Friday, March 6, 2009

Dinner in the Palace

This past week I had dinner in the Queen's palace...the Afghan Queen's Palace. Of course there is no longer a Queen and her palace has seen better days, but even looking at the ruins one can visualize those better days. The Palace is also the scene of some dark times. Before the Soviet invasion it was the residence of President Hafizullah Amin. He and his family of about thirty were murdered here.

The Queen's Palace in 1987 when it was the Headquarters of the Soviet 40th Army.


The Queen's Palace today.


The gardens and all but two of the trees are gone now.


The Queen's Palace is more structurally sound than the King's Palace. Both palaces were heavily damaged during the Civil War that broke out after the Soviets left. There's sort of a roof. A little bit of plywood to seal up the big windows against a cold early March night, some candles...ok, a lot of candles...a charcoal fire and it was downright cozy.

We were there to bid our British Colonel farewell as he ends his tour and moves on to other duties. We had great Indian fare, three different curry dishes, rice, naan, and all the trimmings...except no Kingfisher or Taj Mahal beer...or any other booze. Bummer.

The Grand Stair.


Another view of the Grand Stair.


For those who did not come with flashlights, the way in was lit with chemlights.


The Brits know how create a nice atmosphere even in a war zone. Flowers, fizzy grape juice and...yeah, I know I said there wasn't any booze. That is a beer can...sort of. It's Beck's non-alcoholic beer. What's the point?


Our staff is composed of British, US and French.
For those who remember the "Freedom Fries" and all that nonsense that went along with our disagreement with the French at the start of the war, I can tell you that even though our governments are often at loggerheads, our soldiers get along quite well. There's something about shared danger.


A real live Frenchman!
Our other French officer (the one with an English first name and a Spanish surname) missed the event. Something about making sure the wine at the French Embassy was properly secured. Maybe this one was wishing he was at the French Embassy too.


I did say it was cozy, right? Well, about 40°F cozy.
So there was hot tea and coffee to take off the chill.


It was just a nice little gathering of the guys.


Ok, well...there were some babes ladies present. Hey they were in uniform! The embassay ladies were too in uniform! Note that the Brit Brigadier came equiped with a pair of shoulder warmers embassy staff. They did keep their coats on. After all, it was a bit chilly.


What is it about the Brits and feathers in their hats?
I frequently wear a pakhul, a flat wool hat many Afghans wear. The Brit Colonel, the guy on the right, commented that no matter how you wear a pakhul, you can still look foolish. To which one of our Air Force guys replied, "but if you stick a feather in it, you look British.


The group picture.
Ok, so the ladies did take off their coats, but only for a wee bit. I mean after all, they went to a lot of effort to select just the right revealing, correct tasteful attire to help torture cheer up the guys. As we finished up the picture session, there was a loud explosion. To which one guy said, "Oops, time to go!" Another said, "Oh great! Fireworks!" The bad guys had attacked an Afghan National Police checkpoint down the road. No casualties, but a solid reminder that we are in a war zone.

16 comments:

Henry the Dog said...

Wonderful, wonderful photos. Quite haunting and eerie, but so warm and cheerful inside. A brilliant post. It's what blogging should be about.

Travis Erwin said...

Great shots. It's sad to see such a magnificent place in decline.

J. L. Krueger said...

Henry Ole Buddy!
Thanks for stopping by. I just noticed that I've been remiss. I neglected to add a link to your fantastic blog. Fixed now!

For all you who haven't yet, you gotta go see Henry's blog. It's a great doggie-eyeview of life.

J. L. Krueger said...

Travis,
I always think about how it's such a tragic waste. The good news is that there are plans, and funds provided by India, to restore both palaces.

Sunny said...

The farewell party seemed to be a blast!

I love the palace very much. There are still places of that kind around here and I walk there quite often. I love the atmosphere of those dark, half-ruined witnesses of great dynasties' falls an rises in their everlasting walls.

Jenn Jilks said...

Living like a king, prince among men & women...

Charming post, a good chuckle and almost politically correct.

Simplicity said...

This post pulled in so many different directions! The castle is fascinating...it seems so sad really! And I laughed a lot at your references to the harlots...er...ladies. :) Just kidding...
I have no reference point to even fathom what you're experiencing...it's so intriguing!

preTzel said...

Beautiful pictures. Me? I could not walk in that palace if it was not well lit. I would be frightened. Thank you for showing me. :)

Barbara Martin said...

Great photos, and good use of a palace...a farewell dinner.

Reb said...

What a beautiful place that must have been. Glad to hear there are plans to restore both of the palaces.

It sounds like in spite of the chill you had a wonderful interesting evening.

BioniKat said...

What a surreal experience. A little bit of alcohol would have made it a lively party but a bit difficult to deal with the bad guys when under the influence!

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

You are so funny! And these were awesome photos! Wow a palace! And what a wonderful setting for a dinner party although I too think it is sad to see such decline.

ssas said...

I'm glad you found time to have a little fun. Shoulder warmers, hehe.

The Muse said...

Hey J.L!

What a beautiful event! I love the subtle humor you've interjected. Then there's the reminders of why you are there.

I imagine the palace was a spectacular place at one time, perhaps it will be again someday? One day in the future, when the war is a distant memory, I could see the palace becoming a museum.

Take care of yourself.

Maggie May said...

Just popping in accidentally but wanted to stop and say Thank You, for your service.

J. L. Krueger said...

Sunny,
I'm a castle/palace/old place freak. I never tire of them.

Jenn,
Political correctness is not one of my best traits...takes effort.

Simplicity,
Ah, you are awake again! I hope you are feeling better.

preTzel,
There's probably about 30 ghosts wandering around in there (the family of the President).

Barbara,
Our Brigadier wants to do more of that too.

Reb,
Yep, it was fun. Just wish we could have had real beer!

Momcat,
And it probably is not a good idea to drink when handling weapons.

Ello!
I'm not entirely sure of the full plans when the palaces are restored, but my preference would be to make them national museums.

Sex!
Yeah, but I didn't get any shoulder-warmers! Good thing...someone would probably brain me when I got home!

Muse!
Yep concur whole-heartedly on the museum idea.

Maggie,
Thanks for stopping by! Come back again.