Key West, FL (USA)

Woke up this morning at my room in the Fairfield Inn and Suites (by Marriott) on North Roosevelt Boulevard.  After reaching Boca Chica Field, we learned that our mission had been modified.  Bottom line: we needed to fly from Key West to Ellington Field (Houston) before we could go home. Traci M. and I briefed and started the aircraft but then had to shut down when our schedulers modified us again. In the end, we flew to Panama City, back to Key West and (finally) flew to Ellington Field. All the changes and extra time in the air resulted in us finishing our mission (back in Hampton Roads) very late...

Tocumen (Panama)

I got a mission to Panama, today!  Departed Norfolk in the morning (flying with Traci M.) [and had an uneventful flight to Central America].  After we landed in Tocumen, we didn't much time in-country.  However, I did get to see some interesting sights from the air and the airport. It was amazing to see some tall buildings in Panama City - they were huge!  We departed Panama and headed north to Key West.  After landing at Boca Chica, we got a ride to the Fairfield Inn and Suites (by Marriott) on North Roosevelt Boulevard (checked in at 2155).  Once I was changed into some civilian clothes, I headed out with other members of the crew.  We started out on Duval Street and enjoyed a few clubs - my favorite place was Fat Tuesdays - they had good smoothies.  To be honest, though, the whole town was kind of dead. We just missed Fantasy Fest and I guess the locals were resting.  But the evening breezes were nice and I enjoyed the lack of crowds. Another nice night in paradise!

Quonset Point, RI (USA)

[Flying with Jason - flew to Greenville-Spartanburg to Marietta (Georgia) to Quonset State Airport in Rhode Island and then to Evansville Regional (Indiana) before going home]

Panama City, FL (USA)

[Flying with Gary - Virginia Beach to Houston (Ellington) to Panama City (INTL) to Camp Springs and then to Virginia Beach]

Philadelphia, PA (USA)

Before the Detachment began, our travel office had scheduled me for a flight from Italy to Norfolk (via Catania, Rome and Philadelphia on US Airways).  However, the airlift we got last night required a complete change of plans.  Home base wanted me to take a flight this afternoon but I managed to convince them (last night) that a rental car was much more cost effective.  Also, I prefer driving to all day in the airport...  They approved my request, so I got up early and headed (with a duty driver) to the Philadelphia International Airport.  I picked up my car at the Avis counter at 0755 and headed towards Hampton Roads. Traveling down the Eastern Shore (mostly via US-13) was quite pleasant - the weather was great and there was no traffic. Just before I got to the Virginia border, I stopped for a nice lunch at a Friendly's (always a treat!). The Chesapeake Bay Bridget-Tunnel was not busy and I was able to return my car to the Avis counter at Norfolk International Airport by 1320. The drive was a good way to finish off my travels!  Despite this fact, I was very glad to get home to see Nicky and the kids...

Willow Grove, PA (USA)

[after checking out of the Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella, I ate breakfast at Big Al's this morning - after that, I flew (on a C-40/B737) from Sigonella to the USA (itinerary uncertain) - after arriving in Pennsylvania, I checked into the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge - heading home tomorrow!]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Cefalu, Sicily (Italy)

With noting on the flight schedule, I woke up early today and drove (with Charlie W.) over to the town of Cefalu. It is located between Palermo and Tindari on the north coast of Sicily (it actually has a Club Med!). Our primary purpose was to go to Mass in the 900 year old Cathedral. Despite being in Italian, the service was great - the artwork and architecture in the background was also a highlight. Afterwards, we had lunch in a restaurant on the waterfront - I had the Fish Menu (swordfish, pasta, etc.). We continued to walk around for a few more hours. As we were getting ready to leave the little town, we stopped into a souvenir shop that had an adjacent bar. We ended up chatting with a couple from Scotland for a few hours - they have a vacation home nearby. It was a good conversation and we enjoyed their company along with the local wine. Just before dusk, we headed towards home. We could see a pretty church on the hill overlooking town, so we decided to try to get up there. After a few aborted attempts, we located the correct road. It turned out to be the Gibilmanna mountaintop shrine - a very interesting building... It had a great view of the whole Tirrenean Sea. After looking inside (they were having a Mass), we found a little nearby gift shop. I bought the girls some scented Rosary beads. While I was waiting for Charlie by the car outside, a little boy approached me - he had some questions about a green prickly ball (some kind of fruit). He kept saying "castagna" (which I later learned meant chestnut - after I broke open the green prickly part!). He gave me one and I took it with me when we left. On the way home we also stopped in the city of Enna. In the dark, it wasn't very interesting - might be worth another trip someday. Got back to the Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella by 2100.  Another interesting day in Sicily!

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Split (Croatia)

Since we were only carrying passengers for one of our legs today, we (me and Charlie W.) asked our schedulers if we could remain in Croatia for some sightseeing. Our request was approved and we then convinced the rest of our crew to go on the adventure with us.  After checking out of the Capo Inn at NSA Naples this morning, we departed (early) from Capodichino and had an easy flight to the Dalmatian Coast (landed early).  With the passengers offloaded, we had six hours to explore! Because the airport looked to be pretty far from the historic center of Split, we rented cars and drove into the old city.  We immediately located a palace of the Emperor Diocletian - wow! The architecture was spectacular and there were lots of churches, Roman artifacts and open air markets in the vicinity. After several hours of exploring, we sat on the harbor front to have some lunch. We asked the waiter for a local specialty and he brought out a stew with gnocchi - it was good! After some shopping in the markets, we had to head back to the airport. The crew was universal in their approval of the time we'd had and happily got the aircraft ready for our departure.  [Our flight back to Sicily was uneventful.  Staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella.] It was a great day!

Napoli, Campania (Italy)

Charlie W. and I got scheduled for a mission that would take us from Sicily to Croatia and back.  Since the passengers originated in Naples the following day, we convinced our schedulers to give us an overnight at NSA Naples.  This gave us time for some exploring!  We arrived at Capodichino early and headed to the bus station. After a short ride to Piazza Garibaldi, we walked over to the Duomo (Cathedral). I found the State Archives and looked for Michele Ippolito. Unfortunately, the archives was for the entire Kingdom of Naples, so without the part of the city that Michele came from, there wasn't any way to locate information on the family... After some food at a small restaurant, we walked to the History museum. This was a great place to see the artifacts (mosaics, paintings, statues) from Pompeii and Ercolano. We spent several hours wandering among the art. We had to head back after that so we could get up early tomorrow. On the bus we met a retired couple from Hampshire, England. They talked about their travels and recommended some places to visit if I can ever get up to the UK again. I stopped at the exchange on the way to bed and learned a little about the ubiquitous clown of Naples - Pulcinella. He seems to be kind of a good luck charm and sometimes carries other good luck items, such as a bundle of red peppers.  After making our way back to NSA Naples, we reached our comfortable rooms at the Capo Inn.  What an interesting day!

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Ramstein (Germany)

We got scheduled for a trip to Germany!  [Charlie W. and I had a great flew through Continental Europe.]  As always, a visit to Ramstein is best completed while bringing Italian wine to the locals (to exchange for beer; this has worked numerous times). While waiting on the crew to finish fueling, I was able to stop at the local Kathe Wohlfahrt (they had lots of Christmas ornaments and "Smokies") and Willi Geck (Hummels). There was a street fair taking place at the base, with all kinds of things for sale today!  We were lucky to stop by when we did.  [The flight back to Sicily was uneventful (itinerary uncertain).  Staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella.]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Split (Croatia)

We (me and Charlie W.) managed to get a mission to Split, Croatia today!  This was my second visit - the first in four years. The weather during our entire flight itinerary was great and we were able to see the whole Dalmatian Coast, mountains included. It looks like a nice place to explore - hope we get a chance later... [staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella]

Tindari, Sicily (Italy)

Once again, our crew wasn't scheduled for a mission.  As a result, I had a chance to take a few other guys over to the Caleca factory in Patti. As before, I took the mountain road and it was fun - hairpin turns, cattle and sheep in the roads, tractors, shear drop-offs... After exploring the pottery factory, we finished up the day with the Menu Turistica at Cafe Tyndaris on the hill. This was probably my third or fourth visit to the place and the cost of the meal hasn't changed in five years. It was good (as usual) - with a nice view of the sandbars (Marinello). Charlie and Kevin enjoyed the day - it is always nice to show people around the island.  [staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella]

Mount Etna, Sicily (Italy)

We didn't have any missions so I finally got to go up higher on Mount Etna today. We got a late start, so we were fortunate that the weather has been warm and cloudless. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of haze. We drove our car up to about 8,000 feet and bought a ticket to go up even higher on an enclosed ski-lift car. The price was pretty steep - nearly $40 with the bad Euro-Dollar exchange. However, we probably saved five hours of slogging on the volcanic sand trails and roads. We could see lots of the island, although photos didn't turn out well due to the haze. There were lots of caldera holes and even small hills that looked like little pimples from earlier volcanic releases. The place where the ski-lift was had been severely damaged in 2002, so this was the first chance I had to go up the mountain.  [staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella]

Sola/Stavanger (Norway)

Flew (with Charlie W.) from Sicily to Mildenhall Air Base today - what great weather and pretty countryside! It looked like a pleasant place to stay, but we didn't have time.  During our arrival and departure, we could see from the Irish coast (near Belfast) all the way down to Cornwall. The Isle of Man was easy to spot and we had aerial views of Manchester, Liverpool and London.  Luckily, we had maps with us to find Big Ben!  After our turnaround, we departed to the northeast with our passengers.  The flight from England to Norway was interesting [join up by RAF ?] and, once again, we were blessed with great weather for the scenery.  Our destination was Sola/Stavanger, a city in Norway.  Sadly, we weren't on the ground long, but it was a nice day to see the area from the air. We saw lots of inlets (fjords?) and lakes with low hills - there were also some pretty mountains visible to the east. The weather was pleasant and I kept thinking that the area would make a great vacation spot.  [Uneventful flight back to Sicily (route uncertain).  Spent the night in the NAS Sigonella Bachelor Housing.]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

[staying at Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella - worked all day...]

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

Left Shannon after midnight - once again, we great flying weather! Charlie W. and I took this leg and we arrived in Sicily by 0300L. After our in-brief and (long) check-in process was complete, we checked into the Bachelor Housing for NAS Sigonella.  Fortunately, I was able to get a few hours of sleep. [Did some work for a few hours in the late afternoon - dinner in town.]