Getting Settled In Germany

Lana, the kids and I have been getting settled at Spangdahlem Air Base, Gemany for a little over a week now and have accomplished a lot.  God has blessed us...we found a great house in the town of Wittlich, bought a second car, picked up the BMW we shipped over from the USA, completed a bunch of inprocessing paperwork, and more.  Our house has plenty of room for visitors, and is only a 10 minute walk to the cafes / restaurants and a 15 minute drive to the base.  We can't move in until 1 July and will be staying in a nearby town until then.

The 480 Fighter Squadron, where I'll be working, has gone through a lot of changes recently.  There is a new commander as of last week, and a new director of operations as of a month ago.  These are the top two positions in a squadron.  A lot of our friends / acquaintances from previous bases are here which is good too.  This next week I'll do more inprocessing, focused on getting set up in the squadron with my email account, flight gear, etc.

This past Friday the base had a down day, so Lana and I went on a short trip to the town of Manderscheid to see it's old castles.  We then drove a little to the west to see one of the many maars (lake in an old volcano).  On our way back to Spangdahlem we decided to make our way down to Ramstein Air Base, and large US base for cargo aircraft.  While there we met up with some good friends of ours from Italy...small World!  God's blessings have been evident in our short time here already and we're looking forward to more during our time here.

Bayernland

Bayern, or Bavaria in English, has been where Lana, the kids and I have spent the last few weeks relaxing as we transition to life at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.  Bavaria is in the southern part of Germany and Munich is the capital.  We initially spent the first few days in Munich with Lana's mother relaxing, adjusting to the timezone, and enjoying some of the parks around the city.

We then drove to Lana's Grandparent's house in southeast Germany, located in the city of Chieming about 45 minutes from Salzburg, Austria.  Chieming is right next to Lake Chiemsee, a lake that covers 30 square miles just a few miles north of the German Alps.  The scenery seems to come straight from a movie and is a great help distracting me from the lack of oxygen I feel running along the lake.  Lana's Grandparents have enjoyed spending time with Liam again and getting to know Lillian, and we have enjoyed time with them and the good German breakfasts after a stop by the local baker shop.  While in Chieming we took the boat to one of the islands in Lake Chiemsee called Fraueninsel.

After a five days in Chieming, we drove 20 min south of Chieming into the mountains for a week in the town of Inzell.  A couple months before leaving the USA, Lana and I booked a week at a local dairy bauernhof in Inzel.  Bauern if "farm" and hof is "house."  In many of the smaller country cities in Germany, farmers will rent out extra rooms to travelers.  The room included breakfast each morning prepared by the farmer's wife.  After breakfast, many of the days we took short trips to local attractions like Berchtesgarden and a ski lift up one of the nearby mountains, Rauschberg.  From there we could see Chieming, and as far as Salzburg.

We're now back in Chieming for a few days and will drive back to Munich on Sunday.  Next Wednesday we fly to Frankfurt and then drive to Spangdahlem where we'll initially stay on base while we look for a house.  I take over as the Weapons Officer early in June, so only a couple weeks to get settled!

Ein Guter Flug Nach Munchen

We (and our luggage) made it safely to Munich yesterday morning after a comfortable flight on Lufthansa.  Lana's mother Gabi and best friend Susi picked us up at the airport...the first time they had seen Lilli.  It was good to see them both again.  After arriving back at Gabi's apartment, we all took a four hour nap to help with the jet lag. 

Today was a great spring day in Munich to start our time off between assignments, so we spent the time outside around the city.  Lana and I have missed Europe a lot, sometimes I think I more than she.  We walked through Englischer Garten, had a good lunch, and eventually made our way to Marienplatz (the center of Munich).  Liam and Lilli did well too, taking turns napping in the stroller as we walked around...I wish they could remember all the sites!  It's a good thing I married a German so that we'll have plenty of chances to see it all again.

We'll be in Munich until the weekend and then make our way to Chieming near Lake Chiemsee where Lana's grandparents are living...another great place in Bavaria.  Here's to Germany!

Last Flight At Shaw

Today I flew my last flight here at Shaw AFB.  This was my third fini flight (Aviano fini / Kunsan fini).  Seems just like the other day Lana and I drove in the front gate, the two of us, and now we're departing for Germany as a family of four!  It's tradition that the squadron pilots wrestle those flying their fini flight to the ground, duck tape their hands and feet, and then spray them with water.  Lana, Liam, and Lilli were there as well to celebrate a great assignment here in South Carolina.

Tomorrow Lana and I will put our final cleaning touches on the house (renters move in on Monday) and I have some outprocessing appointments to attend before leaving next week.  Next Monday I have my final out appointment where I finalize all the departure paperwork...Tuesday we're on a Lufthansa flight, flying business class to Munich!  Before that day arrives, our dinner plans are booked each night with friends as we say one last goodbye.  Thanks to all those who make this assignment a good one...fly safe, check six!

Family Visits One Last Time

Since Lilli was born and because we're leaving for Germany soon, most of my family has been able to make it down for a quick trip.  It's been great seeing everyone and look forward to hopefully having them visit Europe!