Well Guys, I know it's been a little while since I posted anything; it's been busy at NSF Deveselu, Romania. Add to this a VERY wet spring and it's been difficult to go exploring in the rain.
For all you OPSEC people out there, this is all unclassified and provided from public sources so it's ok. Over the last several months and continuing for a couple more, the Navy is refurbishing the Ballistic Missile Defense system, Aegis Ashore, here at Deveselu. The missiles have been operating for 4+ years and require routine maintenance. So, to maintain the defense the US promised NATO, while our missiles are down, the US Army brought in a THAADS battery which includes between 100 - 200 people. My team has been really busy helping the Army get set up so the mission can continue on schedule (and they can go home). It's ok having the Army here but they eat all our food at the dining hall and buy all our "stuff" at the NEX - we love our sister service but they're like overstayed family visitors.
If you want to know anything more, here are some links.
If you want to know anything more, here are some links.
US deploys THAAD anti-missile system in first deployment to Romania (US Army)
US Deploys THAAD Anti-Missile System in Romania (Balkan News)
THAAD in Romania: Underlying Rationale and Motivations. (Russian International Affairs Council)
The rains have ceased and it's time for me to head out and start discovering the beauty of Romania once again. I had to take my first trip for the Navy and it was back to ITALY!!! Before I could get there though, I had to conquer the greatest obstacle of being assigned here - getting to Bucharest (the closest international airport). It is anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 hours away, depending on the time of day, traffic (both automobile and animal), weather, and general travel delays. There are two basic modes of transportation we can use to get from Deveselu to Bucharest and back; taxi or train (and a combination of taxis which comes with this choice). The taxi from door-to-door runs about $160 and is the most convenient but the most expensive by far. The train in considerably less but requires more work. It's more fun too. The cab to the train station is $8. The train to Bucharest is $16. And the cab to the airport is another $8. Total - $32! Either way still takes 3-4 hours.
On Saturday, 15 June, I hitched a ride with our MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) team who had sponsored a "Day Spa" trip for us to a really cool place called "Therme." Check out the link - it is not like anything Americans call SPAs...OMG!!!! Anyway, after stopping at the Therme, I went over to the RIN Airport Hotel I had made reservations at for Saturday and Sunday night since I had a flight at 06:45 am Monday morning. Think about it this way, two nights at a hotel was $50/night (so $100) and if I took the train or the taxi, I would have to leave at midnight on Sunday and it would have cost $160. That ain't happening!
Ok, so I get my key and stroll to the room. I enter the suite, pretty impressed at the four star $50/night room, and turn on the bathroom light, or so I thought. Then I tried to turn on the television - no luck. There's no electricity in this room! So I wander back to the reception desk and I tell the clerk I have no electricity. He tells me this is a common problem with American guests. Really? No electricity is an American problem? He goes on to explain there is a slot on the wall to the left when you enter your room in which you insert your room key. Once done, the electricity turns on. He asked, "You don't have this feature in USA?" Ahhh, nope. We have electricity all the time. He said the electricity turns off once again when you pull your key from the slot to leave your room so I had to remember to put the key back in the slot. Interesting. I wish maybe they had labeled the unidentifiable "slot" on the wall and this slight problem would never have occurred. As I have said, life in Europe is a continuous and fun learning experience.
After a fun day of relaxing, I ate dinner at the the "Rustic" traditional Romanian hotel restaurant. The food was excellent. I especially enjoyed the time reading the menu. It's always fun to see what happens when Europeans translate into English - sometimes it's not a very graceful transition. Another thing I get a giggle out of is the Romanian word for a very familiar fish which we call "Carp." Ok now, I know for a vast majority of people, this is a bottom-dwelling, nasty, garbage eating, giant, slimy, goldfish. But here it is quite a sport fish and widely eaten. The Romanian name for this tasty delicacy is "CRAP!" I instead ate a dinner of fried chicken, French fries, and polenta.
The next morning, I set out for "Old Town" Bucharest, which I've heard was beautiful. A short Uber to the city center. Along the way, I was amazed at the beauty of this city. It is incredible.
I thought the photo above was a funny shot. If you look closely, there's a sign with a stripper evidently inviting people into KFC for private dances, striptease, and lap dances!!! You'll NEVER see that on the KFC menu in America. Ok, you won't here either, but the strip club is right next door - so if you have a hankering for some fried chicken, don't go in the wrong entrance (or maybe...).
Sorry some of the pictures are dark, I took them with my phone and not a real camera....
My favorite part of the day was visiting the Museum of Romanian History - IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
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| Dacian helmet |
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| Dacian helmet |
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| Dacian helmet - kinda creepy with the extra set of eyes. |
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| I got a "kick" out of this suit of armor! |
Inside the museum is a complete recreation of this historic column. The complete structure is located in Rome but the Romanians have created a life-sized replica of each of the 155 panels. I cannot stress the enormity of this display and I was awed by the incredible craftsmanship. It details the four years of wars the Romans waged against the Dacian people. With a little help from Wikipedia, here's a short description and some pictures follow (not all 155).
Trajan's Column is a Roman triumphal column in Rome, Italy, commemorating Roman emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. The Dacians were the ancient people who inhabited what is now Romania. It was designed and constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built just north of the Roman Forum. Completed in AD 113, the freestanding column is most famous for its spiral bas relief, which artistically represents the wars between the Romans and Dacians (101–102 and 105–106). Its design has inspired numerous victory columns, both ancient and modern.
The structure is about 98 feet tall (115 feet including its large pedestal base). The shaft is made from a series of 20 colossal Carrara marble drums, each weighing about 32 tons. The column has a diameter of 12.1 feet. The 620-foot long frieze winds around the shaft 23 times. Inside the column, a spiral staircase comprised of 185 steps provides access to a viewing platform at the top. The "capital block" at the top of Trajan's Column weighs 53.3 tons. Try to imagine (nearly 2000 years ago), the ancient Roman workers had to lift this block of marble 112 feet into the air and then place it atop the column.
Ancient coins indicate preliminary plans to top the column with a statue of a bird, probably an eagle, but after construction, a statue of Trajan was put in place; this statue somehow disappeared in the Middle Ages. On 4 December 1587, the top was crowned by Pope Sixtus V with a bronze figure of St. Peter, which remains to this day. The column was originally flanked by two libraries, which may have contained Trajan's scroll-written dispatches from his Roman-Dacian Wars. The column shows 2,662 figures, and 155 scenes; Trajan himself appears on the column 58 times.
This first scene is one of my favorites, showing the Dacian "Draco" symbol which consists of a wolf's head and a serpent's body. It is very prevalent even in modern day Romania.
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| Dacian "Draco" |
The following are pictures of other historic relics.
After departing the museum, I continued my walkabout in this section of the city. I came upon one of MY favorite pastimes - a flea market! Imagine an Eastern European flea market, well it's exactly what you'd think. Antiques, Soviet propaganda, and cool stuff. Unfortunately I was flying out the next day so I couldn't buy anything but it was fun looking.
I want one of these!!! I'll be coming back again soon.
I found the mall in the city center and took a short walk through, it's enormous. But again, since I was just here for a visit and had no room for more "anything" in my suitcases, it was a cool place to look at.
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| Well, if I must, who am I to argue? |
After many hours exploring, it was time to head back to the hotel and prepare for my travels. I had heard, and now I've seen, the Bucharest Arch di Triumph (from the back seat of my Uber). At the turn of the last century, many young architects traveled to Paris for their education. Upon their return, they created structures such as these throughout the city.
Does it get any better? Just down the street from my hotel is one of my favorite shopping experiences - IKEA. I heard there was one in town and they were building another this coming year. And then, within walking distance - dealerships for two of the best car manufacturers on the planet. Well, now I know where I'm coming back to.
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