Weekend Wrap-Up (4-Day Holiday Park & Rothenburg) - (Germany) Day 228 - 231

Me with my wife and daughters on the Free Fall Tower at Holiday Park

Friday: This morning we surprised the kids and took them to "Holiday Park". It's a smaller theme park than Europa Park (which we visited earlier), but it's also a lot closer (only about a half hour from Heidelberg). It's also cheaper, and for what it is, we had a lot of fun. We arrived shortly after it opened at 1000 and stayed until almost closing time at 1800. Spending the day at the park was probably the perfect amount of time to go on each of the adult rides at least once, and then let the kiddos ride their favorite rides over and over again. By far the best ride is the Expedition GeForce roller coaster. It had a long line, but we had a blast riding it! There are some smaller roller coasters, a free fall tower, a log ride and a river raft ride…so there was plenty to do and keep us busy all day long. It was a good day for all.

The family riding the Teufelsfässer (Devil's Barrels)

Saturday: We traveled to Rothenburg once again. This is probably one of our favorite cities in Germany so far and we wanted the kids to see it before they leave. Rothenburg is about a 2.5 hour drive from Heidelberg and is a great medieval town. The old city has a wall surrounding the city, which is where we started out. We walked a good portion of the wall letting the kids explore the wall and the city below. We then walked around downtown checking out the many shops full of all kinds of souvenirs. The kids loved checking out everything from medieval weapons to Christmas ornaments. Each shop is a little deceiving, they don't look that big until you enter and they seem to keep going and going…especially the Christmas shop.

Hanging with the kids in Rothenburg

We were taking a bit of a gamble bringing the kids here hoping they would like "sightseeing", but it turned out to be great. We ate lunch at an awesome Italian restaurant, the only disappointing thing about the place was that we had to eat inside because there were no tables available outside. Rothenburg is a great place to sit outside and eat, you can "people watch" for hours. We then made our way to an ice cream shop before eventually heading home.

Eating "Eis" (Ice Cream) in Rothenburg

Sunday: We used today as a day of rest and packing. We took it easy and did a lot of laundry before packing all the kids suitcases. We did take the kids down to Heidelberg one last time and bought them each a souvenir to take home and remember Germany. We also had one last ice cream and walked around downtown enjoying the street performers and just taking in our last full day with the kiddos.

A street performer in Heidelberg that amazed the kiddos

Monday: Today I had to take the kids back to the airport. It was a pretty emotional day for everyone. We stopped by my wife's work and had lunch with her before leaving. We arrived at the Frankfurt airport 2.5 hours early…and I'm glad we did because the line at Condor Air was amazingly long. We waited and waited…folks that were in line for a flight to Vancouver were then allowed to go to the front (upsetting my impatient kids). We waited some more and then folks in line for a flight to Baltimore were allowed to go to the front (which upset the kids even more). We finally arrived up front after about an hour and a half waiting in line. We checked the bags and received the boarding passes. I was also able to get a pass to take them all the way to the gate which was nice. We waited in line for security and then made our way to the gate. They were already boarding by the time we got there, but it didn't really matter because they wanted all my kids to board last since they were unaccompanied. This gave us time to hug and say our good-byes. I then had to wait until the plane pulled out before I could leave…that really sucked watching them leave. It will most likely be next summer before I see them again. I wish the command sponsorship paperwork would have gone through, then at least I would have had one of my kids…but that is the government for you…slow as hell.

No CBRN = A Good Day - (Germany) Day 227

PT this morning was a little different. Instead of forming up as a company, I just met up with my boss and his boss at the gym. Everyone else in the company formed up a little later at about 0745 to leave for Landstuhl where they were going to conduct the CBRN (Chemical, Biologica, Radiological, Nuclear) … (Think Gas Mask and all the protective suit and boots that go on over our uniform) training. This was one I was happy to miss. I've been through the gas chamber at basic and then a more comprehensive one with additional training at our last FTX. The last thing I want to do is all that…all over again. Instead I had a good workout at the gym and then headed into the office because they needed at least one person there with the CIP inspection wrapping up.

I spent the day answering the phone every now and then along with checking email and surfing the web. The day was pretty easy going. I ate lunch in my car, listened to music and read my book.

Back in the office I was merrily surfing the web, when SGT Mex and a new guy (in our company) came back. SGT Mex asks me if I'm busy…this is kind of a trick question, if I'm not busy he'll give me something to do. I tell him "I'm doing some MOS research" (reading technology articles). He then asks if I can show a sergeant from Landstuhl and his new soldier how to get to PHV…and then I can have the rest of the day off. No problem! I lead the way and then head home to surprise my kiddos.

I spent the rest of the day with my kids…playing games and just hanging out. After my wife got off work, we then took the kids out to dinner with SPC Whirlwind and his family. I had promised my daughters that they could have a beer at a local restaurant since we are in Germany. I remember my first time over here as a teenager and how "cool" it was to have a beer at a restaurant before I was 21. Both of my girls only ended up drinking a small portion of their beer, not wanting to waste I finished one and Mrs. Whirlwind (a German) finished the other…in fact she finished it like a pro downing the entire glass in just a couple gulps!

Fare Thee Well - (Germany) Day 226

SPC Matrix showing off his parting gift

PT this morning was a run off post in civilian clothes for the normal folks, I headed to the gym with the other profiles where we all chose a cardio machine. I picked the stationary bicycle as usual and had a good no impact workout.

I headed into the office and checked my email, then surfed the web a bit. I had to go over to the bank and pay the speeding ticket that I received yesterday. Since these come in quite a bit, they have set up a system where you can take your money in and pay the ticket right there on the spot. The bank makes the direct deposit and gives you a receipt. I then had to take the receipt back to the office and show our platoon sergeant that I actually paid the ticket, like a little kid. I then had to help my boss inventory two of the safes for the CIP inspection. The difference with this inventory was that we had to take everything out and show it to the inspector who studied each item, which of course made the process take quite a bit longer.

Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant where we had a farewell for SPC Matrix and SPC DubYa. They were each given a little token of appreciation that we all put in a little money for. These are both pretty good guys and I'll be sad to see them go. I had to leave a bit early in order to make my physical therapy appointment. All went well until my spinal manipulation by the doctor, I'm not sure what he did, but I ended up with a bad headache for the rest of the day which sucks…usually I'm feeling pretty good for the rest of the day after leaving.

Back at the office I surfed the web and passed the time chatting with SGT Mex. I did find out a little bit of good news…I don't have to go to the sergeant's time training tomorrow which is up in Landstuhl. They have to do CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive, Nuclear) training…i.e. wear the gas mask and all the full body gear. There were rumors that there was going to be a gas chamber as well. Because of the CIP Inspection, I do not have to attend…for that I'm thankful, it would be a crappy day all around doing that all day.

I headed home and spent some quality time with the family. Our time is running short…we spent a lot of time just watching my screensaver on the TV which just goes through random photos I've selected…so it's a lot of fun to watch.

Getting Counseled - (Germany) Day 225

An example of a German speed trap camera like the one

that "flashed" my wife

PT this morning was muscle failure for the normal people. I headed to the gym with the profiles and did some weight training…a good workout on my core. Have I mentioned I love going to the gym much more than PT with everyone else? I was able to listen to my iPod and work on specific areas without hurting myself.

I left to work a little early in order to pick up the new guy and give him a ride to the shopping center for in-processing. I remember those days…trying to stay awake in a room while getting bombarded with brief after brief all day long. I headed to the office and took a 10 minute nap before actually heading into the office. I've become used to this morning nap and really look forward to it now. I have to always leave early in order to take my wife into work, which brings me to my office usually about 15 to 20 minutes early.

The day started with some preparations for the weekend. I had my car inspected because it's a four day weekend coming up. This is something I still think is stupid. I'm a grown man and in all my other jobs I never had to deal with all this extra baby sitting big brother crap, so it's a little hard to get used to. I then had to sign a counseling statement for the 4-day weekend. I had to agree by signature to the following:

If you consume alcohol do so in moderation

Do not drink and drive

Use the buddy system

Do not use drugs, unless prescribed by your provider

Plan your travel accordingly if traveling outside the Heidelberg area

Check the forecast for bad weather, heavy traffic, or delays.

In the event you need transportation use your chain of command

Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment will not be tolerated

Use OPSEC (Operational Security), be aware of your surroundings and do not bring attention to yourself

Avoid domestic disturbance, if this issue arises leave the area immediately

Stay away from the off limit areas

Use common sense, if you have to think twice about it, then don't do it at all.

Receive an updated alert roster

Failure to comply with safety standards will result in corrective training or recommendation for UCMJ…Have a wonderful weekend and be safe!

I get that they want everyone to be safe, but signing a little piece of paper isn't going to change anyone's behavior, it just adds more paperwork. We also have to sign another paper which is virtually the same thing called "Under the Oak Tree" stating that we've discussed the weekend with our supervisor. Oh and on top of that we have to turn in our weekend checklist stating exactly what we are doing this weekend. Of course I put the usual on mine "Spending time with my lovely wife and family within 150 mile radius of Heidelberg". (This is the mileage limit we can go without submitting a pass).

I had lunch in my car…my music…my book…my escape. Back in the office I surfed the internet for a while. I contacted one of our customers about a change in a memo they need to make because of our current CIP inspection. I then found out I had to sign yet another counseling statement. This one was because on the 24th of April my wife was driving the car and got "flashed". Here in Germany they setup a lot of traffic cameras in the places that do have speed limits to catch people breaking the speed limit. There are a few in Heidelberg and everyone knows where they are and when to slow down. On one particular day all the lights were green and my wife accidentally got caught going 9 kilometers over the speed limit (which is about 5.5 miles over). So now in August the commander finally gets the ticket and it gets passed down through the chain of command until my boss gets it. He then has to write up a counseling statement that I have to sign…because it was my car that was flashed (even though I was not driving). Here are some exerts:

As a United States Army Soldier, SPC McGuire these actions are unacceptable.

SPC McGuire driving is a privilege and can be revoked if you continue to abuse the law. Do not make this a habit.

If this conduct continues, action may be initiated to separate you from the service under AR 635-200.

Wow…so my wife's bad driving can actually get me kicked out of the army! LOL. I had to give her a hard time about that one  :)

We were released at 1700 and I spent the evening just having some quality time with my family. Still no word on my daughters command sponsorship paperwork, so we are assuming that she'll be going home with her brother and sister this coming Monday unfortunately.

CIP Inspection - (Germany) Day 224

PT this morning was a run off post in civilian clothes for the normal guys and cardio workout in the gym for those of us on profile. I used the stationary bicycle for my workout…a good cardio workout with no impact. Speaking of PT…SGT Mex is back on the overweight club. He did pass his last test as I mentioned last week, but the first sergeant thought it was too much of a drop since their last measurement. So the first sergeant wanted to verify it last Friday and by that time I guess SGT Mex had gained a little of his width back. So he's back on the 2-a-day workouts and still flagged while on the program….bummer.

Work started off normal enough. My boss and his boss left for his promotion board. I had to attend a meeting with the platoon sergeant since I was the last person left in our section. I heard all about the various things coming up this week as well as all the paperwork that needs to get done. I'm shocked that everything is not digital…they still do so much by paperwork, even when some of the stuff is available digitally.

The inspector came for the CIP Inspection that we had been trying to prepare for all last week. I really didn't deal with him much other than saying "hi" when he came in. He spent the entire time in the vault with our CAM, and my boss once he came back from his promotion board. He is methodically going through all of our paperwork checking to make sure everything perfectly matches up to how it should be. I hear he'll be doing the same thing tomorrow and then checking out some of our accounts on Wednesday.

I then checked my email and surfed the web a bit. I also had to get all the paperwork together to submit my pass request for the end of the month, we're planning to head to England for the Labor Day 4-Day weekend. I think I had to submit a total of 6 items! I still get mad, but mostly I just shake my head at all the red tape and BS that has to be done to do anything.

I took lunch in my car, then had physical therapy afterwards…which is always nice. I was also told that I had to see the optometrist by my platoon sergeant. He said I was due for an "IME", but couldn't tell me what exactly what an "IME" was. I headed over to the optometrist, but they had no idea what I was talking about which didn't surprise me one bit. I headed back and told my platoon sergeant that I tried.

The rest of the day was surfing the web a bit and then cleaning up. We then inventoried a safe and left a little after 1700. Not much to mention about the evening other than we enjoyed some quality family time together which I cherish.

Weekend Wrap-Up (Frankfurt & Heiligenberg) - (Germany) Day 222 & 223

A view from the Main Tower of Frankfurt and The Main River

Saturday: This morning we got up with the plans to head to Frankfurt for a day trip. My girls have been staying up late watching movies and texting with their friends back in the states, so when I tried to get them up and they didn't budge, so we just left them. We took my son and headed off to Frankfurt. I've told my girls over and over again not to stay up late, they can chat with their friends all they want when they are in the states…why not take advantage of everything they can while here in Europe?

So my wife and I headed off with my son to Frankfurt, which is about an hour drive from Heidelberg. We first headed to the "Main Tower" in the middle of the city. This skyscraper is 200 meters, the building is pretty high and is very "visitor friendly". We purchased tickets for 5 euro each to take a ride to the top via an elevator. We were granted spectacular views of the entire city of Frankfurt and the Main River.

Our next destination was the Frankfurter Dom (the Frankfurt Cathedral), but along the way we ran into an Italian festival in full swing. There were plenty of vendors and music going on, so we stopped and had lunch. We then proceeded to the cathedral and checked that out as well as the Roman ruins outside of it.

After that we headed down to the river where they had a sort of carnival going on. There were vendors and rides all along the river. We checked everything out, my son played a few games and we all went on the ferris wheel. After that, we called it a day and started to make our way back to the car and then back home…a fun day had by the three of us.

The night consisted of "cosmic bowling" at the PHV bowling alley. By this time my girls were up and about and came with us. We met up with SPC Whirlwind and bowled from 2100 until after midnight. I say we, but most of us quit after the third game…then everyone except my son quit after the fourth game. My son continued to bowl six more games before we finally left!

Street performers in Frankfurt

Sunday: Today we slept in, then had a big breakfast before heading out to "philosopher's way" in Heidelberg. This trail is long and offers many scenic views of the city of Heidelberg as well as the castle and the old bridge. We hiked up to "Thingstätte" the Nazi amphitheater at the top. This was built in 1935 by the Nazi party and was used for rallies and festivals. It's an amazing structure still and has great acoustics. We broke out our picnic basket and had lunch, but the most requested item was water…everyone was pretty thirsty after the long hike.

Not too far above the amphitheater is the ruins of St. Michael's Monastery. This place was built in 870! The place is pretty cool to walk around, and you can still climb up a couple of the small towers that are still standing to get an aerial view of the ruins. The top of the tower seemed to be the place to hang out and relax as there were a few German kids just hanging out up there talking on the phone and relaxing.

We made the trek down the hill (which is called Heiligenberg) and back to our car parked in a garage back in the altstadt (old city) of Heidelberg…of course on the way we stopped for ice cream and enjoyed the various street performers along the way back. I love just walking around the altstadt on the weekend….lots of people and things to look at.

A view of the Heidelberg Castle along with the old bridge 

and altstadt from Philosopher's Way

A view from the top of the "Thingstätte" a Nazi amphitheatre

A view from one of the towers looking down at one of my 

daughters and my wife exploring the ruins of "Klosterruine St Michael" 

(Monastery of St. Michael)

No Days of Excellence - (Germany) Day 221

The door of the DFAC in Campbell Barracks...pretty cool!

PT this morning was just a formation for accountability, then everyone headed off to Rammstein for Days of Excellence…that is everyone except me, my boss, SPC Whirlwind and our CAM (ComSec Account Manager). We all stayed behind in order to do our last minute preparations for the CIP inspection coming up next week.

After the formation we headed to the DFAC here at Campbell Barracks. I have never went there before, but I was told it was good. So we headed over and what seemed like down into the basement and through some secret passages. I had to duck quite a bit to avoid hitting my head on the pipes and doorways. We finally arrive to a very small DFAC. At the register we pay and fill out or order for eggs or omelet…very cool. The food is indeed good and makes me wonder why we haven't come over here before.

Back at the office I work on the issues we found in each of the account folders yesterday. I had to email each customer requesting a new memo for this or that reason. I also sent them copies of their old memos with a template to create a new one. This process took most of the morning and actually made time go by pretty quick.

I headed to lunch at the food court…Subway, a book, my iPod…my escape at least for an hour and a half. Once back my part of helping out was done…I just did some serious web surfing the rest of the day. I spent most of it reading news feeds from my Twitter page. I've started following quite a bit more news and tech and now usually have a ton of posts to read and follow up on. I also spend a substantial amount of time on Facebook and my hometown newspaper's website (The Kitsap Sun).

When everyone finally got back from the Days of Excellence around 1500, I was informed that I didn't miss much. Some long army training on stuff we seem to have almost monthly (sexual harassment) and a few awards. I'm glad I missed out on it.

We cleaned up and waited. I inventoried a safe with SGT Mex, then waited some more. I waited…1700 came and went. I waited. After 1700 I turn off my computer thinking we'll be leaving soon, but instead I wait longer. I wait and look at a black screen. I wait…and I wait. This is one of the many things that just drive me completely nuts about the army. Finally at 1730 we get released and I take off to spend the rest of the evening with my family.