Coming Home Today!

I can't believe we are coming back home today! After 3 weeks of living out of a backpack and moving from place to place I am actually ready for home. If I had more clothes and a washer and dryer I would love to continue to travel. But at the moment I am sick of all my clothes and sick of wearing yoga pants all day!

We didn't plan the departure part of our trip very well, as we are in Slovenia now but flying out of Venice. It's about a 3 hour drive and our flight is at 7 am which means I am up at 1 am waiting for our ride. I don't know why we didn't think of leaving out of Ljubljana which is the Slovenian capital city only about an hour from where we are now.

Speaking of where we are now, it is called Bled and its just about the most gorgeous place on earth! There is a lake here with a little island in the middle that they built a church on. Also a little castle on top of a cliff. It is so picturesque here I just love it. It's the perfect retreat. I could spend a long time here just relaxing. This is one of the highlights of our trip and I am already planning to move here someday!

Croatia was fun too but very very touristy even now. Many towns are solely based on tourism which isn't really my cup of tea. It's beautiful to look at, but at the end of the day it's just a nice coast which we have in LA too. So I am not too eager to go back there. It's funny cuz we spent the most days in Croatia out of every country we went to. We went to 4 cities in Croatia going down the coast, from Opatija (complete tourist town built for old European royals) to Split, Dubrovnik and Zagreb. Split is the second largest city of Croatia and there is the most well preserved roman ruins there. I really like that kinda stuff so I was very happy there. Dubrovnik is a beautiful medieval city too that is an island that is completely walled off. But nothing much to do there other than eat seafood, which is fun of course. Zagreb is the capital city and a cute one which I wouldn't mind going back to some time but not at the top of my list.

Ok my ride is here so I will have to finish up later! A long day of flying ahead...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Cesta Svobode,Bled,Slovenia

Made it to Croatia!

I have been so bad at writing while on the road. But since last time I wrote I have been through Budapest, Venice and 2 cities of Croatia! It's been kind of a whirlwind.

Well I am happy to report that I was able to beat my cold! It started in Budapest and I think I slept like 10 hours a day there so it never got too bad. Then it came back a little in Venice so I slept a long time again and it was gone. Seems like all I have to do is sleep huh? That I can do well.

Despite being sick in Budapest I still really liked it! I didn't think I would at first, because the city looks pretty gritty. It's like a lot of buildings need a face lift from being though the wars and just time. But after a while you can see though all of that and begin to appreciate it. It's a pretty big city, especially for Europe I think. The sites are not located close to each other like in Prague. The city is actually two parts - Buda and Pest, with the Danube river separating them. There are 4 or so bridges connecting them. The Buda side has the old castle and citadel. The Pest side has a lot more modern stuff, shopping, restaurants, etc. And that's where we stayed. I didn't know this till right before going there, but the area is a big wine region. We had so much good wine! Really cheap too. Actually every meal we had in Budapest was excellent. We would have like 3-4 course meals with wine for about 30 USD for dinner every night. It was awesome!! Definitely the best food we had on the trip. And best value for the money.

The city also has lots of Turkish thermal baths. We went to 2 different baths to soak up our tired legs. They are pretty cool as you just pay a flat fee (about 15 bucks) and use it for as long as you want. The only thing is they don't open as late as you'd want! We showed up to one one night at 9 and it was closed. We went to 2 there, one is called Szechenyi and it's huge! Like 20 different pools with different temperatures, and lots of saunas and steam rooms. The hottest temp they had though was still not as hot as the hot tubs we are used to which I guess is how it is there. We also didn't know that you have to pay extra to rent towels and we didn't bring any from our hotel so it was very very cold running from the pool to the locker room. The second bath we went to was the famous one called Gellert. We read that it's like bathing in a cathedral. But honestly it was not all that at all. Only a few pools and also not very hot. A lot of it is separate for men and women too (so people can be naked) which wasn't that fun for us. I got bored sitting by myself after like 5 minutes. So I think if you ever go to Budapest, you can pass on Gellert.

We took a short flight to Venice after 4 days in Budapest and spent 2 nights there. Venice is very romantic of course. We did not take a gondola ride though. Just seemed a little lame at the time. Hahaha. We quickly visited the very touristy San Marcos square and started wandering the city. That was a lot more fun than being among tons of tourists. I couldn't believe how many people were there in the middle of October. But once you get away from people it's so cute. I liked all the old windy streets. We had pizza and gelato everyday. In fact there's so much pizza and Italian food everywhere we've been that we are sick of it! We stayed at this cute bed and breakfast place in Venice that we found at the last minute. It's right next to the market by Rialto bridge - great location! Made it a fun little trip.

Then we hopped over to Croatia! Actually we are taking a tour for this leg of our trip. I forgot that tours like this are like work. You are up at 6-7 am everyday and home by 8-9 pm. So tiring!! You get to see a lot but maybe not as much time in a single place as you would like. So we have been to Opatija and Split already. Today we got to Dubrovnik and will be here for a few nights. Thank god! Croatia is very beautiful and not entirely different from LA. LA is on the same latitude as the Mediterranean so the weather is similar. Finally we have some warmer weather! Not warm enough to go sun bathing or anything but it also means less tourist now. We still get to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful views though. I really like the old parts of Croatia like the Roman ruins and such. They have a really well preserves palace in Split. Best preserved in the world, according to them. It's the Diocletian palace. And it's very cool to walk around there. I think Roman history is so intriguing. And it's so amazing people back in the day hand carved and moved every stone to make these huge structures! It seems that a lot of stuff like that in Croatia was destroyed during the different wars. So sad. There's still bullet holes in lots of buildings. And land mines and bunkers along the road we drove on. But anyway, I will write about Croatia later on after seeing it all!

I do have to say that these 2 weeks of pigging out has taken it's toll. We walk like 15-20 miles a day but I think we are still eating way more than we are burning! No other forms of workouts. So we both feel large and bloated! I am actually really looking forward to cooking my own meals and eating healthy. Eating out every meal of everyday is really fattening! Now I really don't know how I will be able to run the half marathon 2 weeks after I get back... Lol...

Getting Sick in Budapest... Boooo!!!

We have made our way from Prague to Vienna and now Budapest. And I woke up with a scratchy throat today that won't go away! Didn't help that we went out all day today in the cold and the wind chill ripped right through my clothes. It's so annoying, I really really hope it will get better soon because it's the worst to be sick while on vacation. Plus we still got 3 more countries and lots more to explore so this is a really inopportune time to be under the weather.

Anyway... I will go to bed early tonight and try to get a good night sleep so I will keep this relatively short. First of, I don't know what's going on but no matter where I go, the wifi connection won't let me post photos on the blog via my phone! I've tried literally 50 times in many different places to no avail. Sigh... I hate photoless blogs. But my short stay in Vienna has been full of amazing sites I wish I could post pictures of! It's a gorgeous city and a different type of beauty from Prague. Everything seems cleaner and more classical. I suppose it makes sense that Vienna is the capital of classical music and art. We really only had one night, one full day and half a day there. So we didn't get to do all that we wanted. I really wanted to go to the Museum of Fine Art but couldn't. And I wanted to go to a concert or an opera there too but we didn't have nice enough clothes for that. We did see all the amazing sites like the Hapsburg summer palace (Schonbrunn) which I really really loved. And just walking around the city and stopping by cafes was lots of fun. Vienna has the best public transportation system bar none. Super easy to navigate and very tourist/ English speaker friendly. It sure is an expensive city though. I believe most of my coffees cost 10 USD. Lol. Well they were mostly spiked with alcohol but still. I guess you pay for the experience. We went to 2 rather famous cafes. One is called Cafe Central where all the Viennese intellectuals used to hang out, but Hitler did too though which was a little weird but it's all a part of history I suppose. It was the most beautiful cafe though, and really nice atmosphere with a live pianist and really good food too that you pay a lot for and only get a couple bites of. But I loved it nonetheless. We also went to Demels which is the oldest cafe in Vienna. It was packed with tourists and locals alike but I had an amazing hot chocolate with Baileys! We were planning to then go to Hotel Sacher for the famous Sacher Torte but I seriously couldn't eat anymore! All these things we didn't have time to do just gives more reasons to go back there in the future!

The last night we were there we had an awful dinner experience though. We went to Placchura (sp?) which is supposed to have the best taflespitz in the city, which is like boiled beef served in a large pot. Supposedly Franz Joseph's favorite food. We knew it would be busy as it's a famous restaurant and it was Friday night. But we got there at almost 9 hoping to squeeze in. They were so straight forward with the "sorry we are completely booked" line though, we were pretty much kicked out as soon as we walked in. Lol. Ok, fine. So then we decided to go to a more pub type restaurant we saw on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. But same thing happened! The girl there had such an attitude and it was a pub! We couldn't understand why we could not have the option to sit at the bar and wait for a table. When we asked her that she said there was "no chance". Really?? Is this how it is in Vienna?! Most restaurants I've been at least give you a chance to wait without a reservation or tell you nicely to come back later with one. Maybe when you have been on Bourdain you get really cocky. That kind of ruined our night and by the time we walked back it was too late to go anywhere else so we had ham sandwiches at a bar. Sad. That was our last night in Vienna...

We actually took a bus called OrangeWays from Vienna to Budapest yesterday. It was a really nice bus with free movie and a waitress serving coffee and snacks. And it was only like 10 euro per person. 1 euro extra. for luggage. Pretty sweet! We got to Budapest in like 2.5 hours.

Upon first impression at night, Budapest was kinda grim and sad looking. But we had an amazing dinner last night and today we got to see the city better. It has a lot more Turkish influence than I thought! Makes it completely different from both Prague and Vienna. There are lots of thermal baths here that I can't wait to try out! And lots of good food and wine too. For much cheaper than Vienna and Prague! Just hope I don't get sick so I can enjoy it all...

Ok this was supposed to be a short post. But I kept rambling. Hehe. I will write more about Budapest later so I can actually go to sleep now and try to nip this cold in the butt!

Location:Munkácsy Mihály St,Budapest,Hungary

Hello from Prague!

After a long flight which included a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam where we briefly left the airport and explored the city, we finally arrived in Prague 3 days ago! It is such a beautiful and amazing city. I am in love with all the architecture. It is exactly what I would imagine a fairytale story book would look like. Everywhere I look it is like a post card!! Even the somewhat rainy and cold (for us Californians) weather doesn't bother me at all. It is a bit touristy here at times, but nothing can take away the charm of this city.

The first couple days were spent being lost in the city en route to popular tourist destinations. The hotel we booked on jetsetter is beautiful but it's not exactly in the center of the city. Hence the cheaper price. And the city is hard to navigate! Maps are pretty much useless as the streets curve so much and there's hardly any street names. The names are impossible to pronounce to begin with. I'm normally pretty good at directions and reading maps, but this city concurs me. However once you get a hang of it, it's not bad. Just pick a general direction and somehow go towards it after twists and turns. I wouldn't normally mind being lost but it was lightly raining and I did not bring appropriate shoes. I don't even own rain boots but I wish I had some. Or at least my uggs. Sneakers get soaked so fast. I did not have room in my backpack for boots but nearly every girl here wears tights or skinny jeans with knee high flat boots. Some wear big jackets with a mini skirt and stockings with boots. I like the look but too cold for me. I am jealous of the cute boots though, but could not buy any (no room to bring back also would never use again when I'm back home).

I saw all the touristy attractions within 2 days easy. It's not that big of a city. The old town square has lots of restored buildings that look beautiful. I like how they commercialized it while preserving it, not like Americans who normally destroy everything. And there's the famous astronomical clock that is impossible to tell time. It plays a show of the 12 apostles every hour and so many people are there to see it. But it's really rather silly and underwhelming! But I didn't mind so much since the atmosphere is so great. I also walked across the famous Charles bridge many times. The view is gorgeous and there are lots of religious statues on the sides that I don't have any clue what they mean. Same as many buildings in Prague. But I still like looking at them. There are some street beggars on the bridge and I have noticed they all literally get on their knees and elbows to beg for money. I wonder if it has to do with some religious connotations?

Day 2 we visited the Prague castle which I thought was an actual castle. Turns out it's more like a compound composed of many buildings, including the gorgeous gothic cathedral St. Vitus. That is by far the most prominent architecture there and definitely worth a visit. Pictures don't do it justice. The high arches and a millions pieces of stained glass windows really leave you wondering how much time was actually spent on these cathedrals. I can't believe people back then spent hundreds of years, and multiple generations of architects to build something. And I think a couple years to expand the 405 freeway in LA is a long time. Ha! Oh and the view from atop the castle of the whole city is great too.

Today we did something a bit unusual and left the city to a neighboring town about 1.5 hour away. It's called Kutna Hora and the most interesting thing about it is it has a mortuary that's built with lots of human bones! I guess there's more than 40,000 bones there from people who died during a plague, and the skulls and bones from every part of the human body make decorations on the columns, as garlands and even a chandelier! It's kind of dark but awesome.

As our Prague stay comes to an end, I am glad we have seen so much. It's been a great time, but food experience is so so. Traditional Czech food is heavy and salty, like potatoes, pancakes, dumplings with roasted pork and duck. I was willing to try but after about 2 meals couldn't take it anymore. There's more Italian restaurants here than anything else so that's what we ate most. Not that exciting. Prices aren't that cheap even with the exchange rate. One thing I hate about traveling outside of the US is they don't give you free water at restaurant. Many times water costs more than beer or wine. This is where my awesome brita water bottle comes in handy. But I'm like a horse so I've been dehydrated. Also what's up with having to pay for the bread and stuff they bring out prior to the meal? One waiter told us there's an additional fee for the napkins and salt and pepper and all this stuff. Huh?? I rather them just build that stuff into the price of the meal! One rather random observation: I'd say about 90% of waiters here are male. I wonder if it's considered a male profession!

Tomorrow we are taking a train to Vienna. I'm going to miss Prague! I guess the weather will stay roughly the same in Vienna and Budapest as well. About 50 degrees during the day and nearly freezing at night. Don't know why we left the perfect high 70s weather at home to come to the cold. Haha!

I have taken tons of pictures already. Some really good ones with my trusted iPhone and I did some photo manipulation with snapseed which is an iPhone app kinda like a simpler version of photoshop. But I think the wifi here is slow because I can't seem to post any. I'll keep trying cuz I got some really great ones!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Nábřežní,Prague 5,Czech Republic

Leaving for Honeymoon Tomorrow!!!

I am so excited!!  Even though I'm super tired from lack of sleep all week.  Our itinerary seems pretty well planned out I think!  We are flying into Prague, spending 4 nights there then taking the train to Vienna.  Only 2 nights in Vienna, but then we are taking a 2 hour bus ride over to Budapest and spending 4 nights there.    Then flying from Budapest to Venice for 2 nights.  From there we are actually taking a tour to Croatia and Slovenia.  The schedule might get a little crazy, but I don't think it's super hectic or anything.  I'm used to being on the go from my traveling days back in college.  Even though we are doing nice hotels and things like that for this trip, we are still taking backpacks so it will be easier to move around from city to city.  I'm super excited about this trip since it will be so different from my normal vacations which have always been to tropical places.  I can't wait to see the churches and castles in Europe, since I was obsessed with art history back in college and I am really looking forward to different church styles from different periods.  Nerdy I know, but whatevs.

I am sure it won't be a problem to find wifi connections in Europe, so I can still check my email and post updates!  We will be there until November!

I only started packing tonight and it was a bit tough since it is getting cold in Prague and Budapest, but not as bad in Venice and that side of the continent.  So I kind of have to pack for 2 seasons.  I'm already indecisive anyways, so I just started grabbing stuff from my closet.  But having a backpack means everything has to fit in it!  I won't even be bringing a purse or anything.  I am finally able to fit all my stuff in (rolling helps a lot), but pretty much no room to take anything back... I'll figure it out as I go!

As I was packing, I couldn't help but notice that everything I packed pretty much happened to be Lululemon.  Wow.  It's a little pathetic, but that's what happens when one is obsessed with a certain store. Lol.  Lululemon clothes are really awesome for traveling though, they are not bulky, generally don't wrinkle, and they are comfy to wear while making you look cute.  =)  I also plan to go for some runs while I'm there so the clothes will be double-duty, to sorta train for my half marathon and also would be a good way to see the cities. I actually haven't bought anything from Lululemon in quite a while.  But what I already have definitely can hold me over.

I took pictures just because it was quite funny.  First the jackets and hoodies - here we have the Journey Jacket, Flashback Jacket, Inspire Jacket, Ambition Pullover, Run Brisk Pullover, Run Inspire Pullover, Outward Bound Jacket.  I also packed my Remix Hoodie which is not pictured.

Here we have all the different colored cool racerback tanks I'm bringing, as well as a couple bras.

And here are some bottoms - I am bringing 4 pairs of groove pants, because I think I will wear them a lot for walking around.  A couple pairs of Wunder Grooves, one pair of luxtreme Passion Crop to give myself more motivation to go out running.  A couple pairs of shorts for hanging around the hotel rooms.  Also not pictured here, but I'm bringing 2 pairs of Dance Studio pants and 2 pairs of Dance Studio Crops.

I am also bringing a few t-shirts, sweat shirts, sweaters and stuff.  I can't believe everything fits in my backpack.  It's not even that big or heavy!  I can totally walk around with it on and be fine.  I guess it's because everything is so light and rolls up into very small pieces that don't take up much room.  I will only have 2 pairs of walking shoes with me and one pair of flip flops.  I don't want to bring heels for lack of room, so I guess we won't be going anywhere with a fancy dress code.  

I am exhausted so time for bed now, I hope next time I write will be from Prague!!!

Epionce Lytic Sport Tx & Renewal Facial Lotion

About a month before my wedding, I was complaining to my aesthetician that I wished I had finer and smoother skin.  I don't have that many issues with my skin, but I do get blemishes from time to time, especially around time of the month.  And I feel that my pores around the sides of my nose are more visible than I would like.  She recommended that I try the Epionce Lytic lotion, which she described as being a "magical" product that can give immediate results.  The lytic lotion is supposed to lift out the dirt, black heads, white heads, etc. from the pores and make the skin look ultra smooth.  I was sold right away and wanted to try this amazing product.

So I bought the Lytic Sport Tx, which is a pretty small tube that costs $56.

How you are supposed to use this is after washing your face, put it on like lotion all over the face.  I would describe the consistency as something between a gel and a lotion.  Medium weight.  Not greasy at all.  Then you wait for it to get absorbed for 7 minutes (not sure why 7 is the magical number here).  After that, you apply facial lotion.  Do this morning and night everyday.

The Renewal Facial Lotion is supposed to be designed to work with the lytic lotion.  When I was paying for the lytic, I asked how much the lotion was.  I thought the girl said "$19", and thought why not try it.  But after I paid I realized it was actually $90 (don't ask me why I didn't realize when I was signing my credit card receipt, most of the time I just don't pay attention I guess).  Wtf.  This is definitely the most expensive lotion I've ever bought as it is a very very small bottle as well.  Ok maybe I spent more on La Mar before, but that was a total waste of money too.

This is how small the bottle is with me holding it in my hand, taken right after I bought it:  notice that the bottom of the bottle is the pump so the lotion doesn't even go all the way down.  Then there's a layer of plastic outside of the actual bottle holding the lotion.  Tiny portion.

So this has been the lotion I put on my face everyday after waiting 7 minutes for the lytic to kick in.  By the way this bottle sucks.  Pump doesn't work well always and I end up pumping furiously and either nothing comes out or a big blob comes flying out (that's when I feel like I'm seeing dollar bills flying away).  7 minutes is a long time to wait for the lytic, especially in the morning when I don't have much time.  So I've had to switch up my routine - I used to brush my teeth first, then wash my face and put on lotion.  Now I wash my face and put on lytic lotion first, then brush my teeth and get dressed while I'm waiting around.  Then I put on the renewal lotion.  It's not too bad actually.

I've been using both of these products twice a day every day since I've got them.  Actually I also got a sample of the Epionce toner, so I have also been using the toner every night after I wash my face, but before I put on the lytic lotion.  I feel like I can now give a good opinion on them since it's been about 6 weeks.  

I feel that the lytic lotion is not as magical as described to me, but I can't say I'm surprised by that.  I actually didn't have super high expectations because I'm always suspicious.  But I did have expectations to a certain extent just because of the high price tag, coupled with the glowing recommendation.

I was hoping to see visibly smaller pores around the sides of my nose, but I don't really feel like they have changed at all.  What I did notice about a week or so after using this set is that my skin tone was much more even.  In fact, I felt pretty comfortable going outside of the house with no makeup on at all because my face looked like how it would before with a light coverage type of makeup, like my BB cream.  So these products took away some redness, and perhaps did shrink my pores overall to achieve the make up look.  This is great of course, but it is the only visible difference I've noticed with this product.  I still do get some blemishes once in a while.  However, when I went to my facial right before my wedding (after about a month of using this set), my aesthetician said it was much easier to perform her extraction (she totally forgot that I bought the lytic lotion).  

I'm not sure if it is mainly the lytic lotion that made the most difference, or the renewal lotion, or the combination of both.  But I kind of don't feel like paying $90 for lotion again.  I'm kind of on the fence about whether the result is worth the money or not.  It's been about 6 weeks and I've used up half of the tube of lytic lotion, and a little less than half of the renewal lotion.  So that estimates to about a 3 months cycle.  And that is $900 a year if I keep buying both.  Hmmmmmm.....

I think what I might do after I'm done with them is to buy another tube of lytic lotion alone.  And try using a different facial lotion with it to see if the results will be any different.  I just have a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this renewal lotion is worth $100 after tax.  $56 for the lytic is a lot more acceptable.  If the lytic works on its own, then I definitely think it's a great price to pay for even toned skin that you can wake up every morning looking like you already have makeup on.  That's only $20 a month!  Small price to pay for magical cream really.  I will update after I try it.

Another Pair of Ray-Bans! Black/White/Red

I bought a pair of gold Ray-Ban aviators a little while ago which I love of course.  But coincidentally, the same day I bought those, Ray-Ban was on sale on Beyond the Rack.  I rarely see Ray-Ban on those sites and when I have seen it, the prices are not a whole lot cheaper than retail.  I really don't like Beyond the Rack much because they are soooooo slow at shipping (but they charge you right away), but I decided what the heck, I really do need a pair of these black/white/red aviators. 

So I was totally expecting to not receive them until November or something crazy like that.  But they arrived!!!  And they are fabulous.  Let's be honest, a girl can never have too many pairs of Ray-Ban aviators.

I spent like $98 total on these after shipping, and they are currently still on the Ray-Ban site for $139.  After taxes would've been around $150 if I bought retail.  So I saved about $50.  Not bad, that's a decent dinner. 

The half white half red frame is so cool, especially against the gray lense.  The red has the perfect amount of pop without being too out there.  My new hubby likes them a lot and decided to steal them so I have not had a chance to wear them really at all.  But these are definitely coming to Europe with us on our honeymoon next week.  I love it, we can share sunglasses!  I've always thought gay or lesbian couples have an advantage with regards to being able to share fashion pieces.  I love how Ray-Ban aviators are all unisex so we can share too!

10K Race Today

I had a 10K race this morning, which was like my second 10K in 3 years.  Haha.  I guess I don't run races very often.  It started at 8 am, but it was sooooo hot already!  Seriously, it was like 80 degrees and sunny.  They didn't have enough water stations along the way either.  I was dying during this dirt stretch for most of mile 4 and 5, with no shades whatsoever, and just tons of dust and sun beating down.  The only thing kept me going was the thought that the faster I run, the faster I'll get it over with. I really really hate running when it's hot so it really affected my speed.  I finished in 55 minutes, which is like a 8:50 pace.  Apparently that was good enough for #3 in my division and #11 of all females though!  I was hoping to finish in like 45 minutes, or at least under 50 minutes.  But whatever, I was just happy I finished in that heat.  I did notice though, that I can pass sooooo many people during uphill stretches.  I train uphill all the time on the treadmill, and that totally helps me during races.  It's so funny how most people immediately slow down so much when faced with a tiny hill!  All you have to do is lean forward, shorten your strides and pump your arms a little harder.  This annoying girl was pacing me, literally on me like almost stepping on my foot (the trail was pretty wide and no one else nearby), but when a short little hill came I left her behind by at least 20 paces.  Hehe.

I can sprint but I don't really consider myself a distance runner.  I think 5Ks are even a bit much, but I am running a half marathon in November.  Don't ask me why, it sounded like a good idea at the time.  But I have not had any time to train for it at all with the wedding preparations and all.  Now that that's over, we are going to Europe next week for the rest of October.  So when we get back, there will only be 2 weeks till the half marathon!  This 10K today was a good test of where I'm at, and I'm a little worried about the half.  I know November will be much cooler, but I could not imagine running another 7 miles today.

When I get back from Europe I will have one weekend before the half, so I think I will try running at least 10 miles and see how it goes.  I really don't feel good about going into my first half with no training at all, because I want to be able to do my best and get a good time.  But it is what it is... the last 6 miles or so of the half marathon course is a lot of hills.  So maybe I can pick up some time during that stretch.  That is, if I still have enough energy left by then...