to the fitness center. Guests of the hotel can use the facility with amazing views of the Danube and Buda Castle, but so can locals.

When rainy weather drove our workout indoors, we were not disappointed. We used the state of the art treadmills (the kind with virtual courses) and weight training equipment, but the club also offers classes. The treadmills were so nice, I was inspired to run a full 5k through the valleys of...somewhere! (Runfession: I was kind of in a bad mood because of the rain, but this run definitely lifted my spirits!)

Running in Budapest, especially with youngestC, was amazing.

If I lived in Budapest, I would be one happy runner!

What city have you visited that is a runner's dream?
What are you runfessing this month?

I'm linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0!

I’m linking up with Marcia for the monthly Runfessions

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?

5 Things About My Moonset Run

Have you ever gone on a run and caught the moon setting? In an attempt to get over our jet lag, mrC and I laced up our running shoes on Wednesday for an early morning run. Using MapMyRun, I found out there was a trail head just a couple of blocks from the hotel.

For today's Friday Five 2.0 link-up, I'm sharing 5 things about our run:

1) The Alum Creek Trail is part of the larger Ohio to Erie Trail network in Ohio. The 22 mile scenic trail travels along the Alum Creek waterway in Columbus passing through parks and skirting a golf course and university campus.

2) It was so nice to have a path to run on and not have to worry about roads and traffic (which we are out of practice doing). We saw two other runners (one female running alone which made me wonder if she was practicing safe running with something like Wearsafe) and two bikers ---> one came up behind us and her verbal warning made me nearly jump out of my skin!

3) It was so peaceful. Most of the run it was just us, the fog, a couple of deer. On the way back we had the first glimpses of the sunrise spreading across the sky. Even though the trail is near a road, the daily traffic hadn't yet picked up so there wasn't any car noise.

4) The bridges. The trail crossed Alum Creek and also had a section that seemed to hover above the forest. It reminded me of when we went to the Blue Mountains in Sydney, Australia.

5) We were pretty happy about getting in a good three miles before breakfast and to be running when it was only 50 degrees! Talk about comfortable ---> I love these shorts I got on sale at Athleta. And how about those long sleeves?

PS - I spent the rest of day with my BFF doing a little shopping and a lot of catching up!

Have you ever gone on a run and caught the moon setting?
Do you like running in long sleeves and shorts?

Today I'm linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0!

And also with Nicole for the Fit & Fashionable Friday link-up