EU Embassy Run

Start -- Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

2009-05-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

Arrived: 1000 / Departed: 1045

We started at the German Embassy promptly at 10:00 in the remote western corner of the District. We were all excited about the start of the first ever EU 27-Embassy ten miler -- four of us -- courageous ones: Neal Carlton, Elizabeth Leasure, Ken Monroe, and me, Chito Peppler. The reception that we received at the German Embassy was even more amazing.

The "E" Team standing in front of the German Embassy

We were met by the spokesman for the German Embassy, Mr. Ulrich Sante, as well as Ms. Anna Schiller, and 1st Lieutenant Rainer Seidenstuecker. Ulrich hooked us up with ballcaps, backpacks, T-shirts and pins. Then we held a brief media event emphasizing the close German-American relations from the Berlin airlift to the fall of the Berlin Wall today with the anniversary coming up later this year.

The author with 1st Lt (German Air Force) Rainer Seidenstuecker. (Rainer and I worked together the previous week on the visit of GEN Karl-Heinz Lather.)

After the interview, we were given a tour of the state-of-the art embassy and beautiful grounds that included an exhibit on German-Jewish Heritage, important artifacts of German-Jewish history which became open to the general public for the very first time today.

Next came arguably the best food this side of town -- the bratwurst and Deutsches bier was appealing to the palate (though I knew I would later regret the early indulgence) and the beautiful German and Bavarian costumes were bright and beautiful to admire (made me have second thoughts about even starting the run). But the Germans rallied behind us and sent us their zealous well wishes: "Viel Glück!" (Good Luck)

We so desperately needed those words of encouragement -- we were on a mission today and no matter how good Germany was to us and how badly we wanted to stay, we had 26 other fantastic embassies ahead of us. But before we set off on the long and windy road, we had one more for the road. Prost! (Cheers). I love Germany especially German beverages -- need to stay hydrated for the run.

#2 - Embassy of France

2009-05-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Start: 1055/Depart: 1115

The run started out on a full stomach -- nutrition that I didn't quite need before the run. Thank goodness, it was mostly flat (unlike my tummy). And of all places, we were heading to the land - famous for wine and cheese.

The French Embassy is across the street from the Georgetown Medical Center

Neal and Elizabeth took a fancy to the cream cheese on French bread waving the patriotic flag.

I took a fancy (of course) to finding the French military attache. The American and French military work side-by-side

#3 -Embassy of Sweden

2009-05-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

Start: 1130/Depart: 1145

Our third stop--the house of Sweden, is a beautiful building with sophisticated charm and simple design. After walking through a glass entrance, you enter a magnificent reception hall with huge windows overlooking the Potomac. I personally think they have one of the best locations, (nothing beats the Georgetown waterfront), if not the best views.

Neal and Elizabeth in front of the Embassy.

The location and views of the Potomac and Roslyn across the river are Magnificent and simply out of this world.

The Swedes embraced us (well not quite, since we were all sweaty by now). But they did allow me to get close enough to take a picture.

Beautiful interior with soft wood panels and glass. Ken and I are admiring the design (in the background).

The Swedish cookies, chocolate and pastries were fantastically tasty -- like nothing I ever tried in Ikea -- just the nutrition we needed to energize our run. Plus they made my eyes water just by looking.

A little jazz for motivation before the group (in the background) gears up for the next leg. The Swedes tell us "Lycka till" and we cheerfully press on for the next 24 (Embassies, that is).

Sighting - Georgetown and Hollywood

2009-05-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

After the French wished us "Bonne Chance", we pushed on along Reservoir Road. When we were within sights of Wisconsin, my heart lept for joy -- it was all downhill to K.

Georgetown along Wisconsin is very vibrant with upscale shops, bars and restaurants. Every now and then if you're lucky, you might even spot a celebrity -- and you wouldn't believe who Neal first spotted as we were running at record pace on a steep downhill --- no, not Ben Affleck or Russell Crowe.

That's right -- Stephen Spielberg who was in town to attend the National Press Club event with the President. The photo op was not exactly part of our original plan -- but who's complaining. Spielberg, himself, was amazed by hearing about our adventure. We had to get a pic and yes, we were star-struck.

#4 - Embassy of Spain

2009-05-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Start: 1157/Depart: 1159

We move along K Street at a good pace, passing panhandlers and pedestrians. We past the Kennedy Center to our right and charge on towards Foggy Bottom and the prestigious George Washington University towards Washington Circle.

As expected, the lines for Spain were too long to hack, so we had to settle for this picture in front of the door and plaque.

And this vigilant guard stood between us and the entrance.

#5 - Delegation of the European Commission

2009-05-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Start: 1205/Depart: 1215

Here on 2300 M Street we thank Ms. Sandi Auman and members of the European Commission Delegation for all their hard and expedient work in putting together a fantastic, fun-filled cultural event for a such a wonderful cause to give Washington an guests a rate behind-the-scenes look at the Embassies, many of which are historic and architectural treasures spread out in five distinct Washington communities. So far, all the embassies treated us like hometown celebrities, and we were honored to take a piece of culture and geography with us. We are so deeply thankful and excited about what we've seen thus far and about the road ahead on our still illustrious journey ahead.

Inside the European Delegation headquarters, still fresh, but this is only the beginning.

We were quite surprised by the size of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.

There are 27 countries in the EU Today, 26 Embassies are on display -- we hope to visit or see all 26 of them.

#6 - Embassy of Malta

2009-05-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Arrive: 1220/Depart: 1225

I've never been to Malta, although in 1995, my ship, the USS O'Bannon (DD-987) passed very close to there (on the way to Naples of course). I love the Mediterranean and any country that is essentially an island in the middle of the Med -- I'm huge fan of.

And so are Neal and Elizabeth, for that matter. Here Neal has a mouthful of Maltese date cakes. Mine is also in my mouth as I take this pic (just past noon, and we already our share of lunch).

#7 - Embassy of Portugal

2009-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Start: 1233/Depart: 1234

The Courageous Four: Neal Carlton, Elizabeth Leasure, Ken Monroe and yours truly posing in front of the Embassy of Portugal

#8 - Embassy of Luxembourg

2009-05-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Start: 1233/Depart: 1234

By now the overcast skies had cleared up and the sun was shining brightly over the Luxembourg flag

The Fantastic Four: Neal Carlton, , Ken Monroe, Chito Peppler and Elizabeth Leasure leasurely posing in front of a luscious flowerpot and of course the placard for the Embassy of Luxembourg.

#9 - Embassy of Bulgaria

2009-05-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Start: 1236/Depart: 1237

Bulgaria located on 1621 22nd St, NW had beautiful and talented musicians and singers

#10 - Embassy of Cyprus

2009-05-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Start: 1240/Depart: 1241

The Embassy of Cyprus is located on 2211 R St, NW. At this point, we were glad to reach our 10th embassy, but not even half way done.

Once again, the Fantastic Four: Ken, Chito, Elizabeth, and Neal

#11 - Embassy of Greece

2009-05-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

Start: 1251/Depart: 1253

The lines to Greece snaked on for eternity: at least from Mass to R.

The Fantastic Four: Chito, Ken Monroe, Neal Carlton, and Eizabeth Leisure wishing they could beat the long lines at Greece, but had to settle for a picture.

Children wearing Roman Greek costumes handing out sweets to folks bearing long lines.

I couldn't resist taking a picture with the children in their beautiful costumes -- almost as good as being there.

#12 - Embassy of Ireland

2009-05-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Start: 1253/Depart: 1254

Wishing we could also meet but had to settle for a pic across the street.

I insisted on actually touching brick and to establish proof with this hurried pic.

#13 - Embassy of Romania

2009-05-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Start: 1252/Depart: 1258

We were able to get right into the Embassy of Romania -- the first one so far on Mass Avenue that didn't have a line.

Watching a film about the history and culture.

Standing next to the podium showing the coat of arms and the Romanian flag.

#14 - Embassy of Latvia

2009-05-11T19:19:00.001-07:00

Start: 1258/Depart: 1300

As we ran along Sheridan Circle, we along with the slow moving traffic (hmm.. I wonder why) were deeply moved by a talented violinist performing delightful Latvian music from the balcony -- definitely not something you see everyday in this cosmopolitan city.

The team wanted to listen to the violinist or even visit Latvia deep, but sadly, we had miles to go before we sleep.

#15 - Embassy of the Netherlands

2009-05-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Start: 1301/Depart: 1302

The Fab Four posing and grinning in front of the Royal Netherlands Embassy. What you don't see is a nice security guard getting ready to give us the friendly boot.

#16 - Embassy of Slovenia

2009-05-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Start: 1311/Depart: 1321

We came close to missing the Embassy of Slovenia altogether. If it wasn't for Elizabeth, the men would have ran right past it. The embassy is not on Mass but on 2410 California St.

Spectacular Slovenian art.

Ken waited in line for over 5 mins to get some tasty portica (tasty holiday cake) -- while I bugged him to move on. But in the end, it was completely worth it. Here you see Ken grabbing a second piece for yours truly (who definitely wasn't complaining by then).

#17 - Embassy of Italy

2009-05-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Start: 1324/Depart: 1326

We were all impressed with the sleek, sharp look of the Italian Embassy.

As well as the sleek, sharp look of this Ferrari

By this time, we all wanted to take it for a spin.

#18 - Embassy of Denmark

2009-05-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Start: 1327/Depart: 1355

It was a steep uphill climb from Italy on Whitehaven Street.

...and happy to meet our greeter.

We spent a lot of time in the Danish Embassy, the most amount of time since Germany at the beginning. We were impressed by hearing success stories of how Denmark has been so successful in living green, how they became energy independent -- that's why they call themselves the "Happiest people in the World".

We enjoyed watching the kids in their elements (getting their faces painted, spinning apples and playing lego).

We had a very good meeting with Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen.

And even took time to play. Now we see why the Danish are indeed the "Happiest People in the World" -- We sure were very happy with them.

#19 - Embassy of UK

2009-05-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Start: 1402/Depart: 1406

The run uphill on Mass to see UK in the USA was well worth it.

Musicians on the front lawn. We could smell the strong and mouth watering aroma of fish and chips and thick British burgers from inside the gate -- the one that we desperately wanted to cross. Yes, by now, we had worked up quite an appetite, but somehow burgers and fries didn't seem compatible with sprints and hills.

Our tour guide

The team holding Winston Churchill's victory -- though we were not yet feeling quite victorious, we were willing to take this pose for now.

From Cathedral Heights to the Gold Coast

2009-05-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

We finally turned east on Garfield onto Woodley running past the elegant Marriott Wardman Hotel at Woodley Park. Crossing Connecticut we headed over the tall and ornate arch bridge overlooking the deep and lush Rockcreek Park onto Adams Morgan.

The amazing thing about this run is that we actually visit eight uniquely diverse DC communities. Not only do we experience rich and historic culture and arts internationally from all over Europe, we also get a healthy dose of culture and lifestyle locally from within the Nation's Capital.

As we pushed onto ethnically-diverse Adams Morgan, a rich and vibrant arts and culture community we could see businesses selling clothing, jewelry and accessories as well as street food vendors selling corn tortillas and pupusas -- delightful and the whiff of the burning wood together with the aroma of grilling meat whetted my appetite.

Once in the heart of Adams Morgan, we turned onto Euclid and pushed on past the dense apartments and rowhouses onto prominent 16th Street, known colloquially as the Gold Coast (because sections of it is lined with 20th century Tudor mansions).

#20 - Embassy of Finland

2009-05-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Start: 1413/Depart:1423

Finland is #20!

Sometimes, it's good to have friends in high places. In this case, I am close friends with a friend of Press Secretary, Kari Mokko -- which was good enough to get us in.

A nice photo op with Ambassador Pekka Lintu before we tour the exquisite grounds. Picture taken by Kari Mokko.

This was actually my second time visiting the Embassy of Finland. I came here two years ago with two of my Navy shipmates, and I'm still highly impressed by its bold and modern Nordic architecture.

#21 - Embassy of Belgium

2009-05-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Start: 1427/Depart: 1430

I've spent some time last summer in Belgium since the headquarters for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe is located in Mons.

The Embassy of Belgium has the delightful view of the 20th Century American GothicWashington National Cathedral in the background.

We had finally past the last Embassy on the Red (Dupont Circle/Mass Ave/Naval Observatory) route. We charged the hill and had claimed it ours -- Now the hard part lay ahead of us.

#22 - Embassy of Lithuania

2009-05-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

Start: 1455/Depart: 1504

The Lithuanian Embassy is the first embassy we visited on 16th. The history of this Italian-style villa with a tower is quite interesting -- used to belong to Senator John B. Henderson.

Beautiful footbridge to Trakai Castle

Ken and Elizabeth admiring pictures and pamphlets from Lithuania

#23 - Embassy of Poland

2009-05-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Start: 1505/Depart: 1525

The Embassy of Poland is one of two embassies on 16th Street.

The embassy is distinctively beautiful with ornate paintings, brass work and chandeliers. We were indeed swept away. I, personally, would love to visit Poland one day for myself.

Enjoying Polish pierogi: kneaded flour stuffed with mushroom and cabbage (after my 2nd plate). Yes, I had one too many (something I was reminded of during the final leg).

#24 - Embassy of Czech Republic

2009-05-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Start: 1552/Depart: 1601

Our run took us from Adams Morgan by Columbia Heights to Mount Pleasant, a very diverse neighborhood with beautiful Queen Anne style row houses and vendors selling Mother's Day flowers and other accessories on street corners.

After running through the heart of the town, we turned left into quaint and wooded Park Road with affluent million dollar houses.

Parts of Park Road turned dangerously narrow with a large section having no sidewalk at all. We had to make a call whether to play it safe and divert to well-lit Porter onto Connecticut and then turn back on Tilden or to brave the narrow and heavily-traffic Park.

We were determined to finish and make it to Austria in time for the finish celebration, so we pushed on with parts of park on a steep 20-30 degree incline for over a quarter of mile stretch. We were indeed huffing and puffing by now, but the smell of cold beer at Czech was all the incentive we needed.

And when we made it to the beautiful, secluded Embassy on Spring of Freedom Street, the pain and sacrifice was well worth it. We were met by our greeters in traditional folk costumes.

After getting a glass of cold Pilsener beer (or two), we enjoyed the melody from a group of Czech Romantic performers.

#25 - Embassy of Hungary

2009-05-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

Start: 1607/Depart: 1615

We dashed next door on our ragged shoes to Shoemaker Street where the Embassy of Hungary stands. The Cultural Attache, Mr Bela Gedeon was there to happily greet us.

We were glad to meet Ambassador Ferenc Somogyi who congratulated us on on our amazing feat.

Delicious Hungarian Goulash served by Embassy staff

Hungarian National Tourism Office's Stand

Embassy exhibition of the cartoons of Hungarian graphic artist Ms. Édua Szűcs

Embassy Chef Mr. Lázár Kovács with his three enthusiastic volunteers

#26 - Embassy of Slovakia

2009-05-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Start: 1627/Depart: 1637

As we headed up on Van Ness (our eight DC community) past UDC and towards International Court, we could sense the sweet smell of success. We knew that Mr. Wolfgang Renezeder had a welcoming party set up for us, but I just knew that in order to make this day a true complete success, we had to reach or touch all 27. Minutes before heading into Austria, I signaled to Neal that we should visit our neighbors in Slovakia first. We stood a better chance of making it inside

As we were running towards the embassy, we could see the lady at security starting to secure the doors. We waved at her to let us in. She looked surprised, perhaps worried, then at the last minute agreed to let us in. We were ushered into the back room and were in for quite a surprise ourselves.

The embassy staff were all expecting us and were waiting to get our picture taken with them. Ambassador of Slovakia, Peter Burian, welcomed us personally at the Embassy.

Mr. Michal Pavuk, First Secretary, presenting us with the Slovak Olympic Committee flag. Standing between Neal and me is Ambassador of Slovakia, Peter Burian.

Included with the flag is a gift that says "You never arrive tired if you know where you're heading." We certainly knew where we were heading, and we definitely didn't arrive tired.

#27 - Embassy of Austria (Our Final Destination)

2009-05-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

Start: 1635/Depart: 1700

After the welcome reception at Slovakia, I didn't know what to expect at Austria. All I knew was that the Embassy of Austria was just next door, and we were done - Yeah, at least for the day.

Yes, indeed, the welcome reception graciously put together by Mr. Wolfgang Renezder, the Director of Press and Information Services, was warm and personable. Felt like we were foot soldiers returning from an overseas deployment.

Wolfgang presents us each with authentic, Austrian champagne which warmed our hearts and made us grin from ear to ear. I've never been to Vienna, but I felt like I was already there.

Another joyous toast -- I can't believe it: We Are DONE! Now let's celebrate!

Austria -- what a beautiful country, couldn't think of a better place to end our 27-Embassy trek.

So what was the final tally? (It's hard to keep track).

27 Embassies total that we actually eyeballed and touched. (Even if we couldn't get inside some, we were touched by the live performances they showcased.)
16 Embassies that we were actually able to explore, sample the cuisine and get an inside taste of the art, history and culture.
Eight distinct DC communities visited.
5 Ambassadors came out to greet us.
- 13 stamps collected. 3 flag pins, hats, T-shirts, Olympic flags, momentos.
- 31 Tweets made on Twitter
- 100 pictures taken

12 Miles travelled on foot.
Six hours that seemed to stretch for an eternity.

Memories I'll never forget and friends I made for a lifetime...

Not bad for an idea dreamed of just 72 hours prior. (Thank goodness I decided not to go to Boston on Saturday after all).

And next year? Wait, we've got 365 more days... (to procrastinate)

Thanks a zillion folks for reading and for following our historic and unprecedented adventure during the most exciting journey I've ever made on foot, and that's a fact.