Pompeii and Positano

After two days in the Eternal City we decided to venture south. We caught a train headed for Naples, prepared for a day in Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Although the weather wasn't ideal, the little rain did not slow us down.

Pompeii is a captivating sight. Once a thriving port and trading town, it is now the most famous and one of the best preserved Roman cities. Covered in 27 feet of ash after the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD, the city has been slowly excavated and is now an excellent example of life in the Roman Empire. Our pictures don't do it justice, but they're a glimpse of the wonderful sights of Pompeii.

Looking down a road in Pompeii. The large stones
served as both crosswalks and ancient speed bumps.

Linda in her native habitat... an old bakery with flour
grinders still standing.


One of the most interesting things we saw... this is an
ancient lunch counter where Romans could sample the
soup du jour.
Us in the amphitheater.

The four of us in the town center.

From Pompeii, our guide drove us to a little restaurant in Positano. He assured us it would provide the perfect setting for an Italian Thanksgiving feast; we were skeptical, but he was driving, so we were more-or-less a captive audience. Five courses of the best food we've had in Europe, many bottles of great wine, and an indescribable view proved him correct. It was a Thanksgiving to be remembered.

The view from our table.

The entrance to the restaurant.

The beach in Positano

Stuffed to the rafters, we walked off some of the dinner in Positano and Sorrento, a town farther up the coast. It was still chilly and somewhat drizzly, but the weather could not dampen our time on the Amalfi Coast. Looks like we have a vacation spot for better weather next summer!

Ciao

Roma!

November gave us a lot to be thankful for... Linda and Lee came to visit! They arrived the Sunday before Thanksgiving and we picked up the travelers at Marco Polo airport. No rest for the weary as we left for Rome bright and early Tuesday morning. We boarded the fast train and introduced our guests to the ambiance of Italian rail travel.

We arrived in Rome that afternoon and, after dropping our things off at the hotel, set off to explore. After a scheduling hiccup, we decided to walk and familiarize ourselves with our corner of the Eternal City. With Rick Steves as our guide, we were able to see many of Rome's most picturesque sights, including the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, the Four Rivers fountain, and the Spanish Steps. We finished the day, tired from walking, with a good dinner and an early night to bed.

In front of the Spanish Steps

Lee and Linda throwing their coins into the Trevi Fountain

Refreshed, we awoke Wednesday morning to conquer ancient Rome. Our first stop was Victor Emmanuel's monument, Trajan's column and the adjacent market. Trajan's forum was an extension of the old forum, built when the city of Rome outgrew the original city center. Across the street the glory and intrigue of the once-great empire met us in the forum. We strolled the ancient grounds as we viewed buildings dating from 497 BC. A bit of imagination and Rick Steves' guide allowed us to imagined what it must have looked like in its prime. We exited the forum and made our way past the arches of Titus and Constantine to the Colosseum.

The Victor Emmanuel Monument (The wedding cake building)

Trajan's column and forum

Once home of gladiator games and pitched (albeit man-made) sea battles, the Colosseum remains impressive even in its decay. During its time, 51,000 roaring Romans packed the stands. Only 1/3 of the Colosseum remains, but the remains allow you to visualize the grand construction of the ancient world's most famous sporting venue. From the colosseum we caught a cab back to the hotel for lunch and a quick riposo before the afternoon's activities.

In the Colosseum

Shortly after lunch, we met our tour guide at the Vatican for a private tour of the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's basilica. Lucky for us our tour guide, had 42 years of experience and was able to give insights and details that made the whole experience spectacular. We made our way through the museum and entered the Sistine Chapel, completely renovated and beautiful. Our final stop was St Peter's basilica, where we were blown away by the size, wealth, and beauty of the church. Interestingly, all the works of art on the walls and ceilings are mosaics, though they could easily pass for frescoes. We exited through St Peter's square and walked out of one of the world's smallest countries to find a taxi.

The alter in St Peter's basilica

St Peter's Square

St Peter's square at sunset

Back in our neighborhood, we strolled by the Trevi fountain at night to see it illuminated. A few glasses of wine and one excellent meal later and - basta - we were ready to hit the hay. Thursday included a day trip (which we'll cover in another post) and was another great day of sightseeing.

The Pantheon at night

Lee and Linda at the Trevi Fountain at night

Friday morning we returned to the ancient city center, this time to see the Palatine hill. As we toured the gardens and palaces of the Caesars, we enjoyed the lofty position (literally) to see the Circus Maximus and gaze down upon the forum. There, we also saw the caves and huts of Romulus and Remus, the birthplace of Rome. We hurried back to our hotel and then to the train station to catch our train just in time. A short train ride later we arrived in chilly northern Italy with good photos and great memories.

Ave Cesare! Lee standing in the location of Caesar's throne

View of the Colosseum from the Palatine

The splendor of the Forum from the Palatine

Rome wasn't built in a day, but it can be toured in three. Our whirlwind visit allowed us to see the best Rome had to offer and gave us a better understanding of Italian history.

We came, we saw, we conquered... Ciao!

Oktoberfest 2010

For the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest, a group of 12 of us traveled to Munich to celebrate in style...Bavarian style that is!

We arrived in Munich on Friday afternoon and quickly dressed in our Bavarian garb. Caleb and I picked out a matching yellow checkered pattern for our lederhosen and dirndl. All suited up, the group jumped on the U-Bahn (German subway) and headed down to Oktoberfest! It was like nothing we had ever seen. Resembling the Texas State Fair on steroids, Oktoberfest boasted tons of rides, games, and food booths. Seating anywhere from 1000 to 8000 people, the crowning glory, were the beer tents! We perched ourselves at a table in the Lowenbrau tent and enjoyed pretzels, beer, roasted chicken, the German band, and all the festivities.

A view of the festival

In our garb

Outside the Lowenbrau tent

Inside the Lowenbrau Tent

Saturday we went back down to the fair grounds, but the crowd was overwhelming! A few bratwursts and pretzels later, we decided to venture into downtown Munich. Along our walk, we saw the beautiful town and ended up at the Hofbrau Haus for lunch/dinner. A smaller version of Oktoberfest, we still enjoyed all of the excitement the festival had to offer.

At the festival on day 2

The hall in Haufbrau Haus

Hoffbrau Haus with the Ludingtons

After a wonderful weekend in Munich, we loaded up the car on Sunday and took the beautiful drive home through Austria and back into Italy. We had a great time with friends as we enjoyed the real Oktoberfest, a once-in-a-lifetime experience... until next year!

Ciao

Land of the Midnight Sun

While Jordan was exploring Scotland with the girls, I went on my first TDY from Aviano. I went with our sister squadron,the 555FS, to Kallax AB near Lulea, Sweden. It was quite an experience. First, the country is beautiful, at least during the summer, and we really enjoyed the town and interacting with the Swedes who were excellent hosts. It was strange to have the sun set around 11 pm and rise around 2-3 am; even at the darkest point it was only dusk.

Lulea, Sweden

The flying was pretty great. I flew two upgrade rides there: Close Air Support (CAS) and Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM). The CAS ride was awesome because I was able to drop two 2000 lb inert (concrete) bombs and strafe with the gun. We don't have these opportunities often at Aviano, so it was great training to drop actual weapons on my upgrade ride and work with forward air controllers on the ground. A lot of other pilots were able to fly against the Swedish Gripens stationed at Kallax and they really benefited from the dissimilar training.

The pilots and maintainers with the Gripen and the mighty Viper!

We enjoyed the town of Lulea even though almost everything in Sweden is far more expensive than Italy (i.e. it cost around $30 for a burger/fries). There was a large music festival the second weekend we were there and it was fun to walk around and listen to some music. That same weekend the 555FS had a naming ceremony for a lot of their wingmen and they rented a great place on a beautiful lake near the town. I helped out the other new guys and we ran errands to get food, etc for the rest of the guys.

View of the lake where the naming was held

All in all it was a great couple weeks and I was able to see Sweden. We'd like to go back and visit Stockholm and see all the sites. The TDY was nice because it made Italy really feel like home and I was very happy to return to Sacile to see Jordan, sleep in our bed, and be at home.

Ciao