Shannon (Ireland)

We landed in Ireland around 0830L. Even though I hardly slept, I felt strangely refreshed as we got out of the aircraft. During this visit, we were able to get through to the Duty Free Shop at Shannon quickly (no other passengers). I bought a few souvenirs and would probably had gotten more but our crew was in a hurry (don't blame them - it's a long day). On our way again by around 1000L. Flight down to Sicily didn't take too long - with time change, we got there at 1400L. From my previous experiences, I knew that the key to success was to get to the hotel (NAS Sigonella Navy Gateway Inn) as quickly as possible to get the check-in process going. Fortunately, I was well ahead of the crowd and had already coordinated the rooms as they arrived - everyone else was also happy to get their rooms quickly. After the 16 of us were settled, I grabbed a quick shower and took our newest co-worker on a tour of the area. The walk culminated with a haircut (it's never been a bad experience to get a cut from an Italian barber). I also had time to pick up some supplies at the Shopette. Ate dinner at the Galley and then went back to my room to unpack. Tried to stay up late to get adjusted to the time-zone but only made it to 2100L...