Yesterday, Jesse and I booked the second part of our European vacation. This September/October, we’ll be traveling to Berlin, Munich, Paris, and Iceland!

We’ll be flying to Berlin to run the Berlin Marathon. After not initially being pick by the lottery, we opted to purchase a package deal that includes several nights of lodging and entry into the race. Not making it to Berlin for Jesse’s 30th birthday was not an option! In the days leading up to the race, we want to soak up all the history and culture Berlin has to offer. As a big 20th century world history fan, I am really excited to see the city that was the epicenter of the Cold War.

After the race on September 27, we’ll recover for a day or so and then fly to Munich for Oktoberfest. Jesse and I are huge beer lovers, but we’ll probably only need a day to soak up all the beer we can. The timing of the race followed by the trip works out very well (and running a race AFTER Oktoberfest would have proven disastrous).

When we’re done testing Munich’s best, we’ll fly to Paris for several days. Jesse has never been to Paris; I’ve been twice and studied French for about 10 years (and minored in it in college). I’ve been brushing up on my French with an app, attempting to do at least a little bit every day to wrap my head around the language. We hope to do most of the touristy things while we’re in Paris: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tour, The Arc de Triomphe, etc.

After Paris, we’ll fly to Iceland. We have a friend who lives there, and we’re looking to get a local’s experience. We plan on checking out the Northern Lights, hot springs, and hopefully, our legs will be fresh enough to trail run.

We scored an amazing deal on flights and are so excited for this vacation; it’ll be my longest vacation since I graduated from college in 2009.

What are your suggestions for places to see, things to do, or meals in eat in the cities we’re visiting?