Yesterday I received the following dispatch from my friend Duncan, who's an Air Force radar/computer warlock stationed in Germany. He agreed to keep my blog readers posted on his travels:
I was in the UK for seven days. This was a work trip so there were two jets and crews out there. I almost didn't go since I came down with a head cold the day before we left. I probably shouldn't have gone since I got almost no flying done on that trip. We flew out on Friday, without turning on the systems on the jet, had the next three days off. Tuesday we canceled for weather, and the next two days my cold came back with a vengeance. So feeling like crap I got on the jet again the following Friday to fly back and get a bit of training done. Lincoln is a college town, so there were no shortage of clubs and pubs. The only issue was that the hotel, cathedral, and castle were on top of the hill and the clubs were at the bottom. This may not sound that bad, but the walk was about a klick and all of it was up or down a 70 degree slope. "Steep Hill Rd" The coolness factor of wearing my black leather chucks and seeing the trenchcoat blowing behind me, was destroyed by panting for breath in the cold air. After the first bar, where I was hit on by women in their 40s (who were all married to officers in the Royal Air Force) we ended up at a dance club. This just wasn't my scene so I just ended up drinking lots of Guiness and blending into the walls. I probably should have tried to find another place since everyone seemed to love my American accent. I think the cold walk and smoke filled clubs was what brought my cold back. The Lincoln Cathedral <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Cathedral> was originally built in 1072, but was much smaller than the current incarnation. Fires and earthquake had pretty much destroyed it. The Lincoln castle, not really much of a castle anymore, started out as a Roman fort. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle> William the Conqueror had a castle built inside of it. In victorian times it was home to a jail and courthouse. The courthouse is still used today. Also on display there was one of the original copies of the Magna Carta. I didn't realize that over 40 copies were created, one for each baron. Only four survive today. This one was amazingly well preserved, only King John's seal was lost. Also this historical turn of power was only in effect for nine weeks before the king had the pope annul it. It was brought back with a few changes after King John's death. I just got back on friday and have spent the weekend trying to get over this damn cold.
View photos from Duncan's trip here: DUNCAN'S TRIP
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