In just a few days I will get on a plane to fly over the Cascade Mountains and leave Western Washington, where Mt. Rainier seems to float on clouds, and our little bit of ocean is calm and collected in the Puget Sound. Less than 24 hours later, I will be in a taxi heading towards my hostel a block from the Spree, 1.4 km from the Brandenburg Gate, surrounded by significantly more history but fewer mountains.