I arrived in Munich this afternoon after taking the train from Innsbruck. The town is hopping as the annual Oktoberfest celebration has been underway for a few days. When I got to the station at Innsbruck, there were a handful of men dressed in lederhosen who were obviously heading to the festival. I wonder of they go for the day since it’s close enough in proximity. I checked into my hotel without a problem. It’s in much better condition than the hostels where I’ve been staying but it’s missing that social feel that the hostels have offered. Hopefully I’ll [View Full Entry]

---

---

After a horrendous night’s sleep (thanks sinuses) I took it easy today. Fortunately there isn’t a whole lot to do in the city of Innsbruck. Most of the allure is in the surrounding mountains - so I didn’t miss out on much. It looks like a great place for outdoor enthusiasts with access to a car. I walked into and around town for a few hours and sat on a bench watching the people. The most exhilarating part was chugging a liter of OJ for some Vitamin C. While I can’t say I really enjoyed Innsbruck (mostly due to my own [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today was another travel day as I went from Lucerne to Innsbruck. Along the way, I stopped in Zurich for a bit. After putting my bags in a locker I took a brief walk around the old town. It was nice but I was short on time and really couldn’t appreciate it. I arrived in Innsbruck this evening and took the bus to the hostel. This one is much more out of the way than the others at which I have been. Even trying to find an open restaurant or grocer nearby proved to be a challenge. Everything closed by 7:00! [View Full Entry]

---

---

Author's note: This one is still incomplete. I've now posted a few more pictures but I'm waiting for some pictures from David. When/if I get them I'll repost. I’ll just come right out and say it. I had a blast today. All the stars were aligned for a great day on the road - majestic scenery, interesting people, beautiful weather… The day started out at the low point with my training run. It’s an off weekend this week (so no 20+/- mile training runs) but I still had to put in seven miles. The run is over with; that’s the most [View Full Entry]

---

---

Not much new today. It took 12 hours and four trains to get me to Lucerne but I made it tonight. Only one problem - I left my lightweight jacket on one of the trains. Not smart since I’m heading into much cooler weather. I finished The Lost Symbol on my last train. Good but not as good as the last two Dan Brown books. Tomorrow the weather better be nice. I have breathtaking views to take in. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I woke up at 7:30 this morning to the pattering of raindrops on my room’s sunroof. No need to run in this. I set my internal alarm to snooze. About an hour later, the rain subsided. Good. I have big outdoor plans today. I headed out on my run shortly thereafter, heading down toward the beach. I turned left once I neared the beach to head up the hill and see the views of the city. Damn. I fogot my camera. Well, I’ll just go back up again later. The run up the countless steps to the first viewing level was [View Full Entry]

---

---

I left Barcelona this morning and caught the 8:45 train to Montpierre, one of the first in a series of trains to get to Nice. At the station in Barcelona, we had to take a number for buying tickets. This was a bit foreign to most of us who had been taking trains so there was a continuous flow of wisdom between all the Americans that could not figure out what was going on. As one became enlightened, s/he shared the newfound wisdom with the next confused traveler. This led to a bunch of us recognizing one another as we all [View Full Entry]

---

---

After a fun night last night, I had to be disciplined and get up to run. What made this easier was the opportunity to put in a few miles ascending Montjuic, the hill located near the hostel, and taking in the views of the city along the way. Montjuic sits about 550 feet above sea level - not a tremendous climb - but the grade of much of the run and the trail running to avoid road construction made for a somewhat intense run. With the construction, I wasn’t sure how far up I could go so I stopped at numerous [View Full Entry]

---

---

I arrived in Barcelona this afternoon after an uneventful train ride from Madrid. After taking the metro to the stop, as directed by the hostel, I tried to get my bearings by looking at a map at the metro exit. I was then escorted by a homeless guy in his 20s to the hostel. I appreciated the effort to panhandle, rather than the lazy bums that sit there and shake cans of change all day, so I gave him a euro for his troubles. The hostel is located on between Montjuic, a hill with a castle, some parks and the Olympic [View Full Entry]

---

---

I woke up in Madrid today. Probably the best part of this is that I actually can speak some Spanish, albeit it’s been 11 years since I studied it in school and two and a half years since I started studying it again for two or three weeks. Nevertheless, I set out with confidence that I might actually be able to communicate with the locals. The day started with a short run to loosen up my legs after Saturday. When I woke up just before 8:00, everyone else was still asleep. When I got back, pretty much everyone was still asleep, [View Full Entry]

---

---