As we flew over the national parks east of Portland, I was transported to those seconds before landing in Cologne nearly two years ago. Instead of the freedom of forests, I was expecting greyness, skyscrapers and the ideals of business. I was welcomed by Ali at the airport and we cruised back to Portland on a big road that stuck out of the ground and sat in the air. It’s nothing like the autobahns nestled in the hills of the Eifel and Hunsrück that have become my normality.

Portland is friendly. It’s so lovely to be asked (with enthusiasm) how your day’s going. It’s lead to countless pleasant interactions in what could otherwise be just another lonely city. At the beginning of the week I strolled on downtown to the tourist information centre and spoke to Kathy. “It’s cone day, so you’re gonna wanna go get yourself a cone next…