Public affairs unveils new travel blog 'Been There, Done That!'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Daryl Knee
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Germany is one of those special countries riddled with historic sites and relics of long ago.

America has its sites and relics, too, but it's different. We're a nation less than 250 years old, which is comparatively young. To put it in perspective, Niederkail, a neighboring village of Spangdahlem Air Base, recently celebrated its 800th anniversary.

A country with that many years under its belt has many famous landmarks Americans stationed overseas can visit. The Berlin Wall, the Black Forest, Neuschwanstein Castle, Brandenburg Gate.

But even the local attractions hold a certain appeal. I'm talking about geological excursions of Gerolstein, an in-depth tour of Himmerod Abbey or a pleasant hike through Devil's Canyon.

With that in mind, your public affairs office has decided to showcase some of these unique local travel opportunities. So, starting this week, photographs and journal entries will be published to our blog site, http://spandahlem.dodlive.mil. It's a special feature titled "Been There, Done That!"

It's basically just a travel blog, but here are five ways of how we're planning to make Been There, Done That! a blog you'll want to read every time it's posted.

1. We've narrowed our focus to include travel opportunities within the Eifel region, with the exception of any information, tickets and travel tours in which we participate. These local stories should help all of us realize the vast amount of history literally at our doorstep.

2. The intent is to have a blog post at least twice a month. The reasoning behind this is first of all, public affairs doesn't necessarily have the manpower to send one of our Airmen out every week. Secondly, money is tight for everyone. I'd like to believe that traveling is free, but we have to be realistic and budget for gas, food and entry into attractions.

3. We're journalists, so we're used to keeping a notepad and camera at hand -- literally. We'll make sure to keep extensive journal entries as to what is happening during our travels. It helps us remember the good and bad of the adventure. This helps you, because if we make a mistake, we can hopefully save you from doing the same.

4. I'm sure you've heard, "That city was amazing. It was so awesome, I can't even explain it." These phrases are non-descriptive and vague to a flaw. We're striving to replace them with descriptions that make it clear we were actually there.

5. This isn't one-way communication. If you comment on our posts, we'll answer your questions. If you suggest a site, we'll do our hardest to include it into the rotation of our travels.

Remember, this is your community. We're here to help you enjoy it to the fullest. In my opinion, that means taking advantage of the well-kept secrets of Europe.

Spangdahlem truly is a gateway to adventure. See you on the blog!