An Adventurous Day

Started with a walking tour of Vicenza's central park, not quite as grand as New York's, but notable for its residents: wild rabbits, chickens, beavers, geese, and ducks, all living harmoniously and free. The park was once a private estate.  We then went to the uppercrusty hills on the south side boasting amazing views, estates, and a gorgeous basilica. We then drove further south to the vineyards, as this is a big Cabernet region that reminded me a lot of Tuscany and the trip I made there with my friend Frank in 1997.  Had a great lunch at a restaurant that had excellent food and a million dollar view.  For some reason I forgot to take a picture of the view.  The lunch was a regional specialty, made from reconstituted salted dried cod.  It was amazingly delicious, as was the house Cab! 

Made my way back to Aviano by train and bus, which was an adventure unto itself.   At Treviso, where I changed trains, there is a pizza kiosk with the most amazing pizza I've ever had. Yesterday's pizza going there was grilled vegetables with anchovies. Tonight was chopped tomatoes and different cheeses. In trying to navigate the local bus service from Pordenone I didn't count on the bus stop being at a gate that closes at night :(.  I had to walk about a mile to the main gate...good exercise.

Claudio and Paola were great hosts and want me to come back before I leave.  That "leaving" is likely to be next Wednesday the 5th.

Saluti da Vicenza, la citta del Palladio

Greetings From Aviano

The flight last night was pretty short and uneventful. You knew it wasn't United because, when the captain made his announcements, he talked about being honored and privileged to transport military personnel. I was immediately impressed with this air base....they really have a first class operation. There were lots of folks in the terminal to answer questions and be helpful. There was a bus that took those of us staying at the Mountain View Inn, the appropriately named on base hotel. My room was a two bedroom apartment with full kitchen! Of course it was dark when I landed, but as you see in the first picture, the view when I woke up this morning was breathtaking. There is a club across from the Inn, so I went over to check it out.  They have a great selection of German and Italian beers on tap.  Spoke with some of the folks at the bar and got some ideas for what to do this week.

This morning I checked out of my room as I'm headed by train to Vicenza. I'm being hosted by an Italian family that are friends of friends of mine in Germany. They almost insisted that I come visit.  I stopped at the package store on base and bought a very good bottle of California Cabernet as a gift... not that they don't have good wines here, but I just don't know them as well. I'm coming back to Aviano tomorrow night. This next week is going to be a lot more adventurous than the last! Friday I'm going to rent a car and drive along the Adriatic coast.

And it is a good day to fly

Getting on this flight out of Ramstein was very easy. There were less than 20 passengers competing for the 73 seats.  You can see my name on the picture of the standby list. After checking in, I had time to go to the new shopping mall on base. It's Just like any other small American mall. They have Chili's restaurant and Romano's Macaroni Grill and Starbucks, a food court, and about 30 small shops from local and German national chains selling duty free.  The mall is anchored by a huge PX the size of a Target store.  Things have really changed over the years.

The charter is operated by Atlas Air, a Boeing 767.  The last pictures you see are of the terminal from the inside and outside.  More from Italy tomorrow.

Today Looks Like A Good Day To Fly

Not sure where all the flights are going, but one thing for sure, they haven't been going from Ramstein to Sicily, Spain or Greece. On the bright side there's a flight this afternoon from Ramstein to Aviano, Italy with projected 200 space available seats. This flight would be a continuation of one coming from Baltimore that stops at Ramstein, and then goes on to Aviano, Italy and Incirlik, Turkey. It is a Boeing 747 or 767 so the accommodation should be pretty nice. I feel pretty confident I'm going to be on that flight.

I've made a reservation at the Mountain View Lodge on the air base for the first two nights until I get my bearings and decide where I want to go beyond the immediate area. There are many choices, including Venice and Triest in Italy. Aviano is also very close to Slovenia. I'm sure there must be hundreds of charming small towns and villages along the Adriatic coastline.  I'm told that the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, is very beautiful and it's only a two and a half hour drive. I think this will be my only adventure outside of Germany as I plan to start trying to make my way home middle of next week. The other Mediterranean destinations will have to wait for the next trip and I'm okay with that.

I've been swimming a few times here in Kaiserslautern. The pool is beautiful and I don't know how they treat the water but it feels like swimming in a freshwater lake. 

Three Countries in One Day

After a quick trip down to the Saturday morning market in Kaiserslautern to pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables we drove about an hour northwest to Mettlach, a village that lies near the point where Germany borders Luxembourg and France. It features factory outlets in the old downtown that specialize in housewares, most notably Villeroy & Boch. I didn't buy anything but if I was living in Germany I would have been tempted. After lunch we drove to Metz, France via Luxembourg along a picturesque stretch of the Mosel and Saar rivers.

I think the last time I stepped foot in Metz France was probably 1979 And I took a train from Metz to London to visit my brother Robert when he was studying abroad so I really don't remember it, and it was like visiting a new city for the first time.  While less than 40 miles from the German border Metz is very French in its architecture and appearance. We wandered around the markets , the downtown pedestrian shopping district, and the main cathedral that features some windows by designed by Chagall.  Metz does not have a subway or street car system, but it operates buses that look like street cars and have two points of articulation so they are the longest buses I've ever seen.  When in France one should have duck for dinner, so I did. I will be leaving Germany on Tuesday by either bus or plane to Aviano Italy.

DST Ends in Europe Tomorrow

So my loyal readers, I bet you're wondering if I am writing this from Germany or Italy. It's Germany. I decided after all to not spend 12 hours riding a bus. My friends also convinced me to stay and join them for a fall road trip this weekend and have dinner tomorrow night in Metz, France.  Besides, had the opportunity for a wonderful Greek dinner tonight.

As for the Mediterranean, that bus trip might just be in my future.  I read online that people who have taken this bus trip think it's a wonderful drive through the Alps and it was a great trip. That's good to know because I don't see any flights through Monday, so I will probably be on that bus Tuesday. 

As this has also been a culinary adventure I attach two pictures. The first is the lamb shank dinner I had tonight. The second one is for all of you pork lovers.... a selection of German classics. Quit salivating :-)

"From Frankfurt With Love"

Heading back to Kaiserslautern by train after a short and nice overnight visit to Frankfurt. Spent the evening with Frank, in town for business, and our friend Silke. We dined well, of course, and sat and spoke for hours, as is typical here. There is no pressure to give up your table. I had spinach dumplings with a chanterele mushroom creme sauce. The restaurant was across from a restored depot that has been transformed into an upscale wine bar where we started the evening.

Now I hope to soon be on my way south to the Mediterranean. Timing is right...it suddenly has gotten cold in Germany. Unfortunately there are no flights tomorrow or Saturday and I don't yet know about Sunday. There is a free bus I can take that leaves tomorrow morning to Aviano, Italy. Its a regular civilian charter bus the Army contracts to move passengers between those military bases. For me it is space available just like the flights. It just might be a decent option to get south of the Alps. It's near Venice, and it might be easier to continue on from there.  Stay tuned.

It Was To Be A Rainy Tuesday

According to the 11 o'clock news last night it was to be a terrible rainy cold day today. But, because I was in Stuttgart, things changed, and as you can see in the picture below it was a great day for wandering around, meeting friends for lunch, and sitting outside for coffee and onion pie later in the day. Onion pie you wonder...it is a seasonal specialty of this area.  It is something akin to quiche, and is made either with or without bacon. 

Roast Venison. Um Um Good.

With fried bread dumplings, warm creamed savoy cabbage, and baked pear with ligonberry.

Monday in Stuttgart

Well its more less a normal October day in Stuttgart with cloudy skies and temperatures around 55 to 60 degrees. Spent the morning walking around the city and visited the new city library. I have to say it was very sterile and white as you can see from the picture.  I had my favorite pretzel rolls for breakfast along with some great cheeses and meats. Tonight we're going to one of my favorite Swabian restaurants for dinner and I'm having their specialty of the week...roast venison.

Last night on the drive to Stuttgart from Kaiserslautern we saw the most amazing sunset. I also saw something unexpected on the Autobahn... people texting while driving. Its crazy enough people do this  in the states, but on the Autobahn while driving 80 to 100 miles per hour, it's insane.

I've managed to get in touch with most of my friends here and will try to see many of them either for lunch or dinner or coffee before I leave for Frankfurt on Wednesday.

The Flight Over and 1st Day in Kaiserslautern

Before I get into the flight over, it is a beautiful day in Kaiserslautern, sunny and in the mid 70s. Couldn't ask for better.  I'm happy to finally be here after five attempts at three different terminals.

The flight over was quick, just 7.5 hours.  It was smooth as silk, I guess to be expected from such a large plane.  I had a hard time falling asleep, and only slept about 3 hours.  Maybe it was the coldness in the upper cabin, maybe the noise, or maybe the lack of wine.  While the cabin is heated, it is not completely isolated from the cargo area, and the cold air from below makes its way in.  I wore my hoodie, and earplugs and had a wool blanket provide by the Air Force.  The food service was a box lunch (see picture) consisting of ham and cheese sandwich, can of soda, bag of chips, Oreo cookies, and granola bar, for which I paid $4.65 at check in.  Off came the ham, and in memory of my dad, I made a potato chip and cheese sandwich with mayo...one of his guilty pleasures and I gave away the rest.  Next time I'll bring my own meal as many others did....another lesson learned.  After landing we were bused to the terminal where the USO had a coffee service so we could warm up and wake up waiting for our bags to arrive.  That was a very nice touch and I have to remember to send the USO a donation.  My friends picked me up and we went shopping at the Commissary for dinner.  I stayed awake until 10 last night, then got caught up on my sleep.  Went to the market square (see picture) this morning, had fresh herring, my favorite on a crusty roll with onion.

Tomorrow I'm headed down to Stuttgart for a few days.  My friend Klaus will pick me up on this way home from Frankfurt (necessary because the German railway operators are on strike), then on Wednesday I'll take the train to Frankfurt to visit friends there, then back here on Thursday when I hope to get a Space A flight to one or two of my four Mediterranean destinations.

On Board the C5

Last time I flew on the upper deck of the C5 was 1983.  73 luxury seats, haha. 

The Sweet Smell of Success

I made the second flight and I'm standing in line to check my bags. Destination: Ramstein Air Base Germany. The plane the C5 , the largest plane in the air force. You can google it for pictures. Not sure the folks here would take kindly to me taking pictures of runway operations. Should be taking off around 8:30 and I'll be on the ground in Germany around 10:30 tomorrow morning local time.

Not my plane to Germany :-)

... Unless I was flying space a in 1959 . Roll call is delayed one hour till 6 p.m.

At McGuire Air Base

I'm here, signed in, and awaiting roll call. Two of the three flights to Ramstein have availability for passengers . There aren't nearly as many people waiting for the flight as at BWI.

Update: They just published the standby list and I am Number 76. This means it's unlikely I'll get on the first flight but likely I'll get on the second flight, assuming it actually goes.

Update: They just finished roll call for the first flight and I did not make that one.  Roll call for the second flight is at 4:55 p.m, so I have to hang around and wait for about 2 hours before I know whether I'm getting out.

The Next Step

Well, for those of you who are following my blog intently and wishing me better luck, I'm wishing myself better luck on Thursday.  I'll drive 3.5 hours up to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey for the chance to cross the pond on 4 flights that day, 3 to Germany and 1 to Spain.  I'll take the first I get.  Wish me luck, as I feel like I need some at this point.

Strike 4

So I made the trip up to BWI Airport with Metro and bus, full of anticipation that with 104 seats, surely I would get out tonight. Well it seems that today another 75 people with higher priority than me showed up for this flight. I stayed for roll call at 9:40.  When they got to the 104th person, there were still between 40 and 50 people ahead of me. They announced that a few more seats might open up and we were welcome to stick around.  The plane was a 767, and I think it was highly unlikely that 40 to 50 seats would open up.  So I'm headed home again.

I really feel sorry for all of the wives and kids that were trying to get on this flight and are also not getting on. It must be very difficult for them traveling overseas by themselves with their kids in tow, now having to find hotel accommodations and meals for some days before they can try to get out again. 

As for me I have to figure out what I'm going to do now and if I want this adventure to continue.

Luck Not A Lady Tonight

I was about 130 on the list with 39 confirmed available seats. They may have gotten a few more on but they would never have gotten down to me, so I didn't even wait for the roll call and decided to head home.  I'll try again tomorrow night when they predict about 100 available seats. 

Wish Me Luck!

There is a flight from BWI to Ramstein tonight with 39 projected Space A seats.  Seems promising.  If I don't make the cut, then I feel pretty certain that I will get on the flight tomorrow night, because it has projected over 100 Space A seats.  I hope my next post will be from Germany telling you I'm on my way to Greece, Italy or Spain.  There is nothing promising out of Dover, so I'm not heading back there. 

Strike 2

At the roll call Friday night at 7:30 there were 9 seats for Rota.  I was number 10 on the list.  I admit I was bummed...one seat made the difference between going or not.  I hung around a while just in case an extra seat became available but it didn't, so I walked the half mile back to the long term parking lot, got the car, and drove home.  I opted to make the 100 mile trip home because the next flight was scheduled for tonight (Saturday) and with crappy weekend weather predicted at the beach, it seemed like not such a good idea to stay in Delaware.  That turned out to be a very good choice, because, sometime over the night, Dover cancelled the Saturday night flight to Ramstein.  My next chance to get out is tomorrow, Sunday, with flights from both Dover and BWI.  I'll check in the morning and make a decision of which offers my best chance to get out.

Greetings from Dover AFB

Its 5:00 pm and I am checked in, but I won't know until 7:30 if I'm on the flight to Rota.  My car is in the long term parking lot and I'm ready to go....more than ready.  They have a really nice USO lounge here at the terminal with computers, TVs, reclining lounge chairs, snacks and a friendly staff.  I'll make my way over to the dining hall for dinner.  They allow retirees to eat in the dining hall here.  I don't know why, because I've never seen it allowed anywhere else.

Will Try Today From Dover

I didn't go to Dover yesterday because, when I woke up yesterday morning and checked the Dover website, the number of seats to Ramstein and Rota had been zeroed out.  Today there are 14 confirmed seats to Rota so I'm going to drive over there this afternoon and give it a shot.  If I don't get on this flight, the next option is a flight to Ramstein from BWI on Sunday night. 

Yesterday I was giving some serious thought to using my United miles to book a one way to Germany, just to get things going before the snow starts falling :)  If I don't get out of Dover tonight or Ramstein on Sunday I just might do that on Monday or Tuesday next week. 

The New Plan

Well, it seems that flying out of BWI may not be in the cards.  There are no flights to Germany before Sunday, and no guarantee that I will get out on Sunday even if there were.  I checked the schedule for Andrews Air Force Base (outside DC) and Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.  Andrews has nothing forecasted for Europe in the next three days but Dover does, so seems like my best option now is to go to Dover.  They have a flight to Ramstein tomorrow night and two flights to Rota Spain on Friday.  If I can't get out tomorrow night to Ramstein I'll spend the night at Dover hope for one of the two Rota flights Friday.  I'll drive over to Dover tomorrow late afternoon.  They offer free long term parking so I can leave my car there. 

I'm trying to keep an optimistic outlook, but there is also some "putting your life on hold" during the process.  One benefit that I didn't get out the other night is that I was able to attend the funeral in Baltimore today for a cousin on my mom's side, and visit with the family afterwards.  It was also a beautiful sunny and warm day here. 

Did He Make The Space A Flight?

Well, no.  Seems there was an unusual number of active duty soldiers and their families on leave in the states trying to get back to Germany, and they all have a higher priority than me.  I was number 88 on the pecking order, and there were only 38 seats released.  One thing for sure, I understand the process a whole lot better.  There is another flight tomorrow night, but at the moment there are no available seats.  I'm not sure when the next flight after that will be.  Here's a picture of the Air Mobility Command Check in line at BWI airport.  So I'm back home in Arlington.  The total trip up to BWI and back, including waiting time and dinner was just shy of six hours with public transportation....not too bad.  I'll let you know when I'll be trying again.

I hope to leave October 6th

Hopefully I'm leaving for Europe tomorrow, October 6th.  There is a flight from BWI to Aviano, Italy and Ramstein Air Base, Germany at 9:40 pm.  According to the BWI Passenger Terminal Facebook Page, there are 49 tentative seats on this flight for Space A travel.  By the way, Space A means Space Available, or standby.  So I'll leave home at 6:00 pm, and make my way to BWI by Metro and MARC train to get there two hours before the scheduled departure.  I'll know about an hour before departure if I make the flight.  If I don't, I go back home and try again for the next flight.  At this time, there is no other in the next 72 hours.

Once in Europe, I hope to visit Spain, Sicily, Greece, Italy and Germany.  The Space A system can get me to:

Spain, Rota Naval Air Station.  It is near the city of Cadiz, on the Costa del Luz on the Atlantic Ocean between Gibraltar and Portugal border.  From there it is not far to Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera (the big sherry producing center), and  Gibraltar.

Crete, Souda Bay Naval Air Station.  It is located near the city of Chania on the northwest shore of the island. 

Sicily, Naval Air Station Sigonella.  It is located on the eastern side of the island, near Mt Etna and wine growing area that produces Nero d'Avola wines.

Italy, Aviano Air Base.  It is located in northeastern Italy, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, at the foot of the Southern Carnic Alps, and not far from Slovinia.

Germany, Ramstein Air Force Base.  It is located in Ramstein-Kaiserslautern area.  I've been there many times and was first stationed about 20 miles away in the town of Zweibrucken from 1978-1980. 

I don't know if I'll get to all of these.  Depends on flight schedules and how much time I want to spend once I get going.