A Month in Spain...

So here I am in Spain. Got here on Thursday. I'll be here for the whole month of April.

Sounds great right? The catch is - I have to work. What a bummer. But its not all bad. I'm pretty sure we'll have a little time to have some fun and do some travelling.

I'm in the city of Zaragoza which they say is the most interesting thing between Madrid and Barcelona. This part of Spain looks kinda like the high desert. Lots of dry brush and sand and gravel. Out in the distance in every direction there are mesas surrounding the city.

The City of Zaragoza is larger than I expected. Very bustling, lots of people, lots of tapas bars, pubs, and restaurants. A little shopping too. And driving the streets? Hang on for dear life, my friends!
I'm here with about 20 other people in support of a training exercise. In about a week or so there'll be a lot more Americans crawling around this town. Me and one other guy are responsible for setting up all the communications for the whole site. Yes, a pretty daunting task is ahead of us. I see some long days in our future!

So you may not hear from me all that frequently. But I hope to have some pictures of this place posted eventually. One of my first tasks will be to find some Flamenco dancing!!!

Bad Gastein, Austria

Okay stop laughing. That's really the name of the town, I promise!



Susan and I, along with a few of our friends took a weekend trip up to Bad Gastein, Austria for a little snowboarding (for the dudes) and spa/sauna (for the chicks).

Now if you've read any of my other posts, you'll realize that I like snowboarding, but I'm not very good at it. Still a beginner, still learning.


Since I grew up in Texas, snowboarding, or for that matter - snow at all was not something familiar to me. Its only been since I've been stationed here in Italy, living right at the foot of the Alps that I've really found out that I love the mountains.

I knew this would probably be my last boarding trip of the year, so I wanted to enjoy a little mountain village that I'd never been to before. And as any other time you drive up to Austria, you better be ready for some winter weather - no matter the time of year.

The drive took about 3 or 4 hours. This town was located about 1000m above sea level. As you drive towards it, eventually you stop at another town and put your car onto a train. The train takes you through a 15 minute tunnel up to Bad Gastein. I guess the roads are just too dangerous to drive in the winter.



It was a really nice place. Apparently its one of the biggest resorts in Austria, they've got runs that go on forever. The weather was pretty cold. it was mostly overcast so you couldn't really see the tops of the mountains 2600 meters up. At the top the weather was flat nasty! Windy, snowy, and bitter cold. There were times when you couldn't even see the trail you were on. Still, as a learning snowboarder, I pretty much held my own. Didn't take any falls that were too nasty. And I only went off the runs once -- But that was enough for me because I ended up sinking almost 3 feet into the snow. I had to roll myself down to the run. If you could have seen me, you'd have fallen down laughing. Luckily my friends didn't see it!

It snowed almost all day Saturday. We boarded for a good 5 or 6 hours while the ladies checked out the co-ed naked spas... (yeah, that's right, co-ed AND naked) but that's not my story to tell! You'll have to ask Susan about that one!


Saturday night we went out to a few of the local pubs and hit a good restaurant. A good time was had by all!


Sunday we hit the slopes again but this time it was only 3 hours before I was ready to call it quits. I was ready to head home after a late lunch.



The drive home seemed a lot quicker than the drive up there. But it turned out to be a great weekend.
I've only got one more weekend here before I head to Spain for the whole month of April. I'm pretty sure I won't be snowboarding there!

When does a beer taste the best?

I opened up MSN.com and saw this quote in an article about skiing:

"Never, ever does beer taste better than after a day of “skiing.” It’s not just a drink, it’s a bronze medal."

After Saturday, I think I might have to agree. Me and a couple friends went up to the closest Ski spot to the base, Piancavallo. Its pretty small and easy, so its perfect for beginners and people recovering from injuries like myself.

Now, since Lent started last week, I had decided that I was going to TRY to give up beer. Then I remembered how much I enjoy a good brew after I get done boarding. So I changed my mind and decided to give up wine for 40 days instead. Don't get me wrong, I love a good merlot, but wine and I just don't have the history and the relationship...

So after we finish up our boarding and head into the nearest lodge/restaurant, we sit down and get settled. My basic instinct kicked in and I felt it was time for a beer. I knew I was going to have to drive down the mountain again so I knew I could only have one. And they had Lowenbrau on draft! Perfect.

So it made me ask myself, would it be any easier to go without beer in the summertime? I don't know. What about when you're at the beach? Or after playing softball? What about if you're at a baseball game? What do you think?

I guess for me, there are certain times when it just feels natural to be holding a beer. After a day of boarding in the Alps, sitting in a lodge in the valley with some friends, eating some goulash and wienerschnitzel (cause that's what they serve over here, and its awesome!)... nothing goes down easier.

Another week in the Air Force

Well, the week is about to start. Looks like it'll be a busy one. Lots of training I need to get done, along with school, and studying for my promotion exam. A couple weeks ago I renewed my M-16 rifle qualification, and this coming week I have to renew my Chem gear qualification. Yeah, not nearly as much fun as shooting the rifle.

If you've never worn a gas mask before, imagine having a rubber seal around your face and every breath you take only has about half the oxygen as normal air. If you have an itch on your nose, you can't scratch it. If you need to sneeze, try not to get snot on the inside of your mask. If you get hungry, you can't eat. The only way to drink is if you have your water valve cleaned and working.

So if you think you're having a bad week, just be glad you don't have to wear a gas mask at work.

Carnevale in Italy!

You've probably all heard about Carnevale celebrations. Its celebratied all over Italy and all over the world, including the US where it goes by the name Mardi Gras.


Well, this year Susan and I were able to check out a couple places here in Italy that are famous for their Carnevale celebrations, Venice and Viareggio. Venice is only a 45 minute train ride from our house so we got plenty of pictures from there.

But the town of Viareggio was a little different. It is a small coastal town just north of Pisa. The town is famous all over Italy for its parades of giant paper mache floats.

The themes of the parades are always sarcastic or satirical. So there are mockeries of politicians, big business, capitalism, politicians, and of course this year, there was plenty of George W. Bush hating. These floats were truly amazing - huge, mechanical, and immaculately designed.

But it was all in good fun, and we had a great time down there. Here are photo albums of both places. Enjoy...

Venice Carnevale

Viareggio Carnevale

Flashback to Oktoberfest 2005

I just got some really good pics from a friend of ours who went with us to Oktoberfest 2005. So I decided to write a quick post and share the photos.

Oktoberfest is really one of the coolest things I've been to in Europe. It was originally started in Munich in the 1800s in celebration of King Ludwig's wedding. Now it is a celebration of the end of the harvest season and of beer and wine. Munich is about 5 hours away from where I live. Susan and I drove up there with a couple friends. The drive itself is beautiful as you pass through the Italian and Austrian Alps.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Oktoberfest 2005