The Long Run to Recovery

Last October I ran the Chicago Marathon, my 13th marathon. I completed it after dealing with a couple of little injuries here and there, but nothing horrible. After the race, I was sore like usual, but a couple days later I had a weird pain in my knee. It was sharp and intense and hurt the most when I would go down stairs. I kind of chalked it up to a tweak that was just irritating me from the race. I took a few extra days of rest post-marathon because of this new pain and then started to try to run again. As soon as I did that, the intense pain entered the picture again. I stopped running for about two more weeks and gave my body the rest it needed. 

Europe (Take 4) by the Numbers...

I am finally back and almost almost recovered from a little over two weeks in Europe. This was my fifth time across the Atlantic and my 4th time for a big multi-country European trip. It was once again absolutely incredible and each and every day was amazing and I didn't want it to end. I woke up every morning excited for the day ahead and went to sleep each night with an exhausted smile on my face. How can anyone be unhappy exploring and wandering with beauty surrounding them?!? Traveling truly gives me life and I just love doing it.

When in Rome (part II)

DAY 15 

We got a late start this morning for two reasons: 1) we were out late last night and 2) we weren’t getting picked up until ten for our tour of Pompeii.  As soon as we left the hotel, it started pouring. Like absolutely raining hard. We got drizzled on for like two minutes yesterday and looked at the forecast for today and knew rain was supposed to come, but man, it was really coming down. We hoped it would get it all out of its system by the time we reached Pompeii, and it did. For the time being. 

Today was AMAZING

DAY 14

If possible, today was even better than yesterday. On Thursday we had decided that we wanted to do both Positano and Amalfi today, but weren’t sure if we should use the public bus or the ferries, but ultimately decided to book a day boat trip that went to both Positano and Amalfi, but also made a stop at an island. We looked online, read the reviews, which were all positive, and booked it. We got picked up in our lobby a little before nine this morning and headed to a different dock than yesterday. In our van over there, there was a couple from NJ we started talking to. They ended up being on our boat as well which was great. 

Grateful AF

DAY 13

Today was a day we had really been looking forward to, our day trip to Capri.  We got picked up in the lobby at 9:30 and boarded a van to head to the dock. Once there and checked in, we waited a significant amount of time to board our boat. Things seemed quite unorganized down there, but eventually after waiting over a half hour in the heat, we boarded the boat to what seemed a not-so-happy boat captain. It was a really nice boat and there were only 10 other people on it which made it great, as if we were on a boat with friends: not packed at all and didn’t feel like a tour. We sat up in the front of the boat just living the dream. 

Stressful beginning, amazing end

DAY 12

Today was another train travel day for us, a long one, but this one didn’t go as smoothly as the first one. After eating breakfast (and taking some leftovers with us to use with our leftovers from last night for our lunch today), and getting our last views of the Cinque Terre, it was time to head to the train station to catch our first train, which was taking us to Pisa. At Pisa, we were supposed to have a 15 minutes layover until our next train that was at 10:32; however, things got tricky. We got on our first train on time, but there were some points along the way where we stopped for an extended period of time, which ended up causing delays. Initially they said it would be an overall 10 minute delay, then it turned into 15 minutes, and by the time we got to Pisa to catch our second train, it had been 17 minutes and we missed our second train. At this point I was half freaking out, half calm, as I know this was out of our control, but it could still mess up the whole day of travel. We kind of assumed the next train was another commuter train and there would probably be another one soon enough, but the timing had to be right to catch our third connection, which was definitely not a commuter train and we couldn’t afford to miss. 

Another day, another hike

DAY 11

We “slept in” this morning until seven. We wanted to eat breakfast and hit the road to another town. There was a train strike today so the trains weren’t going to be running so we were super happy that we did our hike and trained to the other villages yesterday. There was another town we thought of hitting up called Portovene, but to get there you either had to take a train, walk a half mile, and then get on a public bus and that seemed excessive. Or we could have gotten a ferry there, but it was 36 euro and that was just too expensive for something we were meh about. So instead, we started our day with a hike in the other direction of the Cinque Terre villages and headed toward Punta Mesca. We thought about heading to Levanto but that was about a 2.5 hour hike in almost 90 degrees with no way back but to hike so we passed on that. Punta Mesca was about an hour (2 miles hiking) into that hike and we decided to do that and then would just hike back. What we didn’t know was that the hike was straight uphill on very steep grounds and uneven, high steps. All without any shade. It was pretty brutal and our legs weren’t exactly 100% from yesterday, but we took the challenge head on. We were sweating bullets. Like an insane amount. And my friend’s fingers got ridiculously swollen like sausages which was actually hilarious, yet, mildly concerning. 

Pesto x3

DAY 10

With our first full day in the Cinque Terre, we wanted to get started bright and early before it got too hot. It was going to be over 90 degrees today and with our hiking planned and visits to all four of the other villages, we didn’t want to be doing that at peak heat. 

We were out the door at 6:30 ready to hit the road. We planned to hike the first two and then take the train to the second two because the path was closed due to rock slides and such. The first hike was about 3.5 km and was a lot of uphill stairs made of rock and steep inclines and declines. If I wasn’t in such good shape, this would have been pretty difficult. It took us about an hour to get to the first village of Vernazza. Once there we walked around a bit, took pics and then were ready to start our second hike to Corniglia. Because we went so early, we also didn’t have to pay the trail fee because it didn’t start until 8:00. That was clutch. 

Planes, trains, and seaside views

DAY 9

Today was a long travel day with two flights and three trains and took us from Hungary to Italy. We had one flight from Budapest to Munich and then another one from Munich to Pisa. Once in Pisa we had to take a train from the airport to Pisa Central Station. We had a timed ticket, but got our luggage earlier than expected so went to the train. We had timed tickets and we were supposed to get a 1:40 train from the airport to the Pisa Central Station. This was what we were anxious over. We were supposed to have a six minute transfer and that was stressing us out. But since we got on an earlier initial train, we didn’t have to rush. From Pisa Central we needed to get to La Spezia Migliarina, and then finally from there to Monterosso. Initially our second train ticket was scheduled for 1:54, but there was a 1:34 with the same route so we asked one of the conductors if we could get on the earlier train with our timed tickets and he said yes, but god forbid something happened, we weren’t insured with these. We wanted to take the earlier train so we didn’t feel as rushed at the next station. These trains seemed to be like Metra commuter trains leaving quite frequently so I was pretty sure we were doing this correctly. But it was quite nerve racking though being in a foreign country and not being familiar with things and just hoping to make the right trains and not to get lost. 

I should really go back to Sunday School

DAY 8

With about one hour of sleep last night due to a very late night out dancing and partying, my alarm went off way earlier than I would have liked, but we had the Parliament tour scheduled for 9 am. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t go and wondered what the inside looked like so I sucked it up and walked over for the tour. I’m not even gonna lie and say it wasn’t a struggle, because it was. I wasn’t hungover, I was just tired AF. 

The tour was about 40 minutes and honestly didn’t show that much. The coolest part of it was the room where all the congressmen meet and laws and such are decided. We also saw the crown, but weren’t allowed to take pictures of that. The hallways and staircases, as well as the ceilings were very intricate and pretty. The tour actually seemed really quick and soon enough it was over and I was walking back to the hotel.

The Parliament does not disappoint

DAY 7

The alarm went off at 5:10 this morning because we wanted to try and get to the Szèchenyi bath house. We had heard going to these bath houses was an absolute must, but when we looked them up online, they looked so so crowded. Of course we wanted to experience these, but we also wanted to get cool pictures too so the hope was that if we went really early in the morning, like when they open at 6, we’d be able to do that. 

When we got up, we got dressed and then took the subway line to get to the bathhouse. The system was once again very easy to figure out, so we walked over there, bought our tickets from the machine, and got on the train, which luckily arrived the minute we got on the platform. It was quick and easy train ride right to the thermal spa stop and once we got off it was right there. We walked into the main entrance, paid our fee (which was only like $2.50) and entered the maze of the locker room to enter the indoor spas and then made our way outside. It’s basically like a giant pool complex with two casual, chill pools (one was was like hot tub temperature and the other a tad cooler) and then a giant lap pool as well. Again, the architecture around it was beautiful and just made the ambiance even better. There were so few people there too, I’d say about 98% local, and us. We went in the water immediately and swam around, took pics, swam some more and just waded in the water hopefully taking in some healing properties. The water is supposedly of very high quality and can do a lot for you. I was definitely up for that. We spent about an hour there and then headed back on the train back to the hotel for breakfast. 

Buda Buda Buda, Buda Buda Budapest

DAY 6

We arrived in Budapest around 1:00 and were out the door and ready to explore by about 2:30. As usual, once we got settled, we got our map, compared it to our list and began the day, much later than usual, but on a mission to get shit done and see all that we could. 

We have a tour schedules tomorrow but wanted to cover some stuff on our own and if we got back, at least we’ll get the history and background information tomorrow. 

Pandas and Hippos and Baboons Oh My

DAY 5

After accomplishing everything we wanted to do in the first two days, today was more of a relaxed, chill day. We decided that we would go to the Copenhagen zoo. We both love zoos, and this one looked like a really good one. Plus, they have a lot of animals that I’ve never seen before. 

The zoo was about a 20 minute walk there. Once there, we got our tickets and our map and decided our route. First up was the lions, but they were asleep, but we still saw them at least. Then we saw the polar bears their baby, and then a brown bear. I’ve never seen a brown bear before so that was cool. He even pooped right in front of us, which is always hilarious. You know the phrase “Does a bear shit in the woods?”, well he def does at the zoo. 

Started with Tivoli, Ended with Tivoli

DAY 4

This morning started bright and early with a 5:10 wake-up call. We had wanted to rent bikes and take them around the city early, before people were out so we could explore a little more without any crowds. We got the bikes for free in turn of our room not getting cleaned for two days. We were totally fine with that and can get new towels and make our own bed in order to save some money. Additionally our hotel provides each guest with a cell phone with a data plan for google maps, google, phone calls, etc... so we were able to take this with us for more information and directions. 

Jumpin’ for Joy in Copenhagen

DAY 3

This morning started with an early breakfast and a cab ride to the airport to head to Copenhagen. The flight was super quick and soon enough we landed in Denmark. We got our luggage, grabbed a cab, and got to our super cute hotel. Our room wasn’t ready this time so we dropped off our bags, had a very long convo over our map and our list with the guy at the desk and were on our way.

Dancing Queens

DAY 2

This morning started later and more leisurely than usual and moreso than the rest of our trip will be. The reason being simple: we needed sleep. After nine solid hours of sleep and a hearty breakfast, we were on our way. 

We had bought an unlimited 24-hour transit pass yesterday at our local 7-Eleven (they are everywhere here) and it can be used on trams, buses, and the trains. After walking almost 30,000 steps yesterday and the forecasted rain today, we knew we’d put this pass to good use and our first swipe would be the S7 tram to the Vasa Musuem. 

Good thing I don’t speak Swedish...

Well hello again, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve written on here and what better what to get back in the action than with #RayRaysEuroVacay4. This trip will take me to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hungary, and then to the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast in Italy. That’s three new countries added to my list (Sweden, Denmark, and Hungary), and return to Italy (but to new places there). I’m once again traveling with a friend; the same one I did #RayRaysEuroVacay3 with. Since we got along and traveled so well together, I was happy to travel with her again. As usual, I was beyond pumped to get this adventure started, so without further ado, here we go...