Travel from KAF to LSA/Kuwait was quite uneventful. I was on a C17, so the trip was shorter than if we'd been on a C130. The plane was air conditioned, not very full and quite comfortable. We were allowed to remove our IBAs upon leaving Afghan air space (after about 30 minutes), although I used my vest to prop up my head, so I kept mine on a little longer.
When the ramp was opened in Kuwait it felt like someone had left the oven on. I forgot what 130+ degrees feels like. My eyeballs were hot.
It was great to work the counter at the USO, see my buddies Scott and Wen, get out to a mall and eat at a restaurant. Thanks guys.
Travel to Berlin via Istanbul was also uneventful. I have no idea how long it took since the time changed a couple of times and I was not keeping track. The first day in Berlin I checked into Lindemann's, had my hair colored by an old Turkish man, and then got a pedicure from a certified sadist who put the color on way too thick, so it bubbled. Toby arrived that night.
Our first day in Berlin, Toby and I took a hop-on/hop-off bus tour, with river cruise. We saw many historic sights, including churches, Check Point Charlie, parliament and numerous museums. We learned a lot about Berlin, then got a cab to the Hansablick Hotel to meet my cousin Gina and her husband John.
John, Gina, Toby and I had dinner at a lovely Greek sidewalk cafe. Gina's German is excellent, but not perfect. The waiter could not understand why she was asking if the fish we ordered had beans inside. She later learned the correct word for "bones."
Our entire visit to Germany is backdroped to the World Cup, as indeed our Greek dinner took hours since the waiter was "serving" everyone and watching football at the same time. As I'm writing, Germany just beat (such a kind word) England. Twenty minutes ago the streets were empty; now there are fireworks, horns honking, revelers, shouting, sirens and general mayhem.
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