Newquay, England (United Kingdom)

Our Detachment ended today!  When I was returning the rental car to the Europcar counter (0920), another member of the Detachment staff told me he'd gotten a ticket in Taormina.  Since the violation occurred while I was in the Middle East, I wasn't too worried about the situation.  Also, he gave me cash to pay the fine to the rental car company.  Still, this "shared" vehicle scenario was bound to lead to some kind of issue eventually...  After resolving the issue, I headed to the flight line.  Once all our Det equipment and personnel were packed up in our mighty C-9B, we departed Sigonella for home.  Unlike our usual, Rota/Lajes/Newfoundland (or Shannon route), this was a very special and unexpected overnight RTB - we were able to stop in Newquay (Cornwall) for about 24 hours! We stayed in the Headland Hotel - an old place on the scenic Cornish coast. It is amazing to see the names on the map around here - they are the same ones from New England that I was used to as a kid. I guess people wanted something to remind them of where they came from... In the afternoon, I requested a traditional Cornish tea (scones and tea with Cornish milk) during Tea Time at the Sand Bar (hotel pub). It was a nice touch!  My room, which was quite small, still seemed comfortable as I drifted off to sleep...