Scotland, Luxembourg, & Local Sites

On Memorial Day the end of last month, we drove to Luxembourg to tour the American WWII Cemetery and Memorial and spent time with some of our friends there (originally from Munich, but living in Luxembourg now).  It was a short one hour drive, and a nice day to travel...as we've learned living in this region, sunny days are not the norm!  The cemetery was a sober reminder of how quickly life can pass, which was the case for more than 5,000 buried in Luxembourg.  General Patton, leader of many Army troops during WWII, is also buried there.  The city of Luxembourg was very nice, and having local people give us tour made it even better.

The next weekend, June 4th, was Lana's Scottish Grandmother's 90th birthday, which we were fortunate enough to be at after a short two hour flight Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Edinburgh.  Lana's Scottish Aunts, Uncle and Father were all in town, along with some of her cousins.  It was the first time I met many of them, and the second time we had been to Scotland.  It was a short yet enjoyable trip.

We have also enjoyed some of the local cities in the surrounding area, like Bernkastel and Trier, for both the sites and recent Eurocup fussball (soccer) games.  Both cities are located on the Mosel River.  Lana and I made quick trips to Bernkastel and Trier when I was here at Spangdahlem last August during Weapons School, but this time we had more time to enjoy the sites.  We've also enjoyed been enjoying some of the more simple things, like the many walking / running trails through the country side near the small town Speicher we currently live in (we move into our permanent house July 1st).

I've been fully back to work for a few weeks now, and took over the Weapons & Tactics section of the squadron on June 1st.  I'm learning day by day, and have been flying and instructing a lot.  Going back to work has been an adjustment for both Lana and I, as we both really enjoyed my time off during our transition from the USA to Germany.  We're excited to be here and thankful God has brought us to Germany!

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!