Beautiful Berlin morning. Rainy London lunch. Icy night in Iceland.

January 16th 2008 1.30am
The pilot has just announced that we are just passing over Manchester. 26 years and 1 month ago, almost to the hour, I was born there. It’s a funny feeling.
I am also listening to an interview with Tom Waits after his album Real Gone came out. While I write I don’t hear every word said, but this I heard just now.
Anything you can think of is true.
It is one of my favourite lines from his lyrics and it makes me happy that he quotes it.
Anything you can think of is true.

Like my day for example. This journey. A100 years ago someone might have never believed this could be possible.

Berlin said goodbye to me, sun shining, it felt almost like spring. Out of the train window on my way to the airport everything looked beautiful.
I just about made it in time. As the lady at the check-in announced that they were open for 5 more minutes I let down my 22.2 kg rucksack with relief and banged my lip on the desk. No charge for overweight. As I rushed away from the security the officers called after me, holding up the boarding pass I had left on the conveyor belt. As I thanked them and ran off again I could hear them making jokes and laughing.

In London I just about missed the shuttle-bus from the airport to the train station. Couldn’t really run very fast with the whale of a bag on my back, just reaching the bus stop as the bus pulled away. But the bus driver noticed and stopped opened the doors and smiled while I lugged my stuff on board gratefully.

After lunch with my grandmother and it didn’t really feel like I woke up in another country, or that I would go to sleep in yet another.

Then, the middle of rush hour on the London underground, hoping I would be more timely for my next check in.
Luckily, no delays.No cue at check in. No charge for overweight.
Then, a looooooong delay. Engineers working on the airplane, trying to figure out the problem. Announcement that we might have to spend the night at the airport. 20 minutes later we are boarding. Tired and apologetic looking staff. Still friendly. No one seemed too annoyed. The flight was scheduled for 9 pm. I looked at my watch as the plane let go of the ground. Midnight. Exactly. Almost makes it worth the delay. 00.00 is a much more magical and interesting moment to take off than 21.00.

In Reykjavík everything is covered with snow. I got home at 5am, almost 24 hours after I woke up in Berlin.

It is good to be back.
I forgot how magical the winter mornings here can be. 9am. I have been up for 2 hours. Been swimming. Walked on ice to the swimming pool. Swallowed and hidden by the mist and steam. Come out and walk through the parking lot. Still the black of night and everything so still. I can see the cars driving. But mute. There is a special silence. Like the snow and the darkness swallow all sound.

Louis the 14th owned 413 beds. This is what Tom Waits said.
Do you know how many beds you have slept in?