I will be in this part of Europe for the week and will also be spending some time in Latvia, albeit short and a bit of time in Estonia, a place I last visited before the turn of the century I believe, but still post-Soviet era times, so I am extremely interested in seeing the great changes there, but that is for later this week. I also had been to Latvia before, and that was some 10 years ago, now, I believe. In any case, for those of my clients looking for a different experience, in very modern societies here in the Baltics, that also hold on to their traditions, in the foods, architecture, culture, there are wonderful opportunities. Also, these countries are on the Euro and part of the European Union. They have the infrastructure and means to provide an amazing experience and if you have two weeks, or even 10 days, all three can be experienced and not feel rushed.
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Hey good afternoon and welcome to May. Here in New England, spring has finally sprung, or maybe it has not. The weather changes remind me of Minnesota, the many years I lived there. It is only in June, when the weather seems to stabilize and by then, I will not be around here or at least not all of it, but that is for another post. Lots of things are happening this month and most of them, I also will not be here, traveling across the pond once and traveling to parts south twice, but ever working on my valued clients travel around the world. It is a good month, as well, as it is Travel Advisor Appreciation Month and more than anything, I appreciate what I can do for my clients and their travels to corners of the earth, planning their adventures and being able to do it from wherever I happen to be. With all the craziness that has occurred over the past 27 + years, I have been doing this, and I am still doing it, for the foreseeable future, is a testament to the passion I have for what I do. Thank you and Happy Travel Advisors Day to me and all of my colleagues in this amazing industry!!!
The crazy thing is that I know I have lots to do, and the time is a fleeting. My departure from the US will be even sooner, less than 2 months from now, when I lock the door for the last time, and I know the time will go fast. At least, this last weekend, I cleaned up some 3 boxes of ancient papers and brochures for trash and shredding. I want the time to fly, but I also need to balance that with knowing I need the time for all the loose ends. In the end, when I depart on the 21st of June, none of the still owned “stuff” will be left here. Either it will have been shipped, sold, given away or simply left. Out of sight, out of mind and really that has been most helpful as I get down to that final downsizing. What I do know is that this is very real and at the same time, with all the excitement for my future with Rosa, I have to temper it with the knowledge that I have to balance the needs of my clients as well. Fortunately, both the personal and the business feel in tune right now and that is a very good feeling. Enough of this however, as I promised you another segment of Rosa and my honeymoon to Turkey, and this time, we arrived in the region known as Cappadocia where there are opportunities for hot air balloon rides, but unfortunately, the winds did not cooperate, but the abandoned cave cities, churches and other bizarre landscapes certainly made up for it. One of the highlights for me was the MDC Cave hotel carved right into the rock. I have clients who have stayed there. It is a truly unique experience and one I would highly recommend to anyone who comes to Cappadocia, and more are being built. Our guide, Mustafa, was great, as were all the other guides and his story is unique. He is a native of the region and was born in one of the cave houses in the village, long since abandoned and only those willing to turn some of the structures into new cave hotels for examples are allowed to buy them. Some, however, are truly inaccessible, but the experience of being there was so worthwhile. I like working with locals to create trips and he is one. We tried different foods and different drinks, but it is a much quieter area, as there are no big cities where these cave hotels, cave dwellings and amazing natural landscapes are. There is civilization, but once you leave the city into which you fly, Kayseri, there is nothing around. It is a much different world altogether with the landscapes with wide open spaces, but some amazing mountain snow covered peaks. It does not remind me of Iceland as the landscapes are different, but you get the gist that you are in a different world in the middle of Turkey. We also enjoyed the pomegranate and orange juices that we freshly squeezed right there and in fact, Rosa got into the act as she wanted to try out her skill set. She did well and we enjoyed it. By the way, Cappadocia is a region of Turkey, it is not the name of the town, so there is no confusion. In any case, we stayed a few nights with the cave hotel experience, the cave dwellings and the amazing natural formations and their version of the Grand Canyon and the pigeons, which seems to be a big deal. For Rosa and I, not so impressive, as we can see pigeons all over. Next week, I look forward to sharing the last few days of our time in Turkey for our honeymoon, to Antalya, but that is for next week. As always, I hope you have enjoyed my offerings each week and appreciate that you have read my blog posts and look forward to continuing with sharing. As always, thank you so much for your support of Rosa’s and my little world now that they have been merged into one. We truly appreciate your support and congratulations. Stay safe, healthy, and most importantly happy, and as always, your shared comments and thoughts are most welcome!!!
What can I say about this past week. It was crazy busy, getting ready for client arrivals, documents, invoicing, and general living in Rome, but tying up loose ends here. We had taken an apartment in a neighborhood where we had stayed before, and it was convenient for getting around the city for both of us. Just one more step getting closer to my life here, but we are in the process, or shall I say, Rosa and others are in the process of renovating an apartment not used for decades, but in the family, except for storage, of the family’s stuff. It is a very nice apartment and will work out well for Rosa and me. Lots of family memories there for her as she showed it to me. When she first described it, I thought when she opened the door, I was going to see cobwebs and dust everyone. It was simply in disuse as it was her grandfather’s home until the 70’s and has lots of charm, but also will be lots of work, but, and it will be our home eventually, she and I agreed on about 80% of the changes to be made. The nuts and bolts were a given, but decoration, of which I know nothing, well on the same page. We also greeted clients from Colorado that arrived in Rome after a week in Iceland and time in Norway and enjoyed dinner a local restaurant. It is interesting to note that while I have very much gotten used to the Italian ways, of course, I am becoming a resident and possibly a dual citizen in a couple of years, was to see the interaction of someone, while having been here years ago, shown brightly. Asking for bread, not a problem, as it was going to be brought to the table, but also asking for butter, a no no in Rome and unfortunately, the restaurant could not provide it, but had olive oil and in the end, which she said she did not like, and ordering a salad to start the meal, among other things, not the Italian way, but in the end, the staff at the restaurant, made accommodations for our clients, all was good and the evening very pleasant. The next morning, met them at their hotel, was a bit of a pack mule and got them off and running on the train to Venice, where they are currently. Rosa will be with them sometime next week to be their guide for a few days, before they head on to their next destination, Greece, on their whirlwind tour. But enough about this. As promised, more about our honeymoon in Turkey and after leaving Gallipoli and Troy, we drove to Izmir, which I mentioned last week. It is the jumping off point for Ephesus and the House of Saint Mary. It is one of the larger cities in Turkey. I had not been here before but had been to Ephesus off a cruise ship years ago, but it was all new for me, and certainly for Rosa. We were picked up by our guide and driver and left the city to see these most impressive ruins of the ancient world and while I had been there before, I was even most impressed this time. Our guide and driver were excellent in that getting to the House of Saint Mary first, we would avoid the big tour groups, even this time of year, and we learned the story, explored this little residence, where Mary supposedly stayed and the story of a local who had, in a dream, I believe describe this place in detail, including the location and other pieces that lead archologists and other to find this residence of Mary. It is tiny, but it was fine for one person. Also, there were several water fountains, each representing something and Rosa took her water bottle and took some of the holy water. After leaving the House of St. Mary, we took a relatively short drive to Ephesus. Again, remembering bits and pieces, but since it had been years, finding out how much more had been excavated, whole sections including the public toilets and a brothel, I believe. The crowds were not too intense, so our guide was right, we were lucky, or it was still early in the season or all three. As a privately guided tour, it was at our own pace. She was well versed in the region and shared her insight, but for me, what was most impressive, and she was much younger, is that Rosa, having revealed, or maybe it was me 😊, that she was a guide as well, and knew some of the “stuff” 😊, provide her input to the conversation and our guide appreciated it and said, she could share with other travelers in the future. It is nice to know that people in some places in the world are still open minded. As you may already know, Ephesus is still being excavated, as I have mentioned, and the most famous of the sites is the library and it truly is very impressive. Again, having seen it before, and through more mature eyes and Rosa’s eyes, I gained an even better appreciation for it. Also, on the site, this being very new, was an interactive museum they built, I believe around the time just before the pandemic or maybe just after. You go into this museum, into different rooms and you are “hit” with amazing screens of history and what Ephesus is all about, from its inception to its demise. I think this was a very nice way to bring Ephesus to life. We went to the amphitheater and other ruins of the site. This is a must see, coming to Turkey and yes, many cruise ships offer the opportunity to see Ephesus and the House of St. Mary. I did it privately the first time and this time and not with 30 or 40 of my closest friends. This offers flexibility and more attention to detail, so I would recommend everyone to see these amazing ruins but do it with your own private guide. Next week, Cappadocia, a totally different world.
It has been a crazy week as my life with Rosa gets closer and closer to becoming a permanent resident of Italy, with any luck by summertime. At least the wheels are turning, albeit slowly as we did go to city hall last week and submit every bit of paperwork we had, as a first step, really a second step, as we had, back in the states, gone to the consular office in Boston, but at least steps are taken, and I found out, Rosa knows someone, who, at the very least can possibly provide updates. With any luck, by the time I return to Rome this summer, and I am still there for a bit longer, I may be resident upon arrival, which would be great, but all good bureaucracies love to move at a snail’s pace and Italy is no exception. In any case, that is for later. I have just finished a few days in London and another travel trade show and met some very interesting new people who have already and potentially more become partners as they fit into some needs that I have. And potentially others will fall into that fold of future business. Of course, there are always re-connections with partners and friends who seem to show up at these events and the best part, the evening social, this evening was at one of my favorite places. Now wait, think and you may guess it, but really who has the time. It was at the Hard Rock Café and the original one that last year or one before celebrated it 50th year. Of course, the three keys for me, service, food, and the vibe were what I would expect. And tomorrow morning, early, I return “home” to Rome to continue the process.
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Wandering PuffinWeathering the Storm with the Wandering Puffin Archives
April 2024
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