travel Archives - Page 20 of 74 - My Healthy, Happier Life

I hope you guys are having a wonderful weekend! We’ve spent the weekend enjoying as much fresh air and sunshine as possible while also enjoying some delicious homemade Mexican and lovely cocktails. Parker has been such a trooper this weekend even during his short lived meltdowns.

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to log my last long training run before next Sunday’s Geneva Half Marathon. Knowing that I had 10 miles on the schedule, Amy suggested I head out to The Little Miami Scenic trail, a great multi-use path near their home in Madeira.

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The Little Miami Scenic trail is 75 miles of runner or bikers paradise! It passes through 12 different Cincinnati area towns and provides the perfect mix of sunny and shady spots while also having rest and bathroom areas along the trail. The views are a mix of horse farms, rivers and streams, wooded areas and small town squares which have built around the trails activity such as Loveland’s downtown area. The trail has mile markers every half mile which makes keeping track of distance easy.

The weather was picture perfect for a run – sunny and cool. I wore my compression socks, shorts, and tank for the run while jamming to my new playlist on Spotify.

Instead of doing 5 miles out and back I split the run up into 4 parts, 2.5 miles each, so I could explore the trail in both directions. Amy had mentioned that one would have more river views while the other direction is shady and wooded. I even had some surprise company along the wooded portion of the trail as I ran into 7 wild turkeys crossing the trail. There were solo runners and running groups alike out on the trail with me logging their last long run before the Flying Pig marathon next weekend.

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I followed my training plan logging negative splits and an average of 9:17 pace overall. Considering that I didn’t have any fuel I’m hoping that means that I can keep at least this during next week’s half marathon.

While last week’s training wasn’t strong due to our travel in different cities, this week’s 5 runs have me in a very different mindset for the half marathon. I finished this run feeling strong and excited for the race!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on a run? These wild turkeys were definitely the weirdest thing I’ve seen on a run!

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I’m currently flying somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean en route to Cincinnati! It’s a bit of a whirlwind trip as I am only in Cincinnati until Sunday evening. I’m bursting at the seems to see Amy and Ryan along with their new bundle of joy, baby Parker. How adorable is this little guy? I am also excited to take Charlie, their cocker spaniel, out for a few long walks as the weather is supposed to be 75 degrees!

I was up extra early this morning to pack for the trip as I didn’t have time to pack last night. Instead of packing, I enjoyed one too many glasses of wine at girls night! We laughed over Indian food at Bombay Cafe for almost three hours. These girls have really made Geneva feel like home and our weekly dinners provide each of us with a space to laugh about husbands or dating, share travel adventures and ask for Geneva help. Our venue changes each week – sometimes it is a casual home cooked meal at one of our homes and other times it’s in a new restaurant we’ve wanted to try. I was thrilled that the other girls were keen to switch things up with Indian cuisine last night as I’ve been craving it lately. I’m a novice when it comes to Indian food so I let everyone else guide our shared plate orders but in the end we had the perfect amount of food including Tandoori chicken, a delicious lamb dish, lentils, and a few veggie dishes!

The 5am alarm was not a welcome sound but luckily I was able to pack light for this trip as I’m back in Geneva Monday morning. Packing and traveling is getting easier as I have started to appreciate the value of packing only essentials versus over packing. In addition, there are some essentials which I now keep together for easy grab and go. I basically grabbed everything on my essential list, which is stored and updated on a list app on my phone, before zipping my bag shut. I also keep a travel outfit always folded together in my drawer so I don’t have to worry about it being dirty or searching for it the morning of a flight.

Travel outfit:

Bra & underwear
Black yoga pants
V-Neck tshirt
Light scarf
Black wrap sweater
Compression socks
Running shoes

Here are the essentials that I pack on any trip:

Running gear – Socks, shorts, tank, short sleeve running top, sports bra, Garmin, charger, water bottle, headphones.
One casual outfit – jeans, t-shirt, bra, underwear, a pair of flats or flip flops, depending the season
One “going out” outfit – jeans, blouse, bra, underwear, wrap or light jacketunderwear
Pajamas
Travel accessory bag – camera charger, camera, vitamins, converter, Apple iPhone/iPad cord, laptop charger, backup iPhone battery, passport, compression socks, travel size toiletries for plane (toothrbush, face wipes, moisturizer, toothpaste), and neck pillow.
Large purse – wallet, computer, iPad, phone, makeup pouch

Many of the items I pack serve dual purposes such as the running water bottle, which stays full during travel and keeps me hydrated on flight. My travel compression socks can also be used on a run while my plane outfit can also serve as an extra days clothing. I’ve been traveling with my Mizuno running shoes as they are my lightest shoes and are also perfect for wearing during the day when exploring new cities. Having a travel accessory bag always packed and stored in my closet has kept me from forgetting important things like chargers. I’ve wasted too much time and money trying to replace them in foreign countries.

What is your one travel essential that you always have to have with you on a flight?

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We were only in Salzburg for 2 nights, leaving us around 24 hours to explore and enjoy the gorgeous city. This was the perfect amount of time to enjoy a few delicious meals and see some highlights but not enough time to really get to know Salzburg. I would recommend having 2 full days to explore Salzburg if you have time but if you’re only there for 24 hours, here are the highlights from our trip!

Stay: If you’re looking for a combination of an historic location rich in Salzburg and Sound of Music history combined with wonderful service and newly renovated rooms, then staying at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron. Located just a 5 minutes drive from historic Salzburg, this was the perfect hotel for our small group. Built in 1736, the inn is on the edge of a small lake and includes incredible views of the mountains from the rooms and the veranda. Dubbed as the Sound of Music palace it was the setting for many of the movie’s outdoor scenes along with the ballroom scene. We stayed in the Meierhof rooms which were just renovated this year and are incredible. They allow guests to have a boutique hotel experience complete with wonderful bathrooms, heavenly beds and Restoration Hardware like aesthetics while staying in such a historic location. In addition, the breakfast which was included with our rate was served in the gorgeous ballroom and was fit for a king! We had our choice of eggs three ways, pastries, yogurt, oatmeal and assorted fruit each morning along with numerous juice and coffee options. I have to say though that our favorite moment at the hotel was relaxing with a glass of champagne on the back veranda while exploring the gardens and enjoying the sunset.

Eat: We enjoyed two casual dinners while in Salzburg, one at a gastro pub and the other at a bier garden. We enjoyed a delicious dinner our first night in Salzburg at Zum Fidelen Affen, or the Jovial Monkey. Located in Old Town Salzburg, their menu includes soups, snacks, salads and the best wiener schnitzel of our entire trip! The restaurant doesn’t take formal reservations but you or your hotel can call in advance to put your name on the list. They take pride in serving Trumer Pils, an Austrian Pils, along with other local specialties such as wheat beer and cola or radler. After a full day of explorin Salzburg, Augustiner Brau was the perfect place to enjoy our last night in Salzburg as it’s relaxed environment allowed us time to sit back and relax. For three hours we laughed with locals, enjoyed the fresh air, tried a few new beers, and ate an assortment of Austrian food available via their food hall. This world famous beer institution has been in operation since 1621! The outdoor beer garden space seats more than 1,500 under the trees while the indoor space can accommodate 900 which means you’ll always be able to find a seat here regardless the season! The Marzen beer, which was 3 euros per liter stein, was our favorite of the two beers they offered on tap due to its rich flavor.

See: We saw and learned a great deal about Salzburg and the Sound of Music during the Original Sound of Music tour through Panorama Tours. The 4 hour bus tour took place in English and allowed attendees to see many of the movie locations such as Mirabell Gardens, the lake, the gazebo, abbey, lake district, and Mondsee, where the wedding took place. We loved that the tour shared so much history about Salzburg and the Lake District versus just revolving around the movie. Our tour guide had wonderful English and was so friendly that everyone was willing to ask him questions throughout the tour and join in song during the bus ride. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a bus tour this much before nor seen so many grown men, including Bo, belt out the Sound of Music tunes! The tour also includes 5 stops so there is plenty of time to stretch legs and explore the various sites. The outdoor beer garden seats up to 150 people while the indoor spaces, both smoking and non-smoking,