This entry may be brief because I am writing on a PowerBook with an unfamiliar keyboard at Ayhen’s apartment. Our flight was enjoyable, and there is plenty to record, but I also want to rejoin Ben and Ayhen’s conversation.

We left Portland at 7:30 in the morning and flew to Cincinnati at 10:30. A woman named Carson was sitting behind Casey, and we exchanged smiles. After arriving in Cincinnati, we found some food and saw her again. We slept through part of the long onward flight and watched Elf. At one point Casey noticed that Carson was on the same plane. When we reached baggage claim several hours later, I finally introduced myself. She was also studying at SOU and planned to be around Frankfurt until 1 January, just like us, so we discussed possibly spending New Year’s Eve together.

We went into the city, left our bags, and wandered around for five hours. Whenever we saw an interesting building, we walked towards it. One small adventure involved buying a packet of ranch dressing simply to get change for the luggage lockers. Eventually, we had to leave for the other airport. Casey and I shared some wine, which made me extremely tired, then slept at the airport for two hours before our flight to Stockholm.

On that flight, I sat beside one of the most interesting people I had met in a long time. Her name was Barvita, although I am sure I have misspelled it. One observation from our conversation stayed with me: “Americans are the only immigrants thought of as better.” We talked for the entire two-and-a-half-hour flight.

After collecting our bags and buying bus tickets, we began working through a slightly hectic schedule. We had planned to meet Ben at the central terminal but, fortunately, found him at the airport instead; the central station was enormous. The three of us took a bus towards the city. Halfway there, Barvita let me use her phone to call Ayhen. We worked out the route to his apartment, caught the last subway, and arrived at about 1:00am.

It is now 2:00am, and I could hardly be happier. We have a place to stay, internet access for keeping everyone informed, and several long days ahead. I apologise if the site disappears again. I sent roughly 100-150 emails on Saturday night, and I do not think my internet provider appreciated it. I have slept for only about seven hours since Saturday, and anyone who has travelled in Europe will understand the challenge of an unfamiliar keyboard.

Look for another update soon, and please sign the guestbook, but not while pretending to be my mother.