Actually, you can get almost anywhere from here, but it’s usually going to take at least two flights.

Which is fine, except for some reason my ears won’t pop after the second flight. They’re fine after the first one, but not so much after the second.

I’ve been to Africa. Once. For a couple months during the summer.

In my dreams I’ve been back several times. But not to the continent I came to know. My subconscious has transformed it into a collage of extremes, juxtaposing tropical coastlines with Middle Eastern cityscapes. It’s nothing like the blend of African, Arab, and Indian cultures I encountered in the waking world.

But I know it’s Africa, because in every dream I’m just arriving, and there’s chaos. Uncertainty. Who is meeting me at the airport? Where am I staying? Why am I there at all?

When I arrived in Dar es Salaam, in real life, my host was not at the airport. Nobody answered the phone. The first hotel my taxi driver took me to didn’t accept credit cards. The place I ended up staying cost more than I would normally spend in the United States. And even then I had no guarantee of ever contacting my host. I was frustrated and more than a little scared.

By the time I left I felt differently about Africa. But at night, when some part of my brain is trying to transform the fear, uncertainty, and doubt of everyday life into the stuff of dreams, I’m transported back to that Africa.

So I’m home for July 4th 20% of the time. That number might sound small until you remember that less than 5% of people are in the United States on July 4th.

The Weather Channel thinks there’s another Berlin, too: the one they report weather for. Last week the weather was supposed to be relatively unpleasant, at least early in the week. Fortunately they were wrong. This week, on the other hand, has turned out much rainier than predicted. Wrong Berlin, I guess.

Christmas Berlin is pretty at night, but too cold. Autumn Berlin is very pleasant, but a ways off, for now (especially since I’ll be home before then.) When the rain lets up, springtime in Berlin is nice. Don’t get me started on summer.

The wort part of the Berlin I live in now is that there’s somebody missing. But that won’t be the case for too long.

Szczecin seemed interesting, from what little I saw. Train station in a bad part of town, perhaps, but that’s not entirely surprising. And, like Prague, prices are low.

Prices are also calculated in a currency other than Euros. That switch is yet to come. But, the border with Germany has been open for a little while now, so there are no passport checks on the train. One minute you’re in Germany, the next you’ve crossed an invisible line.

Trains really are the only way to travel medium to long distances. No worries, no hassles, just easy. Still, four hours travel for a three hour tour of the city (and half of that at lunch) is a bit much to ask, even when it’s train travel.