How I almost registered my car . . .

Well, I almost registered my car yesterday. Even though it's been inspected, insured, licensed, registered, and approved in Germany, none of that seems to count here. I had to have it re-inspected, show proof of insurance, get an Italian translation of my driver's license, get an appointment, produce all kinds of data I don't really know (i.e. horsepower, current value, size of engine), produce an Italian "soujourner" (I still don't know what that is, but I'm to pick it up at the legal office on Friday), get a copy of my official (red) passport, and pay 45 Euros (more than $50). All of this fun stuff takes place on another base--Naval Air Station II (NAS II), which is a 15-minute cross-country dash. Then, when I get all that together, I will get to drive to the city of Catania (luckily following an Italian from the motor vehicle office) and let Italian customs make sure it's not a stolen car. Finally, if all goes well, they will issue me Italian license plates and I can have them put on and also buy gas coupons. That will be a big plus, as Italian gas is now more than $5 per gallon. Wish me luck on this one.