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weathering the
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It turns out that summer, I had to apply for a fiscal code (codice fiscale), somewhat equivalent to the Social Security Number in the states, here to rent an apartment, and customs wanted to know why? Normally, this is done by a resident, in a more permanent status, but the rental agreement required I get one, so I did. In fact, the rental agency assisted me in getting it, so I had it. I was only here for technically 89 days, actually less, since I was in the UK for a few days in between, so well within the Schengen 90/180 rules to be here, but apparently, this messed with the bureaucracy. As Rosa would say “How’s possible?” I have given up trying to understand the Italian bureaucracy as nothing, even to Italians makes sense. Am I staying, of course, I am staying, and I will take each bureaucratic nightmare in stride, since I am a permanent resident with a codice fiscale and more importantly, an amazing wife who I love and adore and the reason I am here. Will I see my worldly possessions in my lifetime? Well, that is to be seen, since things run on snail time, but having supplied the additional information and a declaration as such, signed by Rosa and me, yesterday and supposedly received by customs, and to this point, some 12 to 15 hours later, as this is written, well, no news is good news. By days end, we should know, hopefully or we will have to provide our first born. No, no children on the way, but it just seems that while I very much appreciate all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed, this is truly a bureaucratic mess.
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What do you write about when there really nothing is to write about. I am not about complaining about life, because life is too short to waste such energies, but sometimes I still do. It is human to find issue with things and that is normal. I want to be happy and live my life and the scales balance that way. There are days though that you simply want to throw on the woodpile and forget about, but sometimes they linger. In any case, this past week was, well routine, for the most part, work, school, library, guiding and the usual daily experiences that Rosa and I have in our crazy little world.
We have not received any recent emails or updates on the whereabouts of my worldly possessions, so not wanting to assume, they will arrive on land by the end of the week, but perhaps, I just jinxed it, and more delays will be on the way. Who knows. Again, I can’t get wound up on things of which I have no control. It is a funny thing though. I have not seen the stuff in nearly a year, and the same feelings of what I had felt when my stuff back in Minnesota had sat in storage for years, and realizing what there was and how reasonably easy it was to dispose of for the most part, either thrown, sold, or given away. Just things in the end.
Is it possible to have two normal weeks in a row, perhaps, but what really is normal. Yes, the routines were the same and it was nice to meet and greet clients here in Rome this past week, enjoyed dinner with them and Rosa and Rosa, of course, guided them around her home for parts of two days. Tomorrow is their last night in Rome and then they continue their journey in my adopted country. They started in the Amalfi and will continue on with a short stop in the Cinque Terre and then Tuscany and finally in Venice. Really a classic couple of weeks journey, but always a different journey for all of my clients. They travel here and there for their own reasons and while there is a similar pattern in the process of putting these adventures together, here in Italy or elsewhere around the world, all of my clients are unique and so are their travel adventures.  This is what keeps me going, the variety and the possibilities that exist in putting together adventures for valued clients for the past 27 plus years. It is Travel Advisor Appreciation Month or known in other ways, but truly, I am not around doing this if I do not have my valued clients. Right now, some are here in Italy, a couple in Croatia, one in Wales and one currently in York. Oh, and one in the south of France. It is, my busy season, and that is always good. With the craziness in the world that we in the industry have dealt with time and time again, we pride ourselves in taking care of our clients. Soon others will be traveling, some here again at the end of the month to Italy, some to France, Germany and Austria, and some on an Alaska cruise. While people know me for Europe, given the connectivity I have here, I do other things and excited to have clients setting sail on an Alaskan cruise. I appreciate the recognition for what I do, and I am still passionate about it, even on the craziest of days. It drives me to do better and better and when issues arise, I want to make sure that I rise to the occasion. In fact, this past week, a client had an issue with her trains, and we were able to keep her moving forward, and in another situation, perhaps a rookie mistake, in terms of a hotel stay, but in the end, the situation was resolved and the client, both clients have moved forward in their journeys. Being in the industry for as long as I have been, has allowed me some many opportunities that perhaps, others have not had. The most important is the meeting those 5 + years ago, when I met Rosa. Yes, in some ways, we are a boring couple with our crazy routines, none of which are really routine, but then, routine would be so boring and neither she, nor I are known to be able to be kept in a box. She more so these days, and she is out guiding, working in the library and every day a new experience.
 What a normal past week it was. Really, it was nothing out of the ordinary and the season builds, and I have several sets of clients currently traveling on this side of the pond. Imagine, all the intensity, the craziness and really, it is about real life. I only had 2 days of teaching last week, but that is because, yes, there was a holiday on Thursday, but this week, back to form. What was different this past week is a colleague from Minnesota was ending her tour with her group right here in the Eternal City and she had reached out to Rosa and me to see if Rosa could guide the group, and well, yes, and it was a lovely day according to the group. Why, as they had a final farewell dinner at a restaurant near their hotel, called Mino’s and it was a nice evening of which I was invited. They were from Minnesota, Iowa and one from Montana, so it was something different. This week, I have 5 or 6 sets of clients here in Europe, so let the floodgates open.
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Wandering PuffinWeathering the Storm with the Wandering Puffin Archives
June 2025
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