Day #231 - Athens Marathon

Before the race

After race photo

Success in Athens - nice medals

Some celebratory drinks

Sunday, October 31st

I'm going to make this one short and may come back to add more details.

Up at 5:00am. Breakfast in the hotel from 5:30-6:00am. Leave by bus at 6:30 for the city of Marathon (where the race begins). Arrive in Marathon just shy of 8am. Dump our checked bags at the truck. Then, hit the corrals and await the 9am start time.

Difficult, hilly course. All 5 of us finished successfully. I was disappointed with my time of 5:05. I was hoping for much better - it wasn't in the cards today. I was feeling really nautious and sick from miles 14-19. I'm just happy to have survived.

The absolute best part of the race for me was the end. I will remember it always. I came around this corner and could see the Olympic Stadium. It was filled with people. About 50 yards before I entered - the song "Chariots of Fire" came over the loud speaker. I ran onto the track and finished the last 100 yards with the fans cheering. It was emotional and rewarding to say the least. Today was one of the toughest runs I've ever had. I struggled so much - I didn't know if I could even continue at one point. I was minutes from getting sick and I will never forget the feeling I felt on that track. Black and white images of pictures from this stadium flashed through my head. If for no other reason - all the training and effort leading up to today--- that last dash through history will always be apart of my memory.

I had to lay down for about 3 hours in my hotel room before I could funtion properly. We then had a nice dinner, followed it up with some drinks in the concierge lounge with good friends and family, then we called it a night.

Excellent, exhausting, difficult, and rewarding day in Athens.

Day #230 - Athens,Greece

Our group heading up to the Acropolis

The Parthenon

Our group in front of the Parthenon

The Olympieion

The Olympic Stadium where the marathon ends

My brother Kurt and I in front of the winner's platform

Sunset over the Acropolis from our room

Saturday, October 30th

I'm writing on Sunday evening here about 11pm. It's been a crazy, fast-paced 2 days. I'm unbelievably tired, still feeling nautious from the marathon, and maybe slightly under the influence of alcohol from our dinner out. Not a great formula to become a writer - but I need to catch up because we're going boating in the Greek Isles tomorrow.

Saturday was great. We met up with Liam & Kim around 9am for breakfast. Then, we walked over to the Acropolis for an afternoon tour. What a fantastic place!

Acropolis means "high city". It sits on this towering rock that overlooks Athens. Easily the take-home symbol of the city. We walked to the top. The Parthenon is the main structure. We spent most of the afternoon taking pictures and exploring the area. There's currently a restoration project underway to help preserve the history. Bottom line - excellent place.

We had lunch atop one of the restaurants in town. Then we walked around the city some more. We visited the Olympieion. This was a temple dedicated to the worship of Zeus. Neat area - it's like a park. We walked around and took more pictures.

Back to the hotel. We had dinner on the roof of our hotel with our tour group. We had a famous marathon runner - Ron Hill - present to us. Filling dinner and then back to the room to pack our gear and prepare for the race on Sunday.

Short and sweet description -- I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Day #229 - Athens, Greece

Acropolis - off the hotel deck

Friday, October 29th

I got into Paris this morning around 11am. I had a 3 hour layover until my connecting flight into Athens. Everything went smoothly today - no delays, no baggage issues. Excellent! I forgot to tell you they had lost my bag on my return trip to St. Louis. It showed - but several hours later. Also, I wanted to mention that I was able to swing the flight due to frequent flyer miles. I only paid $100 for my return trip - actual ticket fare was $1,750. I've just about exhausted my backup miles supply. So - let's all hope for the best.

Paris to Athens was a little over 3 hours. I arrived just shy of 7pm Athens time. I am now 8 hours ahead of St. Louis time. I arrived to a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius (low 50's). A little cold - but nearly perfect for running.

The airport is 30 minutes from the center of the city. Liam, Kim, Greg, and my brother Kurt all arrived earlier in the day - around noon. I was going it alone to the hotel (I'm pretty OK with this right now). Kurt and Greg were in the room when I arrived.

We're staying at the Hilton Athens. It's a really nice place. Kurt got us on the concierge floor with his elite status with Hilton. Our room overlooks the Acropolis. Outstanding!!! We're actually doing this marathon with a tour group. It's somewhat different from most tours. We're mostly on our own. They provided the rooms, our registration fee, our dinner tomorrow night before the run, and our transporation to the run.

We have plans to meet up with Liam & Kim tomorrow around 9am. I actually haven't seen them yet. We'll tour the Acropolis and see some of the city. Then, I'm sure we'll eat and call it an early night.

On Sunday we run the Athens Marathon. This year is the 2,500 year anniversary. Wow! Back in 490 BC, the story goes, a Greek messenger (Pheidippides) brought word of victory in the Battle of Marathon back to Athens - then collapsed and died. Many, many years later, that journey inspired a sport. The distance between Marathon and Athens is the distance of the present day marathon - 26.2 miles. We'll be running the exact course set for the 2004 Olympics. This is really special. Whereas St. Andrews is the home of golf, Athens is the home of the marathon. Sunday morning we will be bused to the town of Marathon and will run the same distance back to Athens that was completed by the messenger in 490BC.

I'm excited, jet-lagged, weary - strange emotions going on. Greg and Kurt are already sleeping - it's just shy of 10pm. I need to calm down a little before I can sleep.

I hope all is well in the states. Good-night from Greece.

Day #228 - St. Louis to Athens, Greece

Dubrovnik airport - just setting the tone

Thursday, October 28th

"Maverick is re-engaging sir"

I'm coming to you live from 33,000ft in the sky, somewhere over Greenland, aboard United Jet 942, bound for Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.

First off, a special "Thank You" to everyone for all the encouragement and support for my family this past week. After 19 days in the hospital, we brought my dad home to Bloomsdale last night (Wednesday - 27th). He's currently in his lazy-boy, TV remote in hand, being cared for by the very best (my mom). He's had a couple close calls, but appears on the road to recovery - a very, lucky guy.

This trip could be titled: "Life 101". Really. The things I continue to learn about the way the world turns, and how I fit into this picture - is nothing short of amazing.

I felt like I knew a little about the medical profession prior to my return to the states 8 days ago. 7 years of minimally invasive surgical sales - any place in the body that can be viewed with a scope (rigid or flexible) - I've had some exposure to. I even entertained the idea of becoming a doctor myself in college -- completed all the elective courses, took the MCAT, wrote the essay, volunteered for a year at the hospital, completed the application, and went through the interview process. My path took me the way of engineering, but I never lost interest in medicine.

Well, it comes down to the fact that I know very little about the profession. I had an eye-opener to the "medical process" this past week. Enough to be angry and frustrated quite frankly. I shouldn't be - can't help it. Lesson learned -- "Fight for yourself, ask questions, and force performance". This little blurb can just about hold true for anything - medicine is no exception.

So, I'm heading back to Europe to finish what I started. I'd by lying if I didn't say: "My mind is all mixed up right now". I don't know what to do. Stay. Go. I'm not really comfortable either way. There's no playbook here. I'm going by instinct only. Am I selfish? Some will certainly say this is the case. I guess at the end of the day - we all have to do what we need to do.

With all this being said, I hope you can respect my decision to finish the trip. Although it may appear crazy, irresponsible, lazy, etc to travel for a year -- this is very important to me. I DO have a plan. Like I once said: "Maybe I'm the most stable, unstable person you could ever meet".

Hang with me. Let's stay healthy, and have a little fun! I'm currently listening to the song: "Tight Fittin Jeans" by Conway Twitty. Pull up this song on YouTube and have an awesome Halloween weekend. Perhaps there's a party or two to attend. Oh - maybe the Black & Gold can tame the Huskers in Lincoln on Saturday.

Tomorrow - live from Athens, Greece --- the home of the marathon. Keep the faith!

Day #221 - Dubrovnik to St. Louis, Missouri

Thursday, October 21st

Sorry guys on the lack of postings the past couple days. My journey continues to be just that - a journey. I'm coming to you live from St. Louis, Missouri.

The day after my birthday (October 8th), my dad went into the hospital with a leg infection. The infection got worse and my dad was in the hospital for several days. Things were beginning to get better. I'd been trying to monitor the situation from afar, but could provide little support from my position overseas. On Wednesday night when I got into my hotel room in Dubrovnik, I checked my emails to find out that my dad had developed a pulmonary embolism. Perhaps due to his extended bedrest and overall health issues, he had thrown a blod clot to his lungs. Luckily, he pulled through the event and had been transferred to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis for further monitoring. In the words of the doctor: "It's a miracle that he is still with us today"

There's been alot going on back in the states. So much stress - so much pressure on my whole family. My sister is moving to Minnesota this weekend, my other sister just started a new job 2 weeks ago, my brother is constantly travelling with his work and my mom is trying to get back/forth from the hospital.

My family needs me, my dad's condition is uncertain --- therefore, while talking to my sister and mom via Skype on Wedensday night, I made a plane reservation to return to St. Louis on Thursday. For the second time on my trip, I booked a return flight to the states with a departing time 12 hours from the time of my booking.

On Thursday morning, I took a flight out of Dubrovnik - departing at 12:10pm and arriving in Frankfurt, Germany at 2:30pm. I then took a second flight from Frankfurt to Chicago, IL departing at 5:30pm and arriving in Chicago at 7:50pm (still Thursday night). With no late flights avaialble, I stayed overnight near the O'Hare airport and took the first morning flight into St. Louis arriving at 8am.

I guess you could say that I hit the ground running. It's currently Sunday afternoon - I'm sitting in my dad's hospital room at Barnes with my mom. They have Wi-Fi, so I decided to pull up my computer and check in.

My dad is doing OK right now. He seems to have good days and then bad days. When I got here on Friday, things seemed to be going better. Yesterday was a terrible day - as his blood pressure dropped dangerously low. Numberous tests later, some fluids, and blood pressure medication - he's back in a stable condition today.

Anyway - I really don't know what's going to happen right now. If things stabilize here, I would return to Athens next Friday, October 29th and continue on with my journey. I'll continue to provide updates (but will not likely provide daily posts until I return to Europe)

In the meantime, thanks for your prayers and support.

Day #220 - Split & Dubrovnik, Croatia

Adriatic coastline - on bus ride into Dubrovnik

Great sunset over coastel inlet

Mountains and hills surround the small towns that line the coast

Taken in Bosnia - very nice

Split, Croatia -- shipping port up the coast

Wednesday, October 20th

Long travel day today - but well worth it. I had an early start from Zagreb. I left via train at 7:50am - departing for Split, Croatia. It took 6-1/2 hours to reach my destination. The country of Croatia has a wide base on its northern front, but as you go south, the country narrows down along the western coastline.

The train ride itself was great. Croatia is a really scenic country with trees, mountains, and coastline. I arrived just after 2pm. Sunny day today - very nice. At this point of the day, I wasn't sure of my next move. I talked to a couple tourist companies, the train folks, and the bus schedulers. I decided that I would be best served to continue my journey further south to the town of Dubrovnik and end the day there.

I did get a chance to spend about 1-1/2 hours in Split. Neat port town. I stayed mostly around the harbor and train station area. Not sure how the town compares to others along the coast - but the scenery was spectacular. I next boarded a bus for Dubrovnik. I would take a 4-1/2 hour bus to my final destination of the day (told you it was a long travel day).

When I was looking into this area of the trip, people on the internet were very uncommitted to 'best travel means" or "how best to get places". Well, I can say with certainty, there are no trains that go from Split to Dubrovnik directly. Buses go just about every hour - and - the bus ride is absolutely worth it. Absolutely worth it!! Unreal scenery. The bus followed the coastline the entire way. We were either on a hill looking down on the blue Adriatic Sea or we were riding level with it. Some of the pictures I'm posting today were taken out my dirty window (with the right angle - you could still get the shot) "Take the shot Mav, take the shot". We had to go through a section of Bosnia at one point. Very easy border patrol. A guard came on the bus, looked at our passports for a second apiece, and then jumped off. Going back into Croatia from Bosnia was even easier - the guard did not even come on the bus. It was just like a stop sign.

Side note -- I forgot to mention the other day that when I was coming into Croatia from Slovenia on the train - there were about 10 armed guards that got on the train. They must have looked at my passport for 5 minutes. The lady asked me: "How long have you been in Europe?" My response: "Several months". She seeemed to be satisfied and didn't ask any further questions, although she did radio in to someone while looking through my passport. I thought this was interesting. This border check was the most thorough I've encountered on the entire trip - short of my entrance and exit from Russia.

I rolled into Dubrovnik around 8pm. I got a hotel very near the waterfront. One thing I noticed right away about this place (it really sticks out) - people speak English and they are friendly. It's measurably different than some areas I've been. Dubrovnik has a walled "Older City". It's arguably the most visited tourist destination along the western Adriatic coastline leading to Greece.

I look forward to exploring more of the area tomorrow and possible doing a couple day trips.

Day #219 - Lake Bled, Slovenia

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Castle up on the adjacent hillside

Great walk around lake

Cool island in the lake

Snow-covered mountains in the distance (a little blue sky would bring it out)

Tuesday, October 19th

Coming to you live from Zagreb, Croatia. I'll be staying here tonight and will head toward the southern coast of the country tomorrow morning.

Today was solid - I just wish the sun would come out. The place I visited today was awesome, fantastic scenery, I would recommend it to anyone --- but it could have been so much better with a little blue sky.

I checked out of my hotel (Ljubljana Resort) and took the bus downtown. I then took a combination of 2 trains, a bus, and a taxi to my destination for today - Lake Bled. (I would later find out that there is a bus direct - this is how I returned to Ljubljana).

Slovenia is a country located just south of Austria. Bled is a little town in the northwestern part of Slovenia. Therefore, it's in the Slovenian Alps. I didn't know their were mountains here. Yes sir. Actually, no way you could tell if you were in Austria, Switzerland, or Slovenia if you didn't know better.

My 1,000 Things Book has nothing concerning any of the countries which make up the former communist state of Yugoslavia. Therefore, I'm going with 'word of mouth' and 'information I read'. I think Slovenia is a sleeper. It's filled with English speaking people, uses the Euro for money, and has some great outdoor scenery. I ran into a couple from Denmark. They are spending their entire vacation in Slovenia and Croatia. People from Denmark are the happiest in the world - so their words/actions should be noted.

This small town of Bled is positioned in the middle of this valley enclosed by huge snow-covered mountains. The taxi dropped me off at the lakefront. Wow!! I just stood there for a while and took it in. A castle stood high up on this hill overlooking the lake from the opposite side I was standing. Autumn colored trees filled the mountainside around the perimeter of the lake. There was this small island to my left with some picturesque buildings.

Even though I had all my gear, I decided to walk around the lake. I headed toward the island. I took pictures all the way around. I'm bummed because I know the pictures don't do this place justice. I made it to the island and then decided to walk back the way I came. The trail had turned to rock and I wasn't hauling my bag all the way around the lake 12 days shy of a marathon.

I had lunch at this place overlooking the valley. Good stuff. I think I had some kind of lasagna. I again apologize on the food aspect of this trip. The place where I ate was a big seafood spot. I like alot of seafood, but there are many things I don't like in this area. So, I tend to stay with what I know (especially when I'm by myself).

I took a 1-1/2 hour bus back to Ljubljana. I had an hour wait and then took a 2-1/2 train to Zagreb, Croatia. I got into town around 8pm or so - not bad. Now, I'm fired up for Croatia. Actually, this is the one country I'm most interested in seeing in this part of my trip. If you do a vague search on google - "Ten must see things in Europe", you'll see a couple places in Croatia pop up. I mentioned when I was in Prague how I felt some of the former communist countries may become a bigger tourist area in the future; whereas, others will continue to struggle. The two places I don't think will have any issues are: Czech Republic (because of Prague), and the country of Croatia.

Tomorrow I'll begin to see if this theory has any merit.

Day #218 - Budapest to Ljubljana, Slovenia

Old statues in "Buda"

Looking down from Castle Hill in "Buda"

Apart of the castle wall

Quiet, peaceful streets

Monday, October 18th

Today starts my journey into former Yugoslavia. There have been 33 new countries delcared since 1990. For the most part, these were all formed due to the fall of communism. Some I've already been to --- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Germany. Many of the others - I will be touring this week.

The countries that make up the former communist state of Yugoslavia (with the year of independence in parenthesis) are: Slovenia (1991), Croatia (1991), Bosnia & Herzegovina (1992), Macedonia (1994), Serbia (2006), Montenegro (2006), and Kosovo (2008). Serbia & Montenegro were a combined country from 1992 through 2006 until they separated. Kosovo was apart of Serbia until a couple years ago. The validity of listing Kosovo as a country is not consistent throughout the world at the current time.

The lone country on the way to Greece that stood the test of time is Albania. Not sure why or how - but maybe I can find out more information.

Now, this area of the world has gone through alot of turmoil and fighting in recent years. Many of the areas are devastated and/or recovering. I'm extrememly sensitive to this fact and have asked many people on proper routes to take, etc. Some of these countries will be pass-throughs for me. Others, such as Croatia, I plan to spend alot more time. Trust me when I say, I don't know much about this area -- let's see what we can find out.

To my day --------

I got out of Budapest around 1pm. I walked around a little this morning - but slept in too late to do much damage. Because of poor schedule options, I ended up taking an 8-1/2 hour train trip from Budapest to Ljubljana, Slovenia (I had to go back through Vienna, Austria). I arrived around 9pm in Slovenia. The main reason for this is because other more direct routes got into the city really late. I did not want to put myself in that situation. Therefore, I spent more time on the train. No worries - good rest time.

So, because of my lengthy travels - nothing really to report. I grabbed a taxi at the main train station and got checked into my hotel about 10pm. People speak English and it seems like a nice enough place. They also use the Euro for money - so I'm comfortable here. I'm going to take a tour tomorrow to the one area I continue to read about when Slovenia is discussed -- Lake Bled.

I've posted a couple pictures of "Buda" from Budapest. I hope to be coming to you live from Croatia tomorrow evening.

Day #217 - Budapest, Hungary

Walking across the Danube River

Streets of "Pest"

Art Museum

Streets of "Pest"

Heroes' Square

Sunday, October 17th

Today was a good day. I got out of Vienna at 9:50am via train at the West station near my hotel. I got out of the hotel late - I had to run most of the 1/2 mile with all my gear. I entered the station with 2 minutes to go. I didn't have time to look at the board. I bolted to the gates - luckily there were only about 8 of them - I saw the Budapest sign - and jumped on with a minute to spare. Sat down - heart pumping - the train started to take off. I knew it would be a good day at that point.

Budapest, Hungary -- that was my destination today. I arrived around 1pm after a 3 hour train ride. Budapest - really? Why would I come here? Here's a couple stats from the Wikepedia page: "Budapest ranked 3rd out of 65 cities on Mastercard's emerging markets index (2008), ranked as the most livable Central/Eastern European city on EIU's quality of life index (2009, 2010), ranked as Europe's 7th most idyllic place to live by Forbes, and it attracts 2.3 million tourists a year." Sounds like an OK place to go.

Getting off the train, I wasn't so sure. The main train station is far east of town. A little sketchy. People were harassing me for money, asking if I needed a cab -- getting in my way. Two people even tugged on my coat while I walked by. I don't like that. In the US, I would have had a much more aggressive response to this (especially in a public place). Here - I just kept walking.

Once off the train, I had alot to do. At first, I just stopped and took in my surroundings. I generally do this for a couple minutes to get a quick feel. Next, I went over to the information booth and got a city map. Then, I went to the ticket booth and got my reservations straight for tomorrow. Next, I went into an internet cafe in the station and booked a hotel for the night. Then, I looked up a couple spots I wanted to visit and marked them on my map. Next, I went to the change counter and got some Hungarian money from my extra euros I'd been using in Vienna. Finally, I went back to the Info booth and asked them how to get to the hotel I just booked. "Take the red line, it's outside on the corner". OK - I went into the subway, purchased a ticket, and got off on my exit. When I reached street level - I was a little confused. I asked about 4 people until I found a girl who could help me. She pointed to the street I needed. A 10 minute walk later - I was at my hotel. This is basically a typically daily routine - but thought I would write it out today.

Probably the 1 thing I will take-home with me concerning Budapest, it's made up of 2 sub-cities separated by the Danube River. "Buda" is the older, hilly section of town located on the west bank. "Pest" is the newer, flater area on the east bank. The city was unified as 1 entity in 1873.

I'm staying in "Buda" (old school). This part of town is known for the Buda Castle. It stretches over a very large area. Today I walked around the exterior, but hope to go inside tomorrow morning. I walked all over the streets of "Buda" - making my way down to the river. Note -- I never had a single person harass me the rest of the day - just at the train station. Actually - as the day went on - the city became better and better.

I went over to the Hotel Gellert. Hungary is known for it's thermal hot springs. I need to work out a right knee - so I went in for about 1-1/2 hours. Pretty cool spot -- not as good as Germany - but good. I then walked across the bridge into "Pest". "Pest" is where the real tourist section gets going. Actually, if I did it again, I would stay in "Pest" and day trip to "Buda". Here you have the long tourist streets with shops and cafes. There weren't many people around however (It was closing in on 6-7 pm on Sunday night). I just walked around taking pictures. My book pointed out a couple famous hotels and cafes I went by.

I next took the subway out to a park in the eastern part of "Pest". I wanted to see Heroes' Square. Great spot. I only regret not getting there with more daylight. Heroes' Square is made up of a memorial with a 36-meter high column (on top of which is a statue of the Archangel Gabriel holding the Hungarian Holy Crown and apostolic double cross). Quarter-circular colonnades extend to both the left and right of the column. Between the pillars of the colonnade are figures of the 'greats' from Hungarian history. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is positioned in front of the monument. Awesome park area as well.

I took the subway back to my hotel and will spend some time tomorrow morning walking around "Buda". I then head off to my first country in the former communist state of Yugoslavia - the country of Slovenia. I'll get into more details later.

To close today -- I gotta send a shout out to all MU football fans. This upcoming Saturday, October 23rd -- MU will be playing Oklahoma at home. This is a big game. Both teams come in undefeated at 6-0 ---- only the 5th time MU has ever started a season with this mark. Mizzou's ranked 18th and the Sooners are ranked 3rd. It's the first time in the history of the program that College GameDay will be coming live from Columbia, MO. GameDay will be live from noon-2pm on Friday and 8-11am on Saturday morning. Oh - it's also Homecoming. MU has only beat Oklahoma 4 times since I've been alive - the last one being in 1998. Is it going to happen this weekend? Who knows. I can only hope. But, if you want to have a good time and be part of a good time atmosphere (I promise you this) - find your way to a parking lot in Columbia on Saturday. If I was in the US - short of a major conference, I would be driving to Missouri on Friday night. Fellas - all I ask - cut me a little sliver of the goalpost if things go our way.

Day #216 - Vienna, Austria

State Opera House

Busy streets of Vienna

Cold day in Vienna

Unique scenery everywhere

Museum Quarter

Saturday, October 16th

Well, not a great day today. Too much going on back on the homefront. I probably needed a day like this as catch-up on some things.

I got up early to do my long run. About 5 miles into it - I just stopped. Wasn't mentally into the game. I walked until I completed a 10K (6.2 miles) and then hit the showers.

I spent some of the afternoon walking the city of Vienna. But, most time was spent on my computer at a coffee shop.

I hit the gym again this evening to sweat a little more with the use of my daypass.

Tomorrow I begin an 11 day journey that will take me through 9 different countries on my way to Athens. We'll see how things progress. Day by day.

I should be coming to you live from Budapest, Hungary tomorrow.

Good night. (posting some more pics of Vienna)

Day #215 - Bratislava, Slovakia

The Castle - "upturned table"

Old Town Hall

Primatial Palace

St. Michael's Gate - one of 4 gates to ancient fortified city

Grassalkovich Palace

Friday, October 15th

Today I visited the second country which now makes up the former communist state of Czechoslovakia. I've been to the Czech Republic - today, I visited Slovakia. I took a 1 hour train from Vienna to Bratislava - the capital of Slovakia. The cost was 14 euro ($18-19) for the train ride and return. This also included free passes on all buses and trams in the city. My eurail pass does not work in this country - but the cost was incredibly cheap. The tourist info places have these pamplets made out just for trips to Bratislava. I'm sure they're trying to boost tourism in this area.

Pretty interesting place. I wasn't sure what to expect - but it was OK. It certainly didn't have the glamour and spice that some areas offer - but the streets did have a number of tourists and the "Old Town" provided some unique history.

Bratislava has a population of 420,000 people - easily the largest city in Slovakia. It's located on the very western portion of the country - not far from Vienna or Budapest, Hungary. The city sits on the Danube River - which also flows through Budapest.

On the train ride over, I picked out 6 places I wanted to visit per my travel brochure. I knocked these out, had a nice lunch, and was back on my return train in about 3-4 hours. The take home for me will be: (1) The city had four gates to the medieval fortified town. One of these gates remains - St. Michael's Gate. The Old Town is really compact and one could easily picture a fortress enclosing it. (2) The Bratislava Castle (The Burg) sits atop a hill overlooking the city. (not unlike Salzburg). It's referred to as an "upturned table". This place does not look much like your everyday castle - very different. Today, this palace contains a permanent exhibition of the Slovak National Museum and representative premises of the National Council of the Slovak Republic.

The other 4 locations I visited include: St. Martin's Cathedral (Gothic Church consecrated in 1452. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, 11 Hungarian rulers and 8 king's wives were crowned in the church), Grassalkovich Palace (Became the seat of the president of the Slovak Republic in 1996), Old Town Hall (Houses the Bratislava City Museum with an exhibition of the feudal judicial system and history of the town), and Primatial's Palace (winter archbishop's palace from the end of the 18th century).

The thing that interests me the most about places like this today --- it's a new country. It's deceptive. I'm spending 9 months touring all around and seeing this unbelievable history. Well, many of the "historic" buildings have been rebuilt or restored in the past 50 years. Plus, it's all new geographically. The states in the US have more history than many of the current coutries in Europe.

I arrived back in Vienna at the southern train station. I decided to walk back to my hotel. I was able to see many areas I missed yesterday. Vienna is impressive - no 2 ways you can say it. The archtecture, the buildings - it doesn't stop. I walked around the central part of the city between 5-8pm on Friday night. Activity - alot of it. If you like architecture - this is your place. Other cities can easily match Vienna 1-1 on the top attractions; however, it's the quantity that stand out to me.

Tomorrow I need to run long again. Last one before tappering into Athens. There is a gym right next to my hotel. Solid. I'm going to run inside. It's about 40 degrees. I like the cold - and have run in much, much colder weather. Just don't want to expose the lungs to it if not necessary right now. Afterwards - maybe another day trip - we'll see how I feel.

Day #214 - Vienna, Austria

Maria Theresien Platz

Kunsthistorisches Museum (I think - looks same as Naturhistorisches Museum)

The Hofburg

Steeple of the Rathaus

Votiv Kirche

Thursday, October 14th

Today I started with a 2-1/2 hour train ride to the capital of Austria - Vienna. It's located in the far east of the country - close to the borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I hadn't booked a hotel prior to my arrival - so I settled into a McDonalds and found a spot nearby my location.

Now, this place is big - 2.3 million people within the metropolis. Vienna makes up 25% of Austria's population. I've been staying in relatively smaller places in recent weeks - a big change today. Vienna is ranked 10th in population within the European Union. The city is often times voted at the very tops in the world with consideration to "The Top Cities for Quality of Life".

I spent several hours walking around the city today - but didn't concentrate on any one area. Vienna is known as an art and culture mecca. It's the last great capital of the 19th century "ball'. There are over 200 significant "balls" each year - with the most famous being the Opera Ball. The Opera Ball has been held since 1936 and takes place in the Vienna State Opera on the Thursday preceding Ash Wednesday. What I gather, this is a big-time event for the elites of the Austrian society. I read that there have been some protests in recent years - resulting in some violence.

Today I saw some of the awesome museums and palaces: the Hofburg (official residence of the president of Austria), the Kunsthistorisches Museum (museum of art history), the Naturhistorisches Museum (museum of natural history), the Rathaus (serves as the seat for the mayor and city council of Vienna), and the Votiv Kirche (one of the most important neo-Gothic religious architectural sites in the world)

I will be staying in Vienna the next 3 nights - departing the morning of October 17th. I do plan on a couple day trips but should have more time to explore the city. I hope so - as there's much I have not yet covered.

Good night from Europe - here's to health and happiness.

Day #213 - Salzburg, Austria

Coming into the "Old City"

Town square

A view of Salzburg's "Old City"

Mozart's statue

Mozart's place of residence

Mozart's birthplace

Wednesday, October 13th

Sorry for the delay in blogging. The mind was not focused on writing last evening. In cases like this - it's best to let it rest. The world's a tough place sometimes. Stay focused, stay committed to what's right - I keep trying to remind myself of that even though it can be very difficult.

Wednesday proved to be a very interesting day. I got up early in Innsbruck - high on this mountain. The sun was shining bright. Looking out my hotel room window provided an amazing view of the mountains circling the city below. I'm really glad I stayed overnight here. It brought a whole new perspective to the area for me.

I took a 20 minute busride into town. I had a chance to walk around for a couple hours before hitting the train station. Big place - 130,000 people. The streets were busy with alot of activity. Innsbruck is located in the state of Tyrol. I've skimmed a number of tourists books on Austria - many state that Tyrol is the main tourism area in all of Austria. It's home for so many different activities. I really enjoyed the short time I had in the city; however, to truly appreciate the place, one must participate in the outdoor paradise and bring it home at night in Innsbruck.

I next took a couple hour train ride to the city of Salzburg, Austria. Now, this place, was fantastic. My favorite place in Austria to date. Every place has it's drawing card. Salzburg has a couple of aces - it's the birthplace of Mozart and was largely the site for the musical "The Sound of Music".

I stayed in a hotel which was about a 20 minute walk to the "Old City". The thing about Salzburg that amazed me the most was the really unique large-scale buildings & monuments, but all with a small-scale atmosphere. The Hohensalzburg Castle (Festung Hohensalzburg) sits on top of this huge hill that overlooks the "Old City". So many interesting churches and palaces: The Salzburg Cathedral, Nonnberg Abbey, the Residenz Palace.

Now, unfortunately, I have little knowledge concerning the 2 calling cards. I know nothing about Mozart and have never seen the movie - "The Sound of Music". If I had more knowledge coming in, I'm sure the place would have meant more to me. I walked to the birthplace home of Mozart, as well as his place of residence. There's also a square dedicated to Mozart - with a really cool statue of him in the middle. I read the story about Maria von Trapp - she was a Salzburg based nun - the movie "The Sound of Music" was based on her life.

The streets were packed with people. I walked up and down the compact area of the "Old City". I then had a really nice dinner at a pizza/pasta place. I called it an early night.