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Hiking in the Hudson Valley

Greetings from the Hudson Valley, where we’ve spent a very relaxing long weekend. The weekend was just what my body needed after the craziness of last week.

Bo’s parents were so sweet to organize a family weekend in Bearsville, New York just a fifteen-minute drive from Woodstock, New York and an hour and a half train ride from New York City.

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Their goal for the weekend was to have a relaxing family vacation which allowed us to each do what we wanted or needed, whether that meant hiking, relaxing in the hot tub, cooking, baking, or in my case, sleeping a lot.

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On Friday, we headed to Black Creek Preserve for an easy, relaxed hike. I wasn’t feeling up to the challenge of a longer hike so this 2.5-mile hike was the perfect distance. The trailhead was only 30 minutes from our weekend rental, perfect for a quick afternoon activity in between a relaxing morning of reading and an afternoon hot tub session.

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The loop hike took us 1.5 hours and is perfect for people of all availabilities as well as canine friends, as we saw many leashed dogs along the trail.

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The trail took us over a 120-foot suspension bridge, up a short switchback path, past small, pools, across streams, along an old stone wall, and along the Hudson River.

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We paused when we reached the Hudson River to enjoy panoramic views and take pictures.

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If you’re in the Hudson Valley and looking for a relaxing way to spend a morning or afternoon, definitely head to the Black Creek Trail. Each of us thoroughly enjoyed the hike though we are all at different fitness levels!

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ashleyd /

We’re Coming Home…

Oh, how time flies.

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Just over two years ago, I posted big news on this blog. We were moving to Europe. I said that we were scared, nervous and unsure of what the future held but that we’d decided to hold hands and embark on the adventure together.

It feels as if we’ve been living in a parallel universe where even some of the smallest everyday things present new and confounding challenges. We’ve visited 16 countries in 24 months and have made every effort to take full advantage of this opportunity. Our group of close friends, both locals and fellow expats, have enriched the experience. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

In the next two months, Bo and I will be turning over our Swiss visas and finding a brand new address in New York City.

While we still have more than 20 cities left unvisited on our European travel list and will miss Switzerland’s natural beauty, I hear that Europe is only a quick overnight flight from New York.

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ashleyd /

An Impromptu 24 Hours in NYC

Instead of saying hello from Geneva, we are still in New York City!

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Last night as we were boarding our flight from JFK to Paris, Delta announced that they were looking for volunteers to give up their seats on the oversold flight. Without thinking twice, Bo and I jumped in line to happily trade in our seats on yesterday’s flight for a spot on today’s flight. As Bo spoke with the Delta agent I quickly emailed, called and texted a few of our friends who weren’t able to make it down to Savannah last weekend.  Within minutes we went from boarding a flight to Paris to enjoying the New York sunset from a cab window.

IMG_1219[1]Our friends who just moved to Carroll Gardens were ecstatic to host an impromptu dinner for eight of us. Having the chance to catch up with these friends, two of whom are expecting their first child, was priceless. The evening was exactly what we wanted, casual and relaxed. We ordered pizza and salads, drank beers on the rooftop and enjoyed the cool, breezy evening.

IMG_1222[1]Thankfully Bo and I packed our workout clothes in our carry on bag as we thought we may have time for a quick workout during one of our layovers. As no trip to New York is complete without a Central Park run, I threw on my running gear and headed uptown at 6:45 to meet Gia and Theodora. We had no specific plan in mind so just headed to the loop for a few speedy miles filled with lots of chatting and a few hills. After my break from training, I was happy to feel strong during the run, able to keep up with the 8:40 pace!

IMG_1225[1]IMG_1229[1] IMG_1228[1]The rest of the day has included breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien with Theodora, where we planned her Europe trip over iced coffees and the avocado toast, which was full of flavor and very filling!

IMG_1232[1] After saying goodbye to Theodora I ran a few errands, including a stop at Jack Rabbit Sports to buy my marathon shoes for Berlin. Rounded out with a lunch uptown catching up with Jen and a shower, this day has been pretty perfect. Now Bo and I are lazily relaxing with a book before heading back to JFK for our flight to Europe.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thursday!

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