​Weathering the Storm with the WP#218

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. ​

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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. ​

When, the other day, we were driving back from her sister’s house, having celebrated her sister’s birthday, she said I should try something different in these posts to engage my audience once again. Actually, it was momma who asked, as we were driving back, or maybe Rosa, what is your favorite city in the world. That is truly a hard question to answer, but I did. I did, but in a roundabout way since it was truly a hard question to answer. There are so may variables to come to an answer, but it really is an opinion of mine, so I thought that perhaps to end this point, to pose the question, to you, my readers, but not just a simple answer, but why. Also, in the drive back, I actually thought twice about it, or perhaps refined my answer, by size of city, small, medium, large, and it still took some time, and I thought about scanning my past travels and the places I had been. 

In the end, I settled on one city, Victoria, British Columbia for me, but then I thought again, and remembered my time in Bruges, Belgium. When I mentioned these in our conversation, both were surprised, maybe more so, Rosa, that I had not mentioned a place in the states. That is when I decided perhaps to do it by size. I consider Victoria, a medium size city and Bruges a small city, but they wondered why not a city in the US, or for that matter, being now my home, a place like Rome. Rome, of course has its charms, but it would not have been my choice for a beautiful city. Maybe because of the trash, the traffic insanity, and the graffiti everyone. Rosa says it is art, Okay😊, but again, why not a city in the US. When I re-traced my travels, and even though it has its problems, when you are on the ground, for a large city and one in the states, given I have been to most, if not all big cities in the country, I chose San Francisco. ​

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I would love to hear from you in terms of your favorite cities in the world, in terms of their beauty. What is your favorite small, medium, and large city in the world and why. Is Rome beautiful, yes, in its own ways, and other places like Salzburg, Austria would make my list. I am sure there are others which have much beauty. Florence, for sure comes to mind, as does Vienna, for the cleanliness and order that is there. I know all places have their charms and each person has their reasons why and I still have places to experience, so perhaps, my choices will change in terms my most beautiful cities in the world. Please share your thoughts and excited to hear your choices. 
As always, thank you, we so appreciate your support of our crazy little world, welcome you to this side of the pond for a visit, if and when you wish to be here, and, of course, remain healthy, safe, and happy, most importantly in this craziness in which we find ourselves. There will always be bumps in the road and it is how you handle them. Focus on the things you can control and let go of the things that you can’t. Life is too short to stress and while we all can’t be happy, all the time, find something that truly does make you happy and make that a focus. Your outlook will change as you stay on that path.

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