Hatfield-Hankins European Adventure 2015: Getting our ducks in a row....01-23-2015

Tonight is a milestone in a trip that is over two years in planning. 2015 will be a significant year in many respects. This blog will address a few of these events, some that have occurred with more to happen in the future.
After a trip to Tampa for the Outback Bowl and a disappointing loss for Auburn at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers, we have turned our thoughts to more positive things. I might add, the highlight of our trip to Tampa was to spend time with our friends, Linda and Mitch Smith.
On to the trip. Mary Ann has retired and Mr. Jerry Hankins will be turning in his badge and retiring as a State Investigator on the 1st of March. Closing the curtain on a distinguished law enforcement career that has spanned over 40 years in service to the citizens of Montgomery and the state of Alabama.

Soon after Jerry's retirement is effective, the four of us will depart Montgomery for England and several countries on the Continent.

Stops along the way will be Paris, Belgium and Berlin. All three of these locations have been in the news in recent weeks due to the terrorist actions that have taken place. We will be very careful.

Back to our planning session. Passports, airline tickets, Eurail tickets, hotel reservations and a long list of other details. We will go over them tonight and then make adjustments as needed.

We invite you to travel with us through this blog and see Europe through our eyes. Visit the Tower of London, see the crown jewels. Shop at Harrah's and travel to France on the Eurostar, under the English Channel. While in France, view the Mona Lisa, see the Eiffel Tower and then relive the D Day invasion at Omaha Beach and Point du Hoc. While this trip is not just a tour of battlefields, what trip to Belgium would be complete with out visiting Flanders Field from WW1 and the Battle of the Bulge from WW2. Our last stop will be in Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall....pictures to follow. Then back to Alabama.