I'm liking me some Turkey.

After a long day of flying, I came home 2 days ago to spend about 1 hour to get ready to go on a friggin pretty cool excursion.  11 of us "deployed folk" embarked on a journey to the ancient Cappadocia (Kapadokya) about 3 hours north of Incirlik, Adana.  You all can read up on the place, but in a nutshell, it was the near to, if not, the location of the start of the Bronze Age and more well known for it underground cities, which serves as hiding places for early Christians.  A lot of the history that took place not just there, but in the entire country of Turkey, starts in early BC!  Our first stop was at one of the hundreds of cities in the area.

Then we stopped at a handmade carpet making shop.  Walking in, it was pretty amazing to see how these gorgeous pieces were made.  There was one carpet they showed us was $60K and was only about 16x20" and framed!

 

The next stop was in a valley that was once used at strictly a graveyard, i believe, but then became a city for new Christians in hiding.  These structures were not manmade, just man-altered.  The "mountains" were natural features in which the people had just carved skillfully into without ruining its integrity.  It just amazes me that people can overlook the sheer knowledge and capability the human race has and continue with war, arguments, and hatred.  If everyone could both see the Earth from orbit and these (among other) historical ruins, it would surely bring an end to all the conflicts in the world.  --- I am officially off of my soapbox now.

We then made a stop for lunch (probably later than sooner... we were all starving by that point).  The place had this view from its "backyard", if you will:

This view kind of sums up what these valleys looked like out there.  The lunch was all you can eat Turkish food... my absolute favorite thus far (besides the infamous cheesy bread) was the lentil soup.  I must learn this recipe!  I must!

After a brief stop at a bazaar where I bought nothing but enjoyed a bottle of Efes, we stopped at a pottery shop, where they (for the most part) showed us how their amazing turkish designed pottery was made.  I was lucky enough to get a shot at making something on the pottery wheel.  Uh, not so perfect.  But yes yes, for $5 its yours, if you want it!  Good deal for you, my friend!

We also stopped at a jewelry shop that briefly showed us how they created their onyx, turquoise, and other creations. Next stop was the fairy chimneys... that looked awfully phallic.  And thats enough on that.

And then we stopped at the Valley of Imagination (which the aforementioned area should have been called) where we saw rock formations that took the shape of camels, flying fish, and madonna.  Here's the most easily recognizable, the camel:   (seriously!!!)

Finally, we stopped at a winery and picked ourselves up some Capadoccian wine and some free cheesy bread and turkish pizza and ate and drank on the long drive back home.

I have come to really love this country... it is so rich with history and beauty.  Its just a shame that I am headed to Kuwait soon!  I think I'll do some research on Kuwait while I am there and maybe I will come to enjoy it too?  (Probably not.)

İyi Akşamlar!

More amazing pictures soon to come on facebook/snapfish.

Beyond the walls of Incirlik...

So a few of the other LTs and I decided to get a taxicab (meant for 4 passengers, but yes, we squeezed a 5th in there purely for picture-taking reasons, haha) for unlimited stops within the nearby town of Adana for 6 hours.  Adana, and Incirlik, had parts of it that were not what i had expected!  The towns each had a newer modern part to it that blew me away.  Our first stop on our crazy ride was at the lake in town, Seyhan Lake (I think).  What a beautiful spot, and the day we stopped to gaze at it could not have been more beautiful either.

 The next stop was lunch, and Mustafa, our driver, had just the place.  And did he EVER.

We enjoyed a plethora of turkish treats, including salads, peppers, pita and hummus, mini turkish pizzas and stuffed shells, pork, chicken, and two types of beef.  Delightful!

Mustafa, was so patient with us crazy American kids, haha.  We were quite the attention grabbers.  Next, I really wanted to check out the Sabanci mosque, the largest in Turkey and second largest in the world.  It was quite the sight to see.

We had to remove our shoes and i had to wear a scarf before entering the holy building.

Afterwards, the guys wanted to do a bit of shopping (to my surprise, more than I really wanted to).  We headed to Old Adana where there were streets full of little shops all selling pretty much the same things... carpets, suits, electronics, shoes, and movies.  All of which probably weren't worth as much as the merchants were selling them for.  It is definitely all part of the experience though... we all must get bamboozled at some point in time!

All for 60 bucks we got to drive all around Adana for 6 hours, and it was so worth it!

Ok, OK.  Some of you are probably wondering... aren't you supposed to be... deployed?!?!?  Well, yes.  We are fortunate enough to be in Turkey where we do have the privilege to roam off base.  I must set this straight, though.  We absolutely fly and to dangerous places too.  It may be easier than other troops who are deployed elsewhere, but in no means are we not still fighting the same fight as they are.  So please, remember that, and as always, keep myself and all of the other deployed troops in your prayers.

Güle güle!

missing mr speedbird everyday.  day 6.

Merhaba, Turkiye!

Boy is it good to finally be here.  All the preparation and anticipation was killing me!!!  Mr. speedbird was leaving on a pacific-bound trip at almost the exact same time so he was unable to partake in the grand farewell with the squadron's family and friends.  Seeing my husband's jet parked right behind the jet we were to depart on and knowing that he was right there and could not send me off one last time hurt my heart bad.  Luckily enough, a good friend of mine (also a wife of a fellow deployer) was right there by my side helping me through it all!  Nonetheless, I was, at that very point, ready to fly away.  Maybe my heart wouldn't hurt quite as bad.  The trip out here was 3 legs, 5+ hours each, with about 1.5-2 hour turnover at each stop.  My deployment travel day started at 10am CST 23 Feb and ended at 5pm 24 Feb (not counting the 4 hours it took to get to sleep).  I feel tired all over again just thinking about the trip!

Not much to report on this first gloomy day in the old Ottoman Empire, as the day went by relatively quickly (given I woke up at 10am local and it is now 8:30pm).  I am slated to fly very soon which will be nice, but first up, learning my job tomorrow morning!  (Meanwhile the other LTs will be able to relax if not flying tomorrow... bah well!)  Incirlik is a pretty sweet TDY (temporary duty) and I absolutely consider myself lucky to be here.  There are so many of our troops that deploy to much worse locations for much longer periods of time.  Side note: Julia Roberts, Valentine's Day, anyone? Simply touching.  Anywho, since I am here, I am looking forward to taking advantage of all of the off base excursions/tours that we can go on...  the Castle by the sea (Kizkalesi) and the underground cities of Capaddocia, for example.  With that said, hopefully I will really be able to work on my photography habit and start posting some real good stuff....

bye bye for now!


missing mr. speedbird everyday.  day 1.

Back home for my Valentine :)

Today is the last day of my post mission crew rest and I figured since I had the extra time lounging around the house, I thought I would share some highlight photos from this past trip.

Our view of some buildings in Istanbul from the maintainance ditching hatch (opening on the very top of my plane's fuselage):

View from my room in Ankara, Turkey:

Here is an amazing view of Mt Etna, Sicily, with Catania in the foreground:

The crew enjoying the Stag's Head pub in Catania!

My crazy new Italian friends Zaira and Alessandro:

The Duomo in the heart of Piazza Dell'Elefante (Elephant Square):

The plane we had to back up for 6-7 days (here sitting in Rome's airport):

Here were the last 2 meals we got on this last trip:

(yummy avocado bacon cheeseburger, steak fries, and white raspberry cake)

(chicken and fruit salads)

We were totally sad to see the flight attendants go when we dropped them off home at Andrews!

This trip definitely topped the list, thus far!  I got to see some really amazing new places, and the crew was just wonderful!!!   Back home, now that both of us are here just in time for Valentine's Day, mr speedbird and I are struggling to find something last minute to do... nonetheless, at least we are both home.  That's what matters!!!!!

Arrivederci!

4 days without internet...

... really takes a toll on someone whose only method of speaking to her family is through those means!  I haven't heard from Mr. Speedbird since the 4th, and here is is, almost the 9th where I am today!  I miss my hubby!  At last, i am connected to the world again and it feels wonderful.  I am currently multitasking on Skype as well, talking to my dad  (whom, thank goodness, just heard from mr. speedbird).  It really shows how dependent we are as a society on internet and cellphones.

I have, in the course of a few days, visited Turkey  (where they held us up for an hour because of passport issues)

Italy (where I feel in love with the country all over again)

and England and may be headed to Haiti before heading home (a last minute possible addition).  This trip has been full of many firsts, such as eating Turkish food, drinking "baby Guinness's" in a Sicilian bar (and using the very small amount of Italian I knew to get dinner for the crew), and learning poker!  Thank goodness I was able to pick up at least 2 shot glasses to build to my collection!  What a jam packed mission this has been, and it's not over!

On a final note, here's another amazing meal, courtesy of the flight attendants:

Hopefully I will be home by Thursday...  we shall see!

Ciao!!