Athens on Uncle Sam

What a deal! I got to go to Greece to pick up jets, along with two other guys, Face Glynn and Rip (aka FNG) Perry. Because our commercial flight got into Athens late, we could not fly the F-16s out the next day, so we had a day to kill in Athens. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. We booked rooms at the Hilton, and because it was January (low season), got the US Embassy rate, but an Executive Suite. Very nice!

Bright and early, it was off to the Acropolis, the rocky outcropping in the middle of town that holds the Parthenon, the temple of Athena, as well as a temple to Poseidon, the Dionysus Amphitheater and Atticus Odeon theater.

The Dionysus Theater, seated 15,000:



Here I am sitting in the Dionysus theater, which has been there for 2,500 years, having been constructed around 500 B.C. However it was NEWLY renovated in 326 B.C., so it's not all that old. I wonder how many people saw Antigone or the plays of the Oresteia sitting right here?



Up the steps and past the dogs of the Acropolis (random dozens of dogs that roam free, but are kept healthy by the city and the locals) We arrived at the Parthenon, getting its once every millennium or so restoration. They just don't build 'em like they used to!



Walking around the top of the Acropolis was a dream come true for a guy who minored in Western Civilization. From early childhood through present day I have been fascinated with Greek civilization, the origins of Democracy, philosophy, literature, military foundations, etc.



It was cool. We went down into town for some good seafood and stopped at this little bar with Ouzo and every flavor liquor you could imagine, and then some:



Oh yeah, here's a view, from the top of the Acropolis of the ORIGINAL Olympic stadium. You can see the stands on the left. It makes a horseshoe into the mountain. At the lower right, you can see the remains of the Temple of Zeus.



Here's a closer-up view of the stadium:



Turning back, here's a view back up to the Acropolis:



Here's a view out of the hotel overlooking the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis:



Free trip to Athens. Not too bad. All I had to do was fly an F-16 back through Italy the next day. With maintenance problems, snow and bad weather, I earned a bit of that trip after all.

Hahira Crew Comes to Visit

What a great New Year's gift. The Hardigrees and Williams families sent over GB and Emily Hardigree and Nick Williams for just over a week. We made the most of it locally and in London. Here's the story.

On our way back form the airport, we stopped in Manderscheid, the site of the annual August Jousting Festival. On this day it was a snowy, frozen reminder of opposing empires (see the two castles--this was the line of demarcation between the Duchy of Luxembourg and the Arch Bishop of Trier's territory). To celebrate the thousand years or so of conflict, we had a snowball fight!



After some jet lag recuperation time, we headed for the local speedway--a go-kart track with fast cars, automated timing system and a private run just for us. Oh yeah:



Soon, we grew tired of beer, schnitzel and unrestricted go-karts. We packed our bags, borrowed an SUV and headed for Brussels and the EuroStar train that would take us under the English Channel to London. Jeff sang "Under the Sea" from the Little Mermaid for 1.5 hours of the 2 our train ride, but GB was still able to smile when we got out at King's Cross/St Pancras station in London. The name's "B"..."G...B.":



So we were in London, late in the afternoon, so what could we do quickly? How about the Museum of Natural History? Yeah, there's only 70 million specimens, gathered over 400 years. That might kill an hour or two. We stuck to the dinosaurs and the giant blue whale exhibit.



Our Hotel was about a 5 minute walk from Victoria Station and we took the Tube everywhere. For you non-London savvy people, that's the Underground, aka the subway.



The girls had tickets to see the East End play "Wicked," a new spin on the Wizard of Oz witch. They got all dolled up and had a fancy night on the town. Jeff and the boys had a boys night out. We went down to the lively Leicester Square (they say "Lester Square") in the heart of the theatre district and got some 40's and hung out under an awning until movie time. We saw Sherlock Holmes, how appropriate. The next morning, we dropped the kids off at the London Dungeon:



We then toured the Tower of London, including your one-each Yeoman Warder tour.



Often mistaken as "London Bridge," here you see the crew posing in front of Tower Bridge, its actual name. This is where they stuck the heads, on pikes, of traitors beheaded on Tower Hill.



With a little time to kill, we headed over (after a delicious Wagamama lunch) to the Imperial War Museum for some Battle of Britain education, as well as some insights into WWI, WWII and the Holocaust. It was a very hands on place and had some cool tanks, planes, missiles, etc.



All we needed was a saxaphone and a hat and we could have made some $$. Actually, in London, we would have made ££! Try finding THAT on your keyboard! We took this pic because we love the odd names of stuff in London. What do you think happened, an elephant escaped from the zoo and walked past a castle on the VERY day they were naming this stop?



That night, we got discount tickets to a play in Piccadilly Circus. Okay, so yet another ridiculous name. Also no circus here. This is sort of the Times Square of London. Here, we're watching street dancers.



Then it was on to see the play "The 39 Steps." It is a comedy spy thriller that is a string of Hitchcock movie references. Although there are over 120 characters in the play, there are only 4 actors in the cast. It was fast paced and funny.



Pre-game, we had beers for the boys and mixed drinks for the grown ups in the parlor. Emily and Katie had cokes.



It was now getting close to midnight on New Year's eve, so we, and 5-7 million of our closest friends, headed out to the Thames (they say "Tims") for the fireworks show. We found a decent spot right out in front of Westminster Abbey. The fireworks were launched from the base of and on the London Eye, itself. They were awesome. Watching them next to the Abbey, over Parliament and Big Ben, with the Eye in the background is a sight we'll never forget.



Crowded? Yes. Cold? Oh yeah. Cool. You bet!



After midnight, the kids took turns in this red phone booth calling Moms to say "Happy New Year." and to explain what life was like in 2010: all meals in pill form, flying cars and the whole world ruled by damned dirty apes.



First thing we did in 2010? The London Eye. It was a beautiful morning for a "flight" on the Eye. If you are unfamiliar, it is a state of the art, 500 foot Ferris Wheel across the Thames from Big Ben and Parliament.



Here's Nick with the previously mentioned Big Ben and Parliament over his left shoulder. The cabins you rid in are mostly galss and about the size of a spare bedroom. It is really awesome. You ride for 1 revolution, which takes 30 minutes.



We bungee jumped from the top, were hoisted back up, then flew para-gliders across the river to Westminster Abbey. Okay, that may be an exaggeration. We may have walked across the bridge. We were disappointed to find out that Big Ben, like the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, and many other landmarks of the world are no taller than a 12 year old girl! We took this picture in ONE take, Amanda! Ha!



We took a 1 hour Audio Guide tour of the Abbey and were impressed. Inside is the largest collection of kings, queens and poets/writers in the world...all dead of course. People like Chaucer, Shakespeare, Byron etc, are burried in "poet's corner." The tomb of the unknown British soldier is here and beautifully kept, ringed in red posies. The throne used to coronate kings and queens is kept here. It has a compartment at the bottom to put a sacred boulder from Scotland during the ceremony to keep the Scots in line under the Monarchy...how bizarre.



Our last stop, but certainly not the least was St Paul's Cathedral. This enduring symbol of Britain, rising above the burning city during the Blitz is as impressive an architectural masterpiece as any on earth. You can barely see the dome in the pic because we're so close, but is is there. Sir Christopher Wren redesigned the WHOLE city of London after the Great Fire of 1666. He's the guy who had the streets widened into avenues and the entire city built of stone (to prevent future fires). This cathedral is is masterpiece and his tomb lies at its center. An inscription reads (loosely) "If you seek his monument, look around you."



Here's a famous photo from 1940 during the Blitz of London. See that thing sticking off the top of the dome? That's where we decided to climb up to:



700+ stairs=no problem. We felt it in our legs, but we kept pressing to the top.



Here we are, victorious, with a magnificent view of the city. This was our last event in London, bringing a great trip to a close with one of the world's greatest monuments.



It was back onto the EuroStar and back "Under the Sea" through the Chunnel beneath the English Channel to Brussels, although they spell it Bruxelles.



A day later, Jena brought the kids to Frankfurt and sent the kids home. We enjoyed having them, and sharing our European experience.

Christmas 2009

Christmas this year was pretty low key. Due to our impending PCS back to the USA in March, we decided not to travel back home. We had friends over on Christmas Eve for fried turkey (Jeff missed leftover fried turkey from thanksgiving due to the Rothenburg trip). Jeff even fried an extra one for another family. The Goeppingers and Keagan and her two little ones came over for food, cards, and Rock Band. Here's the kiddie table, left to right, Sierra, Taylor, Tyler, David and Madison:



Time to rock and roll. Taylor on drums, Tyler on guitar and Andrew and Maddy singing a duet:



Enough of that Cold Play crap, let's play some Ozzy! OZZY OZZY OZZY! Jeff is playing the part of Randy Rhodes:



In standard Lee tradition, we opened presents on Christmas Eve. We got great gifts from each other and family. There were even shirts that Jeff ACTUALLY likes and has been wearing since. Truly a Christmas miracle!



Jena tried waiting up for Santa Clause in her "footie pajamas," complete with rubber duckies, but she's just a baby and couldn't hold out. Even the dogs didn't wake up when Santa came down the chimney. They had a rough day fighting off little hands constantly grabbing at them. Santa ate his milk and cookies and may or may not have copped a little feel...



Santa left more than a box of rocks or coal, which is somewhat surprising. Andrew got a new TV on which to game. Katie got a new iPod on which to store her inner city song collection, boiiii, as well as a collection of leather items and mystery games.



Note the turkey fryer in the background. I emptied it for the movers 2 days ago. It still smelled delicious by the way...mmm, fried turkey. I see a new Texas tradition in the future for Cinco de Mayo: fried turkey!

Thanksgiving and Rothenburg ob der Tauber

We decided not to travel home for the holidays, as we are coming home this Spring. Instead, we spent Thanksgiving with our friends, the Goeppingers--Jimmy, Amanda, Taylor, Tyler, and Madison. They also had a couple of friends in town visiting from Texas.

Jeff and Andrew and Jimmy fried 2 turkeys to go along with a spiral cut ham and the most amazing side dishes. There was a squash/tortilla casserole, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, corn and more. We did one turkey with Cajun spices and butter, the other with olive oil and traditional poultry seasonings. Here are the guys frying turkey behind Jimmy's house:



Carving time. Jeff demonstrating the proper method of carving the breast (removing the whole breast, then slicing it cross-wise) Oh yeah!



With Thanksgiving past and football watched, we palmed the kids off to various friends and headed out for a romantic weekend in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. It is a 2.5 hour drive away and an awesome walled medieval city. First stop, the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum. Cool. We enjoyed reading the various infractions and punishments. Did you know it was a crime for poor people to drink coffee? Or for a man to let his wife slap him? For the last offense, he would lead her around town on a donkey while the townsfolk egged and beat them both, while verbally attacking them. Apparently the penalty for being to sexy for your clothes is the stockade:



The reason some of you may have heard of this town is that it is the epicenter of Christmas! Kathe Wolfhart, the famous German Christmas decoration store has 4 shops in the town, turning out millions of ornaments and decorations, such as nut crackers, pyramids, smokers, etc. Cha-Ching!!



The must-do item in town is the "Night Watchman Tour." The German tour guide speaks great English and is very witty and has a good grasp of comedy and schtick. The story he told of the history of the town was great and the ambiance of touring the town at night was perfect.



Here's a look into one of the famous schneeballen (snow ball) shops. These are fried dough covered in dozens of different flavors, like chocolate, apple, cinamon sugar, etc.



Like all European cities, it comes equipped with several impressive churches. The folding alters (seen behind Jeff) were huge and ornate here.



Just down the street from our hotel, the Goldener Hirsch, was the main square. We were there for the opening day of the Christmas market, complete with bands and carolers. We walked everywhere we went, which was a great excuse to keep pounding the Gluhwein (hot mulled red wine).



Here's a glimpse of some Christmas market stands in front of city hall.



Unbeknownst to us when we first arranged to stay at our hotel, this famous corner site of Rothenburg lay right outside our door. We got up in the morning to find tour groups outside blocking our exit looking at this scene. Here's an artist rendition which we purchased from a shop nearby. It was drawn in 1925. Compare it to Jena's picture.



Rothenburg ob der Tauber was a jewel not far from the house with a storied past and interesting mix of tourists and locals. We would have loved to share it with the kids, but they would not have been occupied with "stuff" to do all the time. It is a place for couples and romance...and plenty of Gluhwein! Thanksgiving with our friends felt like family and we had a great time. Jeff only regretted that he had no left overs because we had to travel. We fried more Turkeys for Christmas to make up for it.