Turkiye TDY

This summer, I (Caleb) got to go TDY with our squadron to Konya, Turkey. We were gone for most of June participating in the Anatolian Eagle large-force exercise. The flying was interesting, especially when an Anatolian eagle and his friend decided to smack into my canopy and engine on departure one day. All-in-all the experience was good, but frustrating at times due to language and cultural barriers. Our off-time, however, was awesome!

We spent three weekends in this fascinating country and enjoyed each one. The country is 98% Muslim and Konya is the most conservative town. Turkey felt like it was torn between maintaining tradition while pursuing western culture. In the modern mall across the street from our 5-star hotel, Muslim women in head coverings watched music videos in the food court showing Turkish pop-stars singing on a beach in bikinis.

The traffic circle outside the hotel as seen from my room. We always had to watch

out for donkey carts in this roundabout on the drive to base. 

On our first free weekend, we packed up our rental cars and proceeded 3 hrs east towards Cappodocia. We drove in style in our Punk Van (young Viper pilots are enviously referred to as "Punks"). Cappodocia felt like a mix between the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and Sedona, AZ. Our first stop was in a cave complex that was built around 400 BC. It descended 6 layers into the earth and housed early Christians who sought shelter from persecution underground.

Enjoying the Punk Van cabin with "Sonic" Murnan

Following the cave city, our Intel Officer "Buster" Scott negotiated some "best prices" for us at a hookah bar and, while we were enjoying Turkish water pipes, worked a great deal for a group 4-wheeler tour. I don't think the tour company knew what they were getting into. We tore through the rock formations like, well, a bunch of fighter pilots. It was a blast!

 Cappodocia, Turkey

The rock formations were amazing, and many of the strange formations had been carved out to make homes for ancient Turks.

 Hell on wheels...

One of the coolest sites was the cave "castle" that was carved into a large rock formation. We enjoyed scrambling up, around, and through the rooms of the caves. We enjoyed the rest of our tour and only broke two 4-wheelers which, considering our riding styles, wasn't too bad - at least not something a couple more Turkish Lira couldn't fix.

Top: The rock "castle"

Bottom: In front of the "castle" with "Bear" Goldsberry

The following weekend, after a great International Night spent hanging out with the pilots from the other participating countries, we made another excursion. This time, we drove north to the capital, Ankara. The destination this weekend was a rug store so we could do some rug shopping. This trip was so much more than looking for a nice rug - it was a complete experience. The owner and host threw us a full Turkish BBQ with grilled lamb, chicken, peppers, tomatoes, bread, and fruit. The food and drinks kept coming and after a couple helpings of each, we were ready to get to work. Each and every rug displayed was a work of art. All the rugs were handmade and hailed from Afghanistan, Turkey, and "Eastern Turkey" (read: Iran). Each of us rug-hunters was soon deep into negotiations - "No, no. How much?" - and sorting through the myriad of options. After much negotiation, and walking away a couple times, I finally settled on a beautiful wool-on-wool Usak rug that is sitting in our living room as I write this post.

 Detail on our rug

The following day, on the way home, we stopped by Ataturk's mausoleum. It is hard to understand how revered Ataturk is in modern Turkey. If you curse Ataturk, you can be arrested and fined. He led the Turks during WWI and was the first president of independent Turkey. He is their George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Chuck Norris all in one. His mausoleum was impressive and a good sight to see considering the historic importance of this great man.

 In front of Ataturk's Mausoleum

 

After most of the squadron left, six of us remained behind for one last weekend. We decided to take it easy this time and drove south towards Antalya. Located in a large bay flanked by a steep mountain range to the west and rock cliffs to the east, Antalya is a popular beach resort location. We enjoyed the sun and waves and a relaxing weekend after a couple weeks of hard work and time away from home.

 The beach in Antalya

The trip back to Konya was a bit interesting as our Turkish GPS system and own ignorance of the Turkish road system led us deep into the mountains northeast of Antalya. Since we had driven on some dirt roads under construction on the trip down, we weren't surprised when our road turned into gravel and dirt. We should have been concerned, however, when the road changed to rocks and we didn't see another human being or sign of life for about 51 minutes. Long story short: we were able to get down off the mountain and still arrive, alive, in Konya that night.

Our "road" in the mountains

The TDY was good, although it was even better to return back home. Turkey is an interesting country and the people in the shops and restaurants were some of the friendliest and most helpful people I've ever met in all my travels. I'll probably spend some more time in Turkey and, if I do, I'll be sure to post about it. Until then...

Ciao!

Tulips in Amsterdam

While living in Italy, I am privileged and blessed to hang out and live life with amazing spouses.  The husbands may be hard at work in the 510th, but the Buzzettes are the glue that hold everything together. And in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, sometimes the wives need to play! So my sweet friends Domenica, Corrie, and Rachel accompanied me on a fantastic trip to Amsterdam in early May. Our goal...enjoy the city, the tulips, and some much needed girl time!

We began our long weekend at the Corrie Ten Boom House, where we took an incredible tour and step back in time into the life of this heroic woman. We were all touched by the experience (especially, Corrie, who received her name because of Miss Ten Boom!). We spent the rest of the day strolling around Amsterdam, shopping, and relaxing.

The Hiding Place in the Ten Boom House

On Saturday, we walked to the Anne Frank House and Museum for another eye-opening look into history. We spent the afternoon at the Keukenhof gardens enjoying the tulips and other flowers, and then explored the southern part of the city that evening with dinner and a pub crawl. 

     

 Me, Domenica, Corrie and Rachel

Sunday was low key, while we walked around, shopped, and visited the Bloemenmarkt, which is the famous floating flower market. On a whim, we decided to rent a paddle boat to further see the canals and architecture of the city. Upon our flight home on Monday, we reflected on the beauty of a the city, influenced by history, indulgence, and bicycles. We had a fun adventure on our first girls trip, and look forward to many more to come.

Ciao!

Lu-blee-yah-nah

This spring has been an interesting one (no special thanks to a certain crazy dictator) and we needed a weekend get away to catch up on r&r and quality spouse time. We took advantage of a brief window of time and spent 48 hours in Ljubljana, Slovenia (see the phonetic guide in the title).

In light of recent activities and our usual pace of traveling, this trip was the most laid back and relaxed one yet! We stayed in a beautiful hotel, meandered around the city, and spent time soaking up the spring air. The first afternoon we rode the funicular up to the Ljubljana castle and watched a short 3D presentation on the history of Slovenia. Yes, it is that fascinating... But the lookout tower did provide some excellent views of the city!

Funicular to the top of the castle hill

Looking down from the lookout tower into a main section of the old town

View from the top

On our way back to Italy, we stopped in Postojna (Post-oy-nia) for the afternoon. A few kilometers from the town we toured the Predjama (still not sure how to pronounce it correctly) Castle. This unique castle is fun to explore since it is built into the side of the cliffs. Different sections of the castle date from different periods and the tour offers an interesting architectural history of the area. Plus, part of the castle is up inside the cliffs/caves! Neat!

In front of the castle

The area in front of the castle is used to host a Medieval festival each year.
This is the jousting arena

Climbing into cave...in the castle!

Bad lighting, but an interesting concept to have a castle in a cave

Our last stop in Slovenia was the Postojna cave. The 21 kilometers of stalagmites, stalactites, and flowstones have been hosting visitors since 1818. It was chilly, but absolutely amazing! Photography was not allowed, so check out the website to catch a glimpse.

After almost a full year without Thai food, we chowed down in Ljubljana on some excellent cuisine. Coupled with much needed time away, interesting sites, and an absolutely beautiful drive through a one-of-a-kind country, Slovenia quickly became one of our favorite spots! We can't wait to get back and explore more.

Ciao

Firenze

We kicked off 2011 with two separate trips to Florence, with both friends and family. We took a 3 day weekend in January with Dave and Lynn Gertiser then returned to meet the Cienskis - Jo, Todd, and Alma - in February.

By the Arno River

On the first trip, we drove the Fiat down and learned what people mean when they say driving around Florence is crazy. Without Dave's iPhone we would probably still be lost in the back streets to this day. But once we arrived we were treated to a lovely hotel and great sushi next door. We hit the town Saturday and Sunday and toured the Uffizi gallery and the Duomo.
The Uffizi gallery is home to many great pieces of Renaissance art, including numerous paintings by Raphael, Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio. We enjoyed seeing all the wonderful paintings that we had learned about in art appreciation classes.

Us with the Duomo in the background

The Cathedral of Florence, or the Duomo, is one of the most iconic sites in Florence. Decorated with white, green, and pink marble, the facade of the Duomo is unlike any other church in Italy. We hiked to the top, passing the inside of the dome where we were able to see the ceiling paintings up close. The views from the top were breathtaking and we enjoyed the panoramic perspective of this beautiful city. We wrapped up our trip with a stop by the Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are buried. All in all it was a great weekend of culture, wine, and great friends.

Caleb, Jordan, Dave, and Lynn from the top of the Duomo

In February, we returned to Firenze to meet Todd, Jo, and Alma for a quick visit before returning to Sacile. They took the train up from Rome and we drove down, this time with more luck than before. It was a short trip, but packed with Florentine culture.

The bridge with shops on it is the Ponte Vecchio,
You can see the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio on the right

Our first stop was the Academia, the home of The David. Even after seeing photos, the statue is more stunning and impressive than one can imagine. A stroll through the leather markets took us back to the Duomo. This time, it was the fam's turn to scale the 460+ steps to the top as we waited for them at the bottom.

Jo, Todd, and Alma in front of the Duomo

The Duomo as seen from the Palazzo Vecchio

The next day we toured the Palazzo Vecchio, former home of the Medicis and the current city hall of Florence. While Todd, Jo, and Alma toured the Uffizi, we strolled through the chocolate festival in the Piazza Santa Croce. Although it was a quick visit, we couldn't pass up the chance to spend time in one of our favorite cities.

Inside the main hall of the Palazzo Vecchio

The chocolate market in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce

Ciao!

Praha

Since we did not have enough time to make it home to our families for Christmas, Caleb and I, along with two other couples, decided to travel to the beautiful city of Prague. Known for their elaborate Christmas markets and celebrations, Prague had a lot in store for the six of us!

We arrived late Wednesday night and took a cab over to our hotel. Preparing for three days of fun, we hit the hay early and awoke on Thursday morning to explore the city. Good thing we brought our sweaters with us...it was COLD! We began by exploring the Christmas markets in Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square. It was a wonderland of Christmas trees, sparking lights, and fair food! We sampled everything from the Trdelnik to pork, with a lot of hot, spiced wine in between (we had to stay warm somehow!!). Next, we decided to take a hike over the Charles Bridge and up to the Prague Castle. Unfortunately the view wasn't too good since a thick layer of cold fog enveloped the city. It was still beautiful to see Prague from a new angle, and the walking kept us warm! We ventured back down to our neck of the woods, hopped in a cab, and went to a delightful dinner at a place called The Pub. There were taps located on every table with a "serve-it-yourself" policy. A little overwhelmed by the excellent food and beer (there were 3 pork knees eaten), we walked back to the hotel and slept like babies!

Caleb and me in Old Town Square

Jan Hus Memorial in Old Town Square

Opposite side of Old Town Square

View of foggy Prague from the castle

Charles Bridge

Taps on our table at The Pub

Church of Our Lady Before Týn in Old Town Square on our walk back

Because the people of the Czech Republic celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December, we spent both the 24th and 25th leisurely walking around the city, enjoying the festivities, and eating delicious food. The Jewish Quarter was especially beautiful, and we ate incredible dinners both evenings to celebrate Christmas.

A synagogue in the Jewish Quarter

Trdelnik stand

They are making the Trdelnik...which is basically a doughnut type dough,
wrapped around a long wooden pole and covered in cinnamon
and sugar while being roasted over an open flame. YUM

Merry Christmas 2011

Although the weather left much to be desired, we enjoyed every moment we spent in Prague and would go back in a heart beat...and hopefully when the sun is shining and we can leave our coats at home!

Ciao!

Chocolate and Cheese and Snow-Chains...oh my!! (Switzerland, day 3)

The third day of our Swiss adventure started with a morning drive to St. Moritz. We arrived shortly after lunch, ate a great meal, and went off to explore. The town was absolutely beautiful and each business was busily preparing for the opening of ski season...which happened to be the day after we were leaving! Christmas decorations adorned many windows and the mountains glistened with freshly fallen snow. It was the most quiet, beautiful day to enjoy the town.

Mom and Dad in front of a hotel in town

Caleb and Dad

Caleb and I

Beautiful town of St. Moritz

After a day of exploring, we decided to eat dinner in our hotel. We shared a great meal and headed back out to see St. Moritz at night. We all agreed to enjoy a glass of wine in our room and then turn in for the night. It was such a relaxing day and we were so glad to see this part of Switzerland.

Getting ready for Christmas in the town

We awoke the next morning to snow! A lot of snow! A little wary of the drive home, we thought it best to get on the road early. After heeding the advice of the hotel manager, we drove to the nearest gas station to buy snow chains. It was a treacherous drive that took twice as long as normal, so we were very thankful for the snow chains and Caleb's expert driving!

Caleb and Dad putting the snow chains on. Mom and I were such a big help
sitting in the car and taking pictures.

Switzerland was such a treat and we were excited to have my parents experience the Alps covered in snow. We breathed a sigh of relief upon reaching a much drier Sacile, but were so thankful for such a wonderful trip.

Ciao!