Seoul Tower

Lit up at night

Seoul Tower

N Seoul Tower

Namsan Tower
YTN Seoul Tower (official name, but uncommon)

It goes by many names

No matter the name, the tallest point in Seoul is a great place to visit

Cable Car

Single file...not quite.

All aboard 

Electric bus

There are a few ways to get to the top of this "mountain"

You can go on foot, bike, cable car, or bus

The buses have switched to electric power

Pedestrians are much happier with the switch from gas

No one wants a face full of exhaust

Hiking or biking is a great workout

But if you don't want to be out of breath, I recommend bus or cable car

Trash....

or art?

You never know what you'll see at the top

Sometimes music performances,

and sometimes trash-to-heart art

Cheers Seoul Tower

Looks likes we can add to the heart-art

Main square

Performances would be held here

It's also a great place to sit and relax

or to enjoy a beer like we did

Angled bench

Love locks

Along with the tower being the highest point in Seoul,

Seoul Tower is also a famous place for couples to visit

The benches are slanted toward the middle to bring couples close together

Many couples hang locks to commemorate their relationship

Our pink lock

We even got in on the act

Pink!  I wonder who chose this color?

Locked 

There are so many locks here

It's hard to find a spot

Hopefully we remember where we put it

Tickets for the elevator

View from the top

It's worth going up top for the view...

Especially at night

Bride mask

Groom mask

There is plenty to see in the gift shops too

As I write this, I just found out that these are bride and groom masks

More couple stuff

All these pictures make Seoul Tower look like a couples only spot,

but not so; it's fun for anyone to visit

If you visit Seoul, it's a must see

Bye bye!

See you next time Seoul Tower.

T25

T25 kit

As you can see, T25 is not some new Terminator movie.

This is an at-home exercise program from Beachbody.com

You and me both Arnold

I probably won't get a Mr. Olympia body by the end of this,

but hopefully I'll have a better defined chest and abs.

Gift package from my sister

This was delivered to me thanks to my sister Bri.

As you saw in the first picture, the T25 box includes quite a bit.

Along with the purchase of a DVD program, Beachbody will include Shakeology.

Shakeology is a shake (obviously)...

 It combines "super foods" to give your body the essentials nutrients it needs.

*Note: Tie sold seperately

Added some yoga mats

The yoga mats were purchased seperately.

Though you can buy exercise mats on the Beachbody website.

Due to shipping concerns to Korea, we ordered these locally.

I suppose that's enough product placement for one post.

Seems all I've done so far is open the box.

And no, that is not the first workout.

So let's get to it.

The before shots

I know what you're thinking...

That's a sweet belly shirt!

But it's not real.

These are my "relaxed" poses taken before the first workout.

I'll take one each week to track my progress.

Let's see if I can get that keg down to a 6-pack.

Exercise partner

It's always easier to exercise with a partner.

And honestly I thought Seongeun would make me feel better about my condition.

Wrong!

The first workout was cardio, which I've always hated.

I believe my abs cramped up 3 minutes in.

Seongeun got her first cramp around 5 minutes in.

But we pushed each other and finished.

The trainer for T25 is Shaun T., and each workout lasts 25 minutes.

Even though it's on DVD, he does a good job motivating you.

You're required to do 6 workouts per week.
That's only 150 minutes (2.5 hours per week!!)  Sweet!

But going 25 minutes without a break is harder than it sounds.

Looking forward to the next workout.

And hopefully having some better muscle definition by the end of this.

Shaken, not stirred

Design by Seongeun Kim

Apples slices tasted strong at the end

Even apple flavored jelly beans

Sometimes you just have to party like a boss!

This is at Twice Lounge in Cheongdam.

Cheongdam is a very ritzy neighborhood in Seoul.

Murphy, Gavin Murphy

I see myself as more of the 007 type with my martini.

But sadly, I'm probably closer to J.D. from Scrubs.

Appletini please...easy on the tini.

1st course: sushi salad

2nd course: pizza

That's a cheesy pizza

3rd course: Assorted items in a cheese spread

Can't complain about this 3 course meal.

Except perhaps for all that cheese.

Good thing I'm from Wisconsin, where we love our cheese.

4th round: White wine

Workers came around to refill us

For dessert we decided to have some white wine.

I'm not used to this kind of service Twice Lounge provided

Felt a little out of my element.

Seongeun and her friend Jaehee

Me and Jaehee

The best part of partying like a boss...

When someone else's boss pays for it.

Jaehee works for a liquor import company,

and this event was set up by her.

All this glitz and glamor was comped!

Tsingtao is a Chinese beer

Cheers!

Sticky buns and side dishes

Lamb kebabs

We weren't ready to end the night, so we headed to the next place.

In Korea they call this 이차 (pronounced: e-cha)

This means "round 2" at a new place.

I gotta say beer and lamb kebabs go quite well together.

And I love these sticky buns, but I prefer them fried.

Special thanks to Jaehee (friends call her Jetty).

She made this night possible, 

and kept it inexpensive!

Macau...the night!

The Venetian Hotel & Casino

It had reached nightfall in Macau, and we were cold.

We needed to get inside ASAP.

Here we come fake Venice!

Always daytime in fake Venice

Stepped into a whole new world

 We've both been to the real Venice, and this doesn't quite compare.

However that is no slight to The Venetian. 

This hotel & casino is still a sight to see.

The attention to detail was amazing.

Our turn for the gondola

We want the guitar gondolier!

Ask and ye shall receive

Many of the gondoliers were from Asian countries.

Our gondolier, Mario, was from Milan, Italy.

And a classically trained opera singer.

Cha-ching!

My turn for the hat

Sing on Mario

His singing did not disappoint.
It was a pretty romantic setting.

Except for the mom & son sitting across from us.

And the crowd of people gathering around.

Taipa Village

Village steps 

Taipa village shops

Our last stop of the night was to another village.

But this time we didn't have to leave Macau.

Taipa Village is not too far from The Venetian.

Kuma Bakery

Bitter Sweet

Plenty of desserts

We intended to try Kuma Bakery, but it was closed this night.

As we walked on, we found Bitter Sweet.

It was a small, 2-story, cafe.

Cake & coffee

We had serradura cake and a coffee.

The coffee was average, but the cake was quite good.

Here is Mario singing an Italian opera song.

Here Mario sings a traditional Korean song, Arirang, for Seongeun.

Snow globe

The weather in Macau was cold, but at least no snow!

Between Hong Kong & Macau,

these were 2 of the busiest days of travel I've had.

But everything we did made this trip so memorable.

Wouldn't change a thing.