In this month's article I will continue telling you about the incredible trip we took to Europe in June and pass on some more simple yet efficient ways that you can get exercise on holidays.

Remember, exercise does not only mean going to a gym or doing a workout video.

In fact, more fun can be had by just enjoying your days and being active.

After we left Germany, the next stop was Riva Del Garda on the north corner of Lake Garda in Northern Italy.

We had travelled through this area three years ago, when we did a cycling tour from Bolzano to Venice, Italy. So we knew that it had some good bike paths.

When booking our accommodation I found that they had bikes that we could use, so besides running along the lakeside trail, we took out bikes for a day and did a little more exploring.

After that we headed down to Lake Constance or Bodensee as the Germans call it. Lake Constance is a beautiful lake on the German, Swiss, Austrian border.

When I was doing my trip planning, I found that this area is also full of bike paths and that the small town of Meersburg, were we were booked, rented bikes very reasonably.

Day 1 at Meersburg we picked up our bikes and headed to one of the many ferries that criss-cross the lake and headed across to Constance and to an area called Reichenau.

What a find this was.

In 724, the itinerant bishop Pirmin founded the monastery on the uninhabited island of Reichenau at Lake Constance. Today it is a world heritage site and is amazingly beautiful, full of gardens, chapels, farms, and bike paths.

The next day we headed southeast around the lake on our bikes and drove through all the small towns along the way. Sometimes the bikes were used as a way of touring the area, but today they were also as a means of transportation to the lovely small towns along the lake.

We would stop and park our bikes in the old town centres and walk around to get a feel of the lives and culture of the area. There were always many churches to tour and coffee shops to visit. Oh, what a perfect day!

A half a day's drive and we were in Njivice, Croatia on the Island of Krk.

The beautiful blue-green waters of the Adriatic were inviting and again lovely running trails along the water's edge gave us great opportunities for some early morning runs, before the weather got too hot.

Six days in Rogognicia, Croatia gave us many more opportunities for early morning runs as well as leisurely swims in the inviting waters of the Adriatic.

A two-hour hike up to the mountaintop chapel outside of Rogognicia proved to be more than we bargained for in the heat, but we made it to the top and were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the Island of Brac.

Salzburg was our next destination and after choosing the tiny Austrian community of Wals, about eight kilomentres out of town we realized it was meant to be.

On our evening walks and then on our daytime runs we discovered a way of life and community that one can only dream of. This charming town was immaculate and every home was in full bloom with window boxes and manicured lawns.

The most surprising thing for us was that amid the flower shops, corner grocery stores, churches, and homes were fully operational farms. A barn beside the bakery_ but no hint of smell_ no weeds_ no dirt on the machinery. It was most surreal.

Travelling home a few days later was bittersweet.

Although the joys of travelling were manyhome to see my children and grandsons was a wonderful reward.

A week after my return, my son, daughter-in-law, husband and me did the Scotiabank Half Marathon. Always an experience, always a race, always a way to break out of our routines, enjoy life and get fit.

- Carol Laviolette is a personal trainer and bootcamp instructor. Questions can be emailed to her at: getfit@breakoutbootcamp.com. And watch for her monthly Get Fit column online at www.langleyadvance.com, click on "Living"