Travis-Rota-Souda-Naples-Vicenza-Land...

Author Message   Danny Hamilton Senior Member Username: Dannyhamilton Post Number: 535 Registered: 03-2004 Posted From: 68.225.115.15 Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 05:48 pm:    Lee, Jakob was probably using the ' mark as it is used in Latitude & Longitude locating. ' meaning "minutes" and " meaning seconds (which would probably never be used to convey the length of time for a walk!) I saw the same mark (') used in another posting and figured out it meant minutes. Maybe it is some sort of texting shorthand?   William Standage Senior Member Username: Charlie13 Post Number: 985 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 75.172.63.182 Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 05:28 pm:    Having a cab drop you off at the Main vehicle gate will cost significantly more euros, and won't really save you much in bag drag distance, That veh gate is maybe 200 shorter walk to the lodge than the usual pedestrian gate. The 24hr drive through gate is located on a divided hwy, and is not easily accessed by direct means via road from the train station. The shortest and most direct route to the base from the train station to head to the "old" maingate on Via Della Pace (pedestrian 24h, veh only during rush hr). This is the same gate the city bus also stops near. I doubt most civilian cabs would try and take you to the drive-in gate as they probably all know they can't enter to compound and they don't want the hassle from the Cabinerri.   Leland Senior Member Username: Leland Post Number: 5681 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 98.218.147.237 Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 05:22 pm:    OK. I had never heard of the symbols " and ' for minutes and seconds, except when referring to measuring arcs. I sort of figured it out, guessing that it was a pun. Whatever works.   H. Jakob Michenfelder Member Username: Koebes Post Number: 15 Registered: 04-2007 Posted From: 71.139.178.98 Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 05:03 pm:    Interesting: 15' can mean 15 feet and 15 minutes, and 15" can mean 15 inches or 15 sec. So it was a 15' walk. We took the train from Venice to Vicenza; I think we paid 12 euros each. It stopped in Venice Mestre, Padua, and Vicenza. A cab (10 euros) took us to the Caserma Ederle, but let us out at the pedestrian entrance: easy for the driver, not so easy for us, as we had to haul our luggage for nearly 1/2-3/4 of a mile to the Ederle Inn. Next time I would ask the cab driver to drop me off at the main gate; that might add a few euros to the cab charge, but it would be worth it   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 3883 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.80.143 Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 03:43 pm:    Jakob, Thanks for posting about your great trip? How did you travel from Venice to Camp Ederle?   Leland Senior Member Username: Leland Post Number: 5680 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 98.218.147.237 Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 02:17 pm:    Jakob, nice, informative report. I gather in this case "15' walk" means 15 minutes rather than the more usual 15 feet?   H. Jakob Michenfelder Member Username: Koebes Post Number: 12 Registered: 04-2007 Posted From: 71.139.178.98 Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 01:00 pm:    Lester, lodging reservation agents did this for me apparently through protocol. I called from Vicenza via skype (my iphone did not work) for a room; very bad connection, no room available anywhere, but the nice billeting agent named Joan tried and tried. Out of a sudden we were disconnected and I gave up and was about to try German local establishments when Joan called me back in my hotel room (she had my name and knew I was staying at the Ederle Inn) and told me I had reservations at the General Cannon. The General Cannon is a beautiful hotel, on each pillow there is narrow long sheet of paper where both of you can select their breakfast and the time. We chose 8 o'clock, barely made it in time and the breakfast was served in the beautiful breakfast room with an endless loop of classical music being piped in. The cost was 10 dollars for the 2 of us. I wound up staying another night; the front desk cleared it with protocol; no problem.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 250 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 69.143.223.11 Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 01:16 am:    Jakob: See that you stayed at the General Cannon on Ramstein. How did you arrange for the reservation there and what are they charging for a room? Actually, I recall that they served breakfast as part of the room rental. Is that still true? Did you have to go through Protocol or did the housing people put you up there directly on a space A basis? Thanks for your informative report..   H. Jakob Michenfelder Member Username: Koebes Post Number: 11 Registered: 04-2007 Posted From: 71.139.178.98 Posted on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - 10:47 pm:    Goal was to see an exhibition in Florence which closed on January 24th. Plan was to leave Travis for Ramstein, take from Landstuhl the Medevac Bus to Vicenza, from there take a train to Venice, then to Florence, and return from there the same route to Ramstein. But.... January 5: Left Travis on a C5 to Dover. The LPM flight from Dover to Ramstein had been cancelled; billeting full, had to take a cab ($15) to Best Western (special rate for Space A travelers). Be aware, that at 10 PM most dining facilities are closed; the cab drivers offer to take you to the drive in at McDonalds as the Drive In will still be open, but they charge you $5 while waiting. The next morning back to PAX Terminal; the terminal full with Cat 3 and dependent wives with children with mountains of luggage trying to get back to Germany after the Xmas holidays. Many flights to Germany cancelled or with 0 passengers. So we went to Rota on a C5 with only a few other people. After staying a night in Rota and visiting Cadiz we took a Navy C40 to Souda Bay. When you arrive, you get a code number which is valid for 24 h, after which you have to register for a extension for 3 days. Not a big problem. Souda is a small and pleasant base. Whoever advises on traveling in Crete there knows his/her stuff. Rented a car on base (20 euros a day) and then explored Crete. Lucked out with the weather. Planned on taking the Patriot Express from Souda to Naples and a train from there to Florence. So we had 7 days on Crete. Unfortunately there was a problem with the Patriot Express; it was delayed for a day, and then would arrive only late in the evening the following day. So instead we lucked out and were given seats aboard a Navy C26 despite having between the 2 of us 96 pounds of luggage. Thanks again to the very pleasant young Greek woman working there as a flight agent. The plane stopped and refueled in Sigonella, then went to Naples. Magnificent view of the bay of Naples and of the island of Ischia. The NSA Naples is part of the airport; very nice facilities. To explore Naples we walked to the arrival terminal of the Civilian airport (15' walk), and took for 3 Euros each the bus non stop to the Stazione. There we got off, which we were told to do in the base hotel, but that was a mistake. Not a pleasant area, congested, dirty, loud. We should have gone to Municipale which is the harbor. The next day we took the bus again, this time with our luggage, to Stazione, boarded a train (72 euros each) and within 3 hours we were in Florence Santa Maria Novella. I made all my civilian lodging reservations through priceline-europe.com the day before or the same day and got very good results. SO in Florence with stayed next to S. Maria Novella for 87 euros a night in a very good hotel. Saw Florence, the exhibition, and after 2 days took the train to Venice. At S. Lucia we took a water bus to S. Marco; our hotel was in the Castello district, in walking distance from S. Marco, a beautiful, very tastefully decorated room for 60 euros (in peak time it can go up to 400 euros). From there to Vicenza, checked in the Ederle Inn, and walked from there (20') to the historical Vicenza. The next morning at 0700 we took the Medevac bus, which leaves every Monday and Thursday) to Landstuhl (12 hour ride), met friends now stationed at Landstuhl, stayed for 2 nights at the General Cannon Hotel, rented a Hertz car (Ford Focus) for 30 euros a day, drove to Cologne, saw friends and family, and drove 2 days later back to Ramstein to catch a direct flight from Ramstein to Travis. That flight was postponed a day, but there was a flight McGuire- Travis with 2 hours downtime at McGuire. We took that one: it was the coldest C17 I ever rode in. We arrived at Travis at 1 AM, and were back home in Walnut Creek on the 26th of January at 2AM